Chocolate Dipped Macaroons

Do you know that today I found an almost empty quart of milk and a plate of half eaten cookies in the fort my kiddos built?  Yes, that's right my girls do not fool around when it's play time to play "house" or hide and seek.  Cookies and milk are invited into their precious little world of make believe.  Fortunately for them my little kitchen has been buzzing with all kinds of baked sweets and treats for this season of holiday festivities.  As a baker and lover of all things holiday my kitchen workshop has been laden with all things chocolate, parchment paper and vanilla extract as I try to keep up with the sweet needs of my girls and wanting to fill tins and baggies up with treats for others.

Today I was able to try my hand at making macaroons for the very first time.  Chocolate Dipped Macaroons at that! Simple, delicious and beautiful macaroon cookies. I have Melissa of Fried Rice and Donut Holes to thank for the recipe. I was honored to have her blog assigned to me as part of the Cookie Carnival 2014 event via the Secret Recipe Club.  This month the Secret Recipe Club is show casing COOKIES because let's face it, December should really be called Cookieber instead as in many, many parts of the world this month is all about cookies along with all things holiday and magical. 

Melissa of Fried Rice and Donut Holes has a wonderful collection of cookie recipes.  I was very tempted to make her Eggnog Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies but then decided to take the road leading to coconut happiness topped off with milk chocolate and decided to make these cookies instead.  Can you blame me!? I didn't think so.  I loved this recipe! All you need is a  short list of simple ingredients along with NO fancy moves to make these cookies.  Just a large bowl, a good mixing hand and a nice hot oven.

Chocolate Dipped Macaroons
(recipe from Fried Rice and Donut Holes)

Ingredients:
14 oz. of sweetened coconut
4 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate morsels (I used milk chocolate but semi-sweet or dark is fine too) 

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well all together.
3. Using 2 spoons or a cookie scoop, drop cookie mixture onto prepared sheets.  Leave about 1" in between each cookie. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.  Cool cookies on wire racks while you melt your chocolate in a double boiler.
4. Once cookies have cooled completely dip into melted chocolate.  Lay cookies upside down to allow chocolate to cool and harden before placing on platter or into treat baggies to give away. 

  Happy Chocolate Dipped Macaroons Baking! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

 

Coconut oil.  Have you heard of it?  Well, I have had my eye on it for a quite awhile now.  I've seen it in the grocery store, in friend's pantries and even on-line. But it was only this past month that I finally became the proud owner of my very own bottle of coconut oil. Happiness! I'm in love. And honestly,  I had no choice in the matter as I discovered a cookie recipe that I just had to make from the blog,  Chocolate & Chilies that called for it in it's list of ingredients.  Chocolate & Chilies has been my April blog assignment for the Secret Recipe Club.  And what a deelight! Asiya has always been one of my favorite bloggers in the SRC as she is always so cheerful and kind.  And yes, completely talented in the kitchen too! 

 

 

 

I always love a challenge of trying something new and when it comes to baking of course any excuse to do so sends me in the right direction. Through my recent experience with trying out coconut oil for the first time via Asiya's recipe for Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies, I want to encourage all of you to do the same.  Grab a bottle of it the next time you are at the grocery store or beg for some from a friend. Baking with coconut oil is a good thing.  It's easy to use, healthy and yummy too.

 

 

These cookies were fabulous!  Moist and with good flavor.  They were perfectly paired with a hot cup of tea.  Just a warning as the batter was a tiny bit dry.  You will have to work a little bit to mold your cookies but a cookie scoop or your own two (clean) hands will do the trick just fine. And because I am such a big "coconut fan" I couldn't just stop at using coconut oil, I had to add in a 1/2 cup of shredded coconut to the batter as my own addition.  This cookie recipe is so versatile that you could add in nuts or even raisins instead of the chocolate chips or shredded coconut oil. 

 

 

Thank you, Asiya for such a lovely cookie recipe!  I owe you big time! :-)

 

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

           (recipe found on Chocolate & Chilies)

 

Ingredients -

 

1 1/4 cup flour

1 cup oats

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup coconut oil

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

1/2 cup shredded coconut (my addition)

 

Directions -

 

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

 

2. In a medium bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Whisk all together and then set aside.

 

3. Beat coconut oil on medium speed for 1 minute.  Add in both sugars gradually and beat for a good 4 minutes.  Add in egg and vanilla extract.

 

4. Slowly add in dry ingredients to the coconut oil/sugar/egg mixture.  Mix just to combine all together.  Batter will be a bit dry. 

 

4. By hand stir in chocolate chips (and shredded coconut if you wish).  

 

5. Scoop out dough with cookie scoop or two spoons to form into balls.  Place on prepared cookie sheets and bake for 10-11 minutes.  Cookies will be light brown when done.  Enjoy! 

 

 

Happy Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookie Baking!

 

 

 



DOUBLE White Chocolate Walnut Cookies (July SRC)

 

 

Often when I go to the grocery store I find myself going down the cookie aisle.  And of course I check out them out because yes, I love cookies.  I always think to myself, "Goodness, Avril you are nuts if you buy cookies! You can make them yourself!!" These thoughts usually steer me away from making such a crazy purchase.  But then my plan of baking up a batch of cookies is tossed to the bottom of my "to do list" and there are no cookies in the cupboard.  My poor family!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Well, don't feel bad for my family any longer because this gal (that would be me) baked up a serious batch of cookies for them recently. That's right, DOUBLE White Chocolate Walnut Cookies.   I was encouraged to bake these cookies when I was browsing through my Secret Recipe Club assignment for July - Kirsten's blog called, Loving Life.  What a sweetie pie that Kirsten is!  I always love having a "little visit" from her when she leaves a comment on my blog.  And yes, just like her lovely personality her recipes are just as delightful. I did change Kirsten's original recipe around a bit for these cookies as I was missing a few ingredients.  But the beauty of this recipe is that it can easily be altered to the flavors you wish to use based on the flavor of pudding mix and chocolate chips. Pudding mix is totally in these cookies if you were wondering if you had read that last sentence correctly.  And goodness does it just make the cookies into something magic!  Not only does it help with the flavor of the cookies but also the soft texture of them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You will find my slight alternations to the recipe written in red italics.  Take some time out of your busy schedule and whip up this recipe.  You will be happy if you do!

 

DOUBLE White Chocolate Walnut Cookies

                     (recipe slightly altered from Loving Life)

 

Ingredients:

 

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 cup butter, slightly softened at room temp.

1/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 small box instant pudding - flavor of your choice (Kirsten's girls used chocolate fudge but I used white chocolate)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups chocolate chip morsels - flavor of your choice (Kirsten's girls used peanut butter chips, I used white chocolate chips)

chopped nuts - optional  (I used chopped walnuts)

 

Directions:

 

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silapat. Set prepared baking sheets aside.

 

2. In a medium bowl whisk together well,  flour, baking soda and salt.  Set mixture aside.

 

3. In a large bowl cream butter and then add sugars and pudding mix.  Beat all together for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. 

 

4. Add in eggs and vanilla extract to butter/sugar mixture.  Beat well all together until all is well combined.

 

5. Carefully incorporate flour mixture into butter/sugar/egg mixture.

 

6.  With a wooden spoon stir in chocolate chip morsels and nuts.

 

7.  Scoop cookie dough onto prepared sheets and bake for 10 minutes for medium cookies, 12 minutes for large cookies.  Cookies will have nice golden brown edges and may appear soft in the middle when done.  Cookies will firm up as they cool.

 

8.  Allow cookies  to cool for a couple minutes before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool completely before storing in an air tight container.

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy!  And Happy DOUBLE White Chocolate Walnut Cookie Baking!

 

 

 

 

 

Peanut Butter SURPRISE Cookies

 

I love surprises.  I love giving surprises and I love receiving surprises.  The idea of providing absolute happiness and delight to someone in my life via a surprise (of any kind) is a complete joy for me. 

 

 

 

Once a month I receive a fabulous surprise from the Secret Recipe Club.   The "surprise" is just like a present that I carefully open up with no idea of what will be inside.  In this case I am opening up an email to find out which food blog I have been assigned for the month through the SRC.  I am always delighted with my surprise.  Discovering a new food blog and it's collection of recipes is so much fun! 

 

 

This past month I was given the surprise of A Cook's Quest.  Jenn's collection of recipes on her blog is wonderful!  I was in complete HEAVEN over all her delicious recipes she has made and blogged about.  It was not an easy job for me to pick just one recipe to make.  I wanted to make her Cream Cheese Banana Bread along with her Strawberry Cream Puff Cake. In the end I decided to make cookies...Peanut Butter SURPRISE Cookies.  Soft PB cookies that surround a perfect chocolate surprise.  Nothing could be better! 

 

 

 

 

 

Peanut Butter SURPRISE Cookies

                     (recipe from A Cook's Quest)

 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup smooth peanut butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

12-20 chocolates (I used Brach's Milk Chocolate Stars....Jenn used Promise chocolates....Hershey kisses would work fine too I'm sure.)

Raw sugar for sprinkling on top of cookie (if desired)

 

Directions:

 

1. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and ground cinnamon.  Set bowl aside.

 

2. Beat together until light and fluffy butter and brown sugar.

 

3. Add in peanut butter to butter and sugar mixture.  Mix well all together and then add in 2 eggs, vanilla extract and salt.

 

4. Carefully add in flour mixture to wet mixture.  Mix until all of flour mixture has been fully incorporated.

 

5. Chill cookie dough for at least 2 hours.  The longer the dough is chilled the easier it will be to work with.

 

6. Heat oven to 350.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or use stoneware.  Scoop desired size of cookie and quickly flatten with your fingers.  Place flattened cookies on prepared cookie sheets and then put your chocolate on top.  Put another scoop of dough on top of chocolate and carefully surround the chocolate and cookie dough beneath it. Sprinkle cookies with raw sugar if desired.

 

7. Bake for 12-14 minutes for small cookies or 15-18 minutes for larger cookies or until edges of cookies are a light brown. Cool slightly and enjoy!  Store in a tightly covered container to keep cookies soft.

 

 

 

 

Happy Peanut Butter SURPRISE Cookie Baking!

 

 



Cookie Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soon the month of February will be ending.  We will enter into March and be that much closer to the season of Spring here in New England.  This reality makes my heart happy!  I completely LOVE spring time.  I love the newness, the gentle greenness, the fresh sweet smells and all the precious new beginnings that often come with Spring. 

 

 

Just as much as I adore Spring I love a good cookie recipe.  I think it has to with being a mom as my girls live for cookies!  Especially chocolate chip cookies. 

I thank the lovely Emily from Life on Food for sharing this cookie recipe that I share with all of you today. I discovered Life on Food  through my February assignment for February's Secret Recipe Club.  I had a wonderful time browsing through Emily's blog to pick the recipe I would make.  I really did try and find a recipe that wasn't sweet or baked.  I wanted to prove to all of you that I do in fact make things that are not baked. Such recipes that don't have sugar and butter in the them but rather veggies, pasta or even tomato sauce.  Unfortunately, the jar of Cookie Butter (that can be purchased at Trader Joe's) that was in my pantry had to be used.  Yes, it had to be used or else it would continue to be snuck out for a finger lick here and a finger there.  So yes, I followed my heart and my usual path of happiness and baked up a batch of Cookie Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies.  The original recipe from Life on Food is actually called, Biscoff Chocolate Chip Cookies but because of the necessity of my need to use the Cookie Butter I substituted the CB for the Biscoff. It worked out just perfect.  The cookies were soft.  The cookies were perfectly sweet with the hint of spice and richness that came from the Cookie Butter.  I was completely delighted with this recipe.  A definite recipe to be repeated!

 

 

 

 

Cookie Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

           ( slightly adapted recipe from Life on Food )

 

Ingredients:

 

1 stick (8oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup Cookie Butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips

 

Directions:

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

 

2. Cream together butter, Cookie Butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in egg and vanilla extract.  Mix well all together.

 

3. In a large bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips.

 

4. Scoop out balls of batter onto prepared cookie sheets.  Slightly flatten with the bottom of a flour dusted glass if you wish.

 

5. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes depending on what size your cookies are.  I made pretty big cookies so it took closer to 12 minutes.

 

6. Allow cookies to cool for as long as you wish and enjoy! Store in a large sealed bag or container.

 

Yum!

 

 

 



Happy Cookie Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Baking!

This recipe has been linked up to Inside BruCrew Life for Trick or Treat Tuesday!

Nutella Drop Cookies (November's Secret Recipe Club)

 For the month of November I had the honor of meeting Sally from Bewitching Kitchen through the Secret Recipe Club.  I have often seen her gorgeous food throughout my travels in food blogging and have admired her adventure and passion that she shares with her food and her stories on her blog.  She is originally from Brazil but has had the opportunity to