MINTY Week #1 Peppermint-Surprise Brownie Bites

As the recipe collection for this month has grown, there has been a definite mint trend. So hey, I decided to put them all together and have MINTY Week.

Why is mint such a popular holiday flavor? Is it the cold feeling it gives you, reminding one of winter? Is it because it's the flavor of iconic candy canes? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

But facts are facts and mint is IN. One of my favorite winter treats is peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks. And if you haven't had a (limited time) peppermint chocolate chip milkshake from Chik-Fil-A, you haven't lived.

Mint's natural partner is chocolate of course so about half the recipes this week feature the duo, but hopefully you will still be happily surprised by some of the treats we've cooked up. So go out and stock up on peppermint extract, Andes candies, York peppermint patties, candy cane Hershey's kisses, red food coloring, and anything else that looks the part. It's going to be a minty fresh week!!!Starting with these bad boys. Easy peasy lemon squeezey! Brownie layer, minty layer from York peppermint patties, brownie layer. Cut into bite-size squares. Relish in the minty cool dark chocolate deliciousness.

Look, this one's smiling at me:
Peppermint Surprise Brownie Bites
8 T unsalted butter
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp table salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
16 (1 1/2 inch) York Peppermint Patties

1. Prepare pan: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 8-inch-square baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, making sure that foil is tucked into all corners and that at least 1 inch overhangs top on all sides.

2. Make batter: Melt butter and chocolate together. Set aside to cool slightly. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl. Whisk sugar and eggs together in large bowl. Stir chocolate mixture and vanilla into egg mixture. Stir in flour mixture until just incorporated.

3. Assemble: Set 1 cup brownie batter aside. Pour remaining batter into prepared baking pan. Arrange Peppermint Patties on top of batter, leaving about 1/2 inch between each piece. Smooth reserved 1 cup batter over candy.

4. Bake: Bake until just set in center, 30 to 35 minutes. (Cake tester won’t work because of candy.) Cool completely in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours. Grasp overhanging foil on sides of pan and transfer brownies to cutting board. Cut into 36 pieces and serve. (Cut the cooled brownies into squares or use a cookie cutter for alternate shapes like stars and crescents. Brownies will keep at room temperature in airtight container for up to 3 days. )

Recipe from Cook's Country, October 2005

Click here for printable recipe

Lemon Coconut Squares

You always need something lemony in the holiday lineup. So it might as well be good. I mean like, buttery crust, sweet tart lemon filling, and for something fabulous and different, some delightful crunch from coconut and almonds to finish it off. Omigosh, you're in luck because that's exactly what these are!

Lemon Coconut Squares
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 10-to-12 ounce jar lemon curd
2/3 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds or coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Grease foil; set pan aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in flour and baking powder until combined (mixture will be crumbly.) Remove 2/3 cup of the crumb mixture, set aside. Press the remaining crumb mixture evenly onto the bottom of the prepared baking pan.

3. Bake crust in the preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes or until top is golden. Remove from oven. Spread lemon curd over hot crust to within 1/2 inch of the edges. In a medium bowl, stir together the reserved crumb mixture, coconut, and almonds. Sprinkle coconut mixture over lemon curd.

4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes more or until edges are golden and topping is lightly browned. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Using the edges of the foil, lift uncut bars out of pan. Cut into bars; makes 32.

Store bars in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookies magazine, 2010
Cookies made by Shanna S.

Click here for printable recipe

Dessert Club - "Cookies"

Naturally, the Dessert Club theme this month was "cookies." The competition is heating up so everyone likes the theme to be well-defined. It was determined that for our purposes a cookie is dropped, sliced or cut out prior to baking. Several of us couldn't choose just one so we brought two kinds. Which brought the total to thirteen kinds of cookies.

Now, keep in mind. This isn't a thing where everyone brings cookies, you pick one that looks good, then sit down to chat. We vote. There is a prize*. So everyone must taste everything. It is a burden borne by all. To ease the weight of this task, cold milk and a bowl of pretzels was provided. I couldn't have made it through such a sugarfest without them. In no particular order, we had:

• Chocolate Mint Marvels
• Almond-Orange Bars
• Pink Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies (one of my favorites; it was my second cookie because I didn't know how my first would turn out)
• Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
• Homemade Samoas
• Apricot Almond Cookies
• Pecan Praline Cookies
• "The Bomb" Cookies (since you are wondering it's the one with M&M's on top - in the center is a Milky Way candy)
• Cardamom Cream-Filled Snaps (my first cookie, which did turn out well once I got the hang of it on the last batch - everyone really liked them)
• Surprise Cookies (with a marshmallow inside)
• Peppermint Bark Fudge Chewies (hello)
• Double Chocolate Mint Brownie Cookies
• Mr. Grinch's Chocolate Chip Cookies (which arrived after I'd taken the pictures...but trust me, they were BRIGHT green!)

I'm not posting the individual pictures here because I will be posting several of the recipes throughout the month. When it came time to vote, everyone complained they could not choose just one. So we each voted for two. Which resulted in a FIVE-way tie. Last time we had a three-way tie. Something must be done, but when people go all out like they do for Dessert Club, ties are what you get.

I can't even remember what I voted for because I had three favorites: Chocolate Mint Marvels, Almond-Orange Bars, and Chewy Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies (I need to look closer at the recipe and see if they are the same Chocolate Ginger Cookies I posted a few years ago.) But there was not a bad cookie in the spread. Which came as no surprise.

This was the first time my Mom came to Dessert Club. She lives about 30 minutes away so she may not come every time but is an honorary member whenever she wants to. She made the Almond-Orange Bars which were YUMMY. She also made a custom Christmas ornament for everyone in attendance - an adorable, glittery, cherry-topped cupcake on which she had painted "DC 2010." Now that we all have the same ornament, we are really, really in a club. So I gotta get my game on for January.

*The prize this month was some cute cookie things including a cookie scoop and my new favorite, edible glitter!

Cranberry Muffins

Oooh, you are going to love me for these! You may be thinking these muffins look familiar. You are paying attention! Yes, they are the winter cousin of the most awesome blueberry muffins ever.

I really wanted to make a fresh cranberry muffin, but I was having a hard time finding a recipe that looked trustworthy. Then I realized, duh, I already have the best muffin recipe ever. Cranberries aren't too different from blueberries - more tart, less juicy - but that can be compensated for. Just strategically added a little more sugar, some orange juice and some orange zest instead of lemon. Ta-da! Now we can have the best-muffins-ever all year round!

Cranberry Muffins
Orange Sugar Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
2-3 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

Muffins:
2 cups (about 10 ounces) fresh cranberries, picked over and divided
1 1/8 cups (8 ounces) plus 6 teaspoon sugar, divided
2 T orange juice
2 1/2 cups (12½ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour (if you have a scale, weigh it, don't measure it - it's worth it)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk *
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
*If buttermilk is unavailable, substitute 3/4 cup plain whole-milk or low-fat yogurt thinned with 1/4 cup milk.

1. Bring 1 cup cranberries, 4 teaspoons sugar and 2 T orange juice to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with spoon (I used my potato masher) several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

3. For the topping: Stir together sugar and orange zest in small bowl until combined; set aside.

4. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Roughly chop remaining 1 cup cranberries and toss with 2 tsp sugar; set aside.

5. Whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until combined, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and chopped cranberries into flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not over mix.)

6. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly).

7. Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter. Using small spoon (or spoon handle), gently swirl berry filling into batter. Sprinkle orange sugar evenly over muffins.

8. Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 15 to 19 minutes (don't over bake), rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving. Makes 12 muffins
Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Click here for PRINTABLE RECIPE

Spontaneous Dipping Tutorial

In the comments section of the Peanut Butter Bon Bons, my sister Tona has asked for a dipping tutorial. I am not a chocolatier but I know a little and here it is:

Chocolate melts at around 80-100 degrees Farenheit so it's easy to scorch, which is irreparable. Also, it must not come into contact with water while melting; otherwise, it will seize, becoming grainy and lumpy. Yuck. If that happens, you may be able to save it by adding a taste-free vegetable oil (canola, not olive) or warm water by the teaspoon to the melted chocolate in a saucepan. Stir constantly until the chocolate returns to a smooth state.

If you're melting chocolate by itself, double boiler (official or makeshift) is the way to go. Make sure the bottom of the chocolate pan doesn't actually touch the water of the bottom pan, but is just heated by the steam.

