Chocolate Thumbprint Shortbread Cookies

Preheat oven to 350
Chocolate Thumbprint Shortbread Cookies
(Martha Stewart)
2 sticks of butter
1 C powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 C flour
Topping
6 T butter, melted
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate
2 tsp corn syrup

Cream together butter, sugar, salt and vanilla (about 2 min.) Beat in flour, beginning with low speed and gradually increase to medium until dough is well combined.

Scoop out dough and roll into balls, spacing at least 1 in. apart. Bake for 10 min., take the pan out of the oven and press and indintation in the center of the cookie with your thumb (I use the back of a whisk handle). Return to oven, and bake for another 10 min. Press the center of the cookies one last time and cool completely on a rack.

The recipe calls for melting the choclate over a double boiler, but I melt the butter in a pan, take it off the heat and mix in the chocolate and corn syrup (or dump the metled butter over the chocolate in a bowl.) The residual heat from the butter is enough to melt the chocolate, if it is chopped fine enough. Be careful  to stir constantly, as the heat from the pan can scorch the chocolate. Place the melted chocolate into a ziplock back and fill cookies.

I really love these cookies and find myself making them often, as they are so simple to make. I tried placing a Rollo candy on the cookie as soon as they come out of the oven - the heat melts them down nicely! (you can smooth out the tops of the candies with a spoon abit so they're not so ridgid looking.  :-)  Enjoy!

Stuesel Coffee Cake

Who doesn't like coffee cake?
This one is came out nicely. I didn't have a tube cake pan, but it worked out fine in a bundt pan. Make sure you watch the baking time carefully or it will easily over bake and come out dry. I think next time I make this, I'll double the streusel.

Sour Cream Streusel Coffee Cake (Ina Garten)
Preheat oven to 350F

1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/2 C sugar
3 X-large eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 1/4 C sour cream
2 1/2 C cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt



Cream butter and sugar until creamy and light in color (4 min)
Add eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Combine well.



Sift dry ingredients and slowly add to batter and mix well.

Streusel
1/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3 T cold unsalted butter



Mix together streusel ingredients and crumble in the butter with your fingers or a pastry blender. Spoon half of the batter in a pan and sprinkle with about 3/4 C streusel. Fill with remaining batter...


Top with the rest of the streusel.
Bake for about 50 min. and cool.



Mix about 1/2C confectioners sugar with 2 T maple syrup.



Drizzle over cake and ENJOY!

Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars

I had a few Pink Lady apples in the fridge, so I decided to try this recipe from Food Network (Paula Deen). I didn't have any regular cream cheese on hand, so I used low-fat Neufchâtel cream cheese.

Preheat oven to 350F

Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars
Crust
1 C unsalted butter, softened
1/2 C brown sugar
2 C flour


Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil. Cut butter, flour and brown sugar together with a pastry blender until crumbly. Press into prepared pan and bake for 15 min. until lightly golden.

Filling
2 packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Beat together cream cheese with sugar at

medium speed until smooth. Add eggs one at a time.

Add vanilla and combine.


Pour over warm crust.

Apple topping
3 apples, peeled and chopped

2 T sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Stir together chopped apples, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Spoon over cream cheese mixture.

Streusel
1 C brown sugar
1 C flour
1/2 C quick cooking oats
1/2 C butter, softened


I didn't have any quick cooking oats, so I used regular oatmeal. Combine ingredients and sprinkle evenly over apples. Bake 30 min.



They came out very good! I think I'm going to try this with blueberries when they are in season.