Yummm....yummm....yummmm in the tum...tum...tum!!! We are coocoo crazy in lusty heartville with edible gifts. Not only are they muy delicious but they come from the heart and always get used...unlike that weird gadget your Aunt gave you last year....
Nutella Heath Bar Sandwich Cookies (adapted from Cookin’ Canuck)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups granulated sugar, divided
14 tbsp (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup Heath bar English toffee bits (I bought several heath bars, placed them in a ziplock and took out any aggression I had, smashing it with a rolling pin)
1 cup plus 1 tbsp Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar with an electric mixer set on medium speed until the mixture is creamy and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla extract.
Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually beat in the flour mixture until it is just combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir the mixture a few times to make sure all of the flour mixture is incorporated. Mix in Heath bits.
Place 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl. With slightly dampened hands, roll a small amount of the cookie dough between your palms to form a ball (approx 2 tsp). Roll the ball in the sugar to coat it and place it on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart from each other on the baking sheets. Lightly coat the bottom of a glass or metal measuring cup with butter and dip into the sugar. Use this to gently flatten the cookies to 3/4-inch thickness.
Bake the cookies, rotating from front to back halfway through baking. They are done when the edges are set and beginning to brown, 9 to 10 minutes. The centers of the cookies should still be soft and puffy. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and let cool on a rack.
Spread the bottom of one cookie with Nutella and sandwich with a second cookie. Serve as is or with a side of vanilla bean ice cream or topped with cool whip. Delicious!
Makes about 50 mini (or 24 large) sandwich cookies.
They are like that ridiculously yummy white chocolate bark (OOOOH! You can make that too!!!!!) but with a minty cookie inside...and UBER easy to make...PROMISE!
Ingredients
Makes 6 dozen
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
- 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- 8 large candy canes or 30 peppermint candies, crushed
- 2 pounds white chocolate, coarsely chopped
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium-low, and add egg, then yolk, beating well after each addition. Beat in peppermint extract. Slowly add flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated. Shape dough into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).
- Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut out circles, and place 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Roll and cut scraps once. Freeze cookies until firm, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining disk.
- Bake until cookies are dry to the touch, about 12 minutes. Transfer parchment, with cookies, to wire racks, and let cool. (Undecorated cookies will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.)
- Sift crushed candy, and separate larger pieces from dust, reserving both. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water. Remove from heat. Dunk cookies into melted chocolate. Using a fork, turn to coat, let excess drip off, and gently scrape bottom against edge of bowl. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, and sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of either candy pieces or dust on top. Repeat, sprinkling half the cookies with pieces and the rest with dust. Refrigerate until set, up to 3 hours.
Ingredients
For the peanut butter base:
1/4 cup soft dark brown sugar
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 stick butter, softened
7 ounces smooth peanut butter
For dark chocolate:
7 ounces dark chocolate
3 1/2 ounces milk chocolate
Directions
- Place all the ingredients for the base in the bowl of a food processor. Blend the mixture until the mixture takes on a sandy texture.
- Place 48 gold petit four cases in sets of miniature tart tins or mini-muffin tins (each indent about 1 3/4-inches in diameter). Use 1 teaspoon of the base mixture to fill the bases of the petit four cases. Press the sandy mixture down into the cases as best you can to form a layer at the bottom of each paper case.
- Place the milk chocolate and dark chocolate together into a heatproof bowl. Suspend the bowl over a pan of simmering water (the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl). Melt the chocolate gently while stirring. Spoon teaspoonfuls of the melted chocolate onto the top of each of the sandy bases of the petit four cases.
- Let them set in the fridge, for about 30 minutes.
- To package, use a small box and layer the peanut butter cups or using saran wrap cut into squares place 3 to 5 peanut butter cups in the center, gather the saran wrap in the center and tie with a bow. Create a cute label and affix it to the packages.
Makes 48 peanut butter cups.
We are total suckers for that! Just Google it and get inspired :)