Chocolate retains its shape when melting so you must stir it to see how melted it is. When it is almost all melted, remove from heat and stir until smooth.

You can melt chocolate in the microwave but it's risky because it is so easy to overheat. If you do use the microwave, do on 50% power for short intervals (20 seconds or less), stirring in between.

If you're melting chocolate with something, like shortening for dipping, or cream for ganache, you can do it right over the flame, but keep it very low and slow and stir often. Stay close and watch it. When it seems almost melted, remove and stir until smooth. There is no rushing or shortcutting melted chocolate.

The reason to add shortening to chocolate for dipping (bon bons, biscotti, strawberries, etc.) is that it makes the chocolate smoother and allows for more even coverage. It also reduces the chocolate's tendency to bloom once hardened, that light powdery looking crust that can develop. You can't substitute butter or margarine for the shortening because they both contain water and then you have the seizing problem mention above. The typical ratio is 1/2 tsp shortening to each ounce of chocolate (so since I use 12 oz. chocolate for the bon bons, that's 6 tsp or 2 T shortening. I actually used a bit less, just over 1 T, and it was OK.)

Once you have a nice smooth melted chocolate, put your bon bon on a fork and dip it in. If the chocolate is too shallow to cover it, roll it around until covered, then lift out on the fork, holding for a moment to let excess drip off, or shake it gently to let excess drip off. If chocolate thickens too much while it cools, warm gently again over low heat or bowl of hot water.

Happy Dipping!

Peanut Butter Bon Bons

It's nice to mix things up with a no-bake sumpin' sometimes. And if it's dipped in chocolate it looks fancy. And if you sprinkle it with ed-i-ble glit-ter, well then.

You can be as cool as me.I got this little ditty of a recipe off the back of a Keebler graham cracker crumbs box. Seriously, never discount a recipe based on where you got it. It has peanut butter, powdered sugar, graham crumbs and Rice Krispies in it - there is nothing not to like! Then you roll/dip it - I admit, I deviated from the recipe here - they wanted me to use "confectioner's coating" but why would I use that foul wax when I can just use real chocolate? Here on the VGP taste is always king.
And these are yummy. Richer than I expected, though, so don't make them too big. An inch is plenty, or even smaller. They should be one-biters. One-biters with ed-i-ble glit-ter on them! Did I mention that? I got it at Michael's. And I'm a little excited about it.

Peanut Butter Bon Bons
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 1/4 cups crunchy peanut butter
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup powdered sugar
12 oz. dark or white chocolate (bar or chips)
1 to 2 T shortening

1. In a large bowl stir together cereal, peanut butter, crumbs and powdered sugar. Shape into a large ball or disk and wrap well in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

2. Shape crumb mixture into balls, using one level tablespoon for each.

3. In a small saucepan melt chocolate and shortening over low heat. Dip each ball in chocolate, letting excess drip off. Place on wax paper. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes or until set. Store in airtight container. Makes about 3 to 4 dozen.

Recipe from the Keebler box

*Check it out! I've gone PRINTABLE!

Deep Dark Pistachio Brownies

These little devils are the antithesis of yesterday's marshmallow brownies. They are very dark. They are barely sweet. Rather than pumping you with sugary delight, these sophisticated squares will fix your deepest, darkest chocolate need. Pistachios are a sweet nut; it makes sense to pair them with this brownie because it is not overly sweet on its own. But it is intense - be sure to have a glass of something to help you handle the punch. I would definitely call these "adults only" brownies. But there's nothing wrong with that.

Deep Dark Pistachio Brownies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 tsp espresso powder
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup mini Hershey's Kisses or milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup shelled pistachios
2 T unsweetened cocoa
Chopped pistachios for garnish

1. Heat oven to 350. Line an 8x8 baking pan with nonstick foil.

2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and chocolate. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Stir until smooth.

3. Add sugar and espresso powder and mix until combined. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir until eggs are incorporated. Beat in flour and salt until just combined. Fold in mini Kisses and nuts.

4. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes. Use foil to lift brownies from pan; cool on a wire rack.

5. Cut into squares. Dust with cocoa and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Makes 16 brownies.

Recipe from Family Circle, September 2010

Printable version

Marshmallow Brownies

These are major crowd pleasers and they make a ton (especially if you one-and-a-half it like I did and make it in a jelly roll pan.) Super sweet and fudgy - who doesn't like chocolate and marshmallows?

But it's important to plan ahead. These babies need at least 12 hours to set at room temperature so make them the day or night before you plan on serving.

Marshmallow Brownies (printable)
2 sticks margarine, softened
1/3 cup cocoa
2 cup sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups nuts, chopped
1 bag mini marshmallows

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9 x 13 pan* with cooking spray.

2. Cream margarine, cocoa and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and nuts. Pour into 9 x 13 pan*.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes (don't overbake - they will get a few more minutes to cook after you put on the marshmallows.) Spread with a layer of marshmallows, covering entire pan. Return to oven for 3 minutes. Cool, in pan, for 10 minutes on wire wrack. Then frost while still warm.

Frost with:
1 stick softened butter
1 2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/3 cup evaporated milk

1. Mix all ingredients together to make a smooth glaze. Drop globs of frosting around on marshmallows and gently spread so the marshmallows aren't disturbed. This takes a bit of time but is do-able. Make sure the frosting covers every marshmallows and goes to the very edges of the brownies.

2. Allow to rest at least 12 hours before cutting. Do not cover while it rests. Just leave on counter, uncovered, until ready to eat!

*One-and-a-half brownie recipe to fit in jelly roll/cookie sheet. That means 3 sticks of margarine, 1/3 cup plus 2 1/2 T cocoa, 3 cups sugar, 6 eggs, 3 tsp vanilla, 2 1/4 cups flour, 1/4 plus 1/8 tsp salt, 2 1/4 cups nuts, and one bag of marshmallows is still enough to make a single layer. Do NOT double frosting recipe (single recipe is still enough.)

Recipe from Shanna Stratton

Hazelnut-Lemon Curd Kisses

Every year I eagerly await my December Cook's Country because it has the winner and several runners-up of their annual Christmas cookie contest. And I always find several winners of my own in there. Recipes from the contest are practically a sure thing - special, unusual, festive, delicious and always turn out as they should. This year I was a bit surprised by the winner - "Hazelnut-Lemon Curd Kisses." I thought, They're just thumbprints. What could be so special?

Which is of course why I had to try them - to find out for myself. And they are lovely, truly lovely, and seriously delicious. I think it's the toasted hazelnuts that make them stand out. We all know hazelnut is a flavor to cherish with chocolate, but it is special, homey and rich enough to stand on its own, and certainly pairs amazingly with sweet-tart lemon curd (you can use homemade or store bought.) So go ahead and whip up a batch. But you might want to double it. Two dozen just doesn't seem to be enough.

Hazelnut-Lemon Curd Kisses

1	cup all-purpose flour
3/4	cup hazelnuts , toasted
	Pinch salt
8	tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter , softened
1/3	cup granulated sugar
1	large egg yolk
3/4	teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4	cup lemon curd
1/4	cup confectioners' sugar

1. MAKE DOUGH Adjust oven racks to upper- and low-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Process flour , hazelnuts, and salt in food processor until finely ground. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture, ad mix until just combined.

2. SHAPE COOKIES Roll 1 tablespoon dough into 1-inch ball and place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using greased teaspoon measure, make indentation in center of each ball. Bake until just set, about 10 minutes.

3. FILL COOKIES Remove cookies from oven and gently reinforce existing indentation with teaspoon measure. Fill each dimple with 1/2 teaspoon lemon curd. Bake, rotating and switching sheets, until cookies are just beginning to brown around edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar. (Cookies can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.)

Recipe from Cook's Country, December 2010

Salted Toffee-Chocolate Squares

It's very common to get or give toffee during the holidays, isn't it? It's easy, totally yummy, and can be made in big batches. But you can kind of only eat a little at a time. It gets all stuck in your teeth. Not these.

These squares are awesome! All the goodness of chocolate almond toffee with a little not-too-sweet crunchy relief from graham crackers and the slightest hint of salt to get the saliva flowing. I am seriously considering just giving boxes of these away; they hit the spot every time. Plus, hello, 20 minutes a batch!

Salted Toffee-Chocolate Squares
13 full graham crackers
1 bag (8 oz.) toffee bits
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped toasted natural almonds
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup (4 oz.) bittersweet chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)
3/4 tsp coarse salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place graham crackers in a single layer on sheet, edges touching. Sprinkle toffee bits and almonds over graham crackers.

2. In a small saucepan, bring sugar and butter to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and cook at a rapid simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is syrupy, 2 minutes. Immediately pour over graham crackers. Bake until sugar topping is bubbling, 12 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate and salt over graham crackers. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 2-inch squares. Let cool completely on sheet on a wire rack. (Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.) Makes 24 squares

Recipe from Everyday Food

Chewy Cherry-Almond Bars

If it's been awhile since you had a cherry-almond combination, it's time to make these. I was re-amazed at the fabulous flavors - rich, fruity, truly delicious. The main ingredients - almonds, oats and cherry preserves - are perfectly balanced and showcased and I had a hard time limiting myself to only one or two at a time.

Also. I took these to a neighborhood gathering and two people asked me for the recipe. So it's not just me.

Chewy Cherry-Almond Bars

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups packed brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1 tsp almond extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups regular rolled oats

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 12-ounce jar cherry preserves

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Grease foil; set pan aside.

2. In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and almond extract until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour, the oats, and almonds.

3. Remove 1/2 cup of the dough and set aside. Press the remaining dough evenly into prepared baking pan. Spread with preserves. Crumble the reserved 1/2 cup dough evenly over preserves layer.

4. Bake, uncovered, about 35 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Using edges of foil, lift uncut bars out of pan. Cut into bars. Makes 36 bars

Recipe from 9 x 13: The Perfect-Fit Dish

Molasses Spice Lemon Sandwich Cookies

Oh dear, these are so wonderful! They are delicate but sturdy, spicy, sweet, buttery, lemony, and fabulously soft. And they make your house smell EXACTLY like Christmas. I want to make them over and over; they are perfect for the season!

But, granted, slightly labor intensive. It just takes a long time to roll all those little balls of dough, so if you can pull in an extra pair of hands or two for that step, it will go faster and you will be glad. But just do what you can, and your audience, be they family, neighbors, classmates, etc. will exclaim at their delightful flavor and undeniable melt-in-your-mouthness.

Molasses Spice Lemon Sandwich Cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
Table salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup dark molasses
1 large egg
15 T unsalted butter, divided (12 T melted and cooled for cookies, 3 T softened for frosting)
3 T lemon juice
2 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, 3/4 tsp salt, and cloves together in medium bowl. In separate bowl, stir 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, molasses, egg and melted butter together until combined. Add dry mixture to butter mixture in three batches, stirring after each addition. Cover bowl with plastic and refrigerate until dough is firm, about 1 hour.

2. Adjust oven racks to middle-upper and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Place remaining 1/2 cup sugar in small bowl. Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls (this is smaller than you think but just the right size; they spread out a lot while baking.) Roll balls in granulated sugar, then transfer to prepared baking sheets, spacing balls 2 inches apart. Bake until tops are just beginning to crack, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating rack position and direction of baking sheets halfway through baking time. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Use remaining dough the same way.

4. Whisk remaining 3 T butter, lemon juice, and pinch of salt together in medium bowl. Whisk in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Turn half of cooled cookies over (bottom side up) and spread each with 1 tsp lemon filling. Sandwich with another cookie. Makes 3 to 4 dozen sandwiches

Recipe from Cook's Country, December 2005

Top Ten Holiday Cookies (from the archives)

Hey, there. You know what today is, right? My nephew Thompson's 18th birthday. AAAND...it's the first day of December! Cookie month!!!

Bear with me. The last two years I posted a goody every single day during the month of December. There are just so many good ones and you need them the most in December! So we'll see. I'll do my best and there will definitely be a lot of new and seriously awesome treats this month.

In the meantime, I've been looking back through my archives and I have 73 cookie recipes on here. Most of which were made or posted in December. So I went through and picked out my very favorite holiday treats. Here's the best I've got. Just a little something to get your season started.

Jam-Filled Cream Cheese Cookies

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Molasses Gingersnaps OR Magi's Turbans OR Ginger Chocolate Cookies

Pink Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies

Black Forest Crinkle Cookies

Peppermint Bonbon Cookies

Buried-Cherry Cookies

Chocolate Turtle Cookies

Cranberry-Orange Pinwheels

Hazelnut Chewies