| DESSERTS |
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| RASPBERRY ALMOND COOKIES
1 cup butter, softened 2 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour ½ cup granulated sugar 1 tsp. grated lemon rind 1 egg ½ cup almond paste 1 cup red raspberry jam confectioners’ sugar Beat sugar, butter and egg in a large bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Crumble in almond paste; beat until well blended. Gradually add flour, blending thoroughly; stir in lemon rind. Wrap dough in plastic wrap (mixture will be sticky). Refrigerate overnight. Divide chilled dough in half. Roll out on lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Chill briefly if too soft. Cut out cookies. Make sure that half the cookies have the center cut out and you have an even amount of each. Place cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Refrigerate scraps for a second rolling. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for about 8 – 10 minutes or until the edges of cookies are lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool. Sift confectioners’ sugar through a fine strainer over the cut out cookies. Spread the solid cookies with a thin layer of jam. Press cookies together to make a sandwich. Add a bit more jam in the center. You can add a whole almond in the hole too if you would like. |
| TOFFEE-TOPPED BARS
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour ½ cup (1 stick) butter 1 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. salt 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 egg 1 cup milk 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips ½ cup chopped walnuts ¼ cup flaked coconut Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13 X 9 inch baking pan; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix the brown sugar and flourtogether . Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Remove 1 cup of mixture and set aside. To mixture in large brown, add baking powder and salt. Using a fork lightly beat the egg, vanilla and milk. Add to flour mixture. Continue beating until smooth batter forms. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. In a small bowl, combine the chocolate chips and walnuts. Fold in the coconut. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over the top of batter in pan. Then sprinkle with the chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut. Using a long flat spatula, spread toppi8ng evenly over the top of the batter in the pan. Bake the bars for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack. Cool bars in pan completely before slicing. (I put the pan in the refrigerator to completely firm up the bars.) Using a serrated knife cut into 24 bars. You can store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. |
| Cranberry Cake
In a medium sized bowl combine: 1 1/4 cups coarsely ground cranberries--easiest to grind when frozen 1/4 c. sugar 1/2 c. chopped pecans or walnuts Combine in mixer bowl: 1 package lemon cake mix 3 oz. softened cream cheese 3/4 c. milk Beat for 2 minutes. Add: 4 eggs Beat for 2 minutes. Stir in cranberry mixture. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Frost with buttercream frosting or a glaze as desired. |