Lemon Cookies to soothe my soul

Long time no see, huh? No, I didn't drop off the face of the planet (though at times, it sure felt like it). It has been two weeks since my last post, which makes me sad. My family has been going through a lot over these past two weeks, though, and I just haven't had the time do bake or to post. To give you the abridged version....I *may* have breast cancer (we'll find out after my biopsy later this week), my daughter was in the ER because they *thought* she had a serious blood platelet disorder (turns out she didn't), I had to take my Mom to the hospital because she *thought* she had a heart attack (turns out she didn't), and so much more!

So, the first "free" moment I had....I landed myself in the kitchen.....baking lemon sandwich cookies. YUM!

These were easy to make and they are delicious! If you like lemon (or love it...the way we do), you'll definitely have to try these. If you don't like rolling dough into a log, you could easily roll it out flat and use a cookie cutter. If that isn't your thing either, you could just roll the dough into balls in your hands and flatten with a glass dipped in sugar. Either method should warrant great (and yummy) results.

Lemon Sandwich Cookies
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
Icing (filling)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp lemon extract
1 cup powdered sugar (I used a little more than this, but you can do it to your desired consistency)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, lemon zest, and salt until combined. With mixer on low, add flour (dough will still be stiff and somewhat crumbly); finish mixing with a wooden spoon.

Turn half of the dough onto a piece of foil or plastic wrap, bring two opposite edges of the foil up and form a log. (Repeat with second half of dough) Wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour (and up to 3 days).

Unwrap dough; cut into 1/4" slices. Place 1 inch apart on two baking sheets; sprinkle with granulated sugar, if desired. Bake until barely beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes; transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

While your cookies are cooling, you can make the filling/icing. Mix ingredients together until desired consistency.

Form sandwiches: Place about 1 teaspoon filling between two cookies, sugared sides facing out; squeeze gently.

I ended up getting about 20 sandwiches out of this recipe.....though I rolled my dough pretty fat/thick, so if you made longer, skinnier logs, you could easily get more than that....but we like big, fat cookies!

Enjoy!
-Erica

Chocolate-y Buttersweets

Think thumbprint cookies......only better! These rich, dreamy treats have a creamy filling with coconut and walnuts - topped with a chocolatey glaze.

Can we say - YUM?!

I took a recipe from Best of the Bake-Off Cookbook (Pillsbury - 2008) and tweaked it. The first time I made these treats the cookies spread and didn't have this nice shape....so back to the drawing board on that one. Once I added a couple things VIOLA! Then, I used almond extract in the filling instead of vanilla. That really kicked it up a notch and made the filling into an "ultimate" filling.

I'll be creating these babies for an upcoming party - for sure!

Enjoy!
-Erica

Hawaiian Cookie Tarts

Aloha!

These delicious little tarts are perfect for parties or just as a snack.
I have made these little sweeties a few times and they're always a crowd-pleaser! Years ago I had run across this recipe in a Pillsbury Bake-Off cookbook (not sure which year).....I believe they still include this recipe in their most current Bake-Off cookbooks.

A delicious trip to a warm and sunny place.

Here is their recipe:

Cookies
1 3/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C powdered sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1 C butter or margarine, softened
1 t. vanilla

Filling
1 C pineapple preserves
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 C coconut
additional powdered sugar (about 2 T.)

1 - Heat oven to 350 F. In large bowl, stir together flour, 1/2 C powdered sugar and the cornstarch. With spoon, beat in butter and vanilla until soft dough forms.

2 - Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1 ball in each of 36 ungreased mini muffin cups; press in bottom and up side of each cup. Spoon 1 teaspoon pineapple preserves into each dough-lined cup.

3 - In small bowl, beat granulated sugar and egg with fork until well blended. Stir in coconut until well coated with egg mixture. Spoon 1 teaspoon coconut mixture over preserves in each cup.

4 - Bake 23 - 33 mins or until cookie crusts are very light golden brown. Cool in pans on cooling racks 20 mins.

5 - To release cookies from cups, hold muffin pan upside down at an angle over cooling rack. With handle of table knife, firmly tap bottom of each cup until cookie releases. Cool completely, about 15 mins. Just before serving, sprinkle with additional powdered sugar. Store in refrigerator.

**Though, I have made these about 4 times or so, I've never been able to get 36 tarts out of one batch.....closer to about 2 to 2 1/2 dozen. (that is just me, though - maybe you'll get that many!)

Enjoy!
-Erica

Chocolatey Peanut Butter Bars

Talk about delicious!!! YUM YUM! I had a hard time not digging into these before they were ready. :) Though, one of my favorite combinations IS peanut butter and chocolate. What a winning combo, right?

A peanut-buttery crust with a gooey, chocolatey filling....sprinkled with pecans and coconut....then even more peanut-buttery goodness crumbled on top to finish!

This recipe is a whopper! Made in a 9 X 13 pan, this could easily serve 2 dozen people or more.

Enjoy!
-Erica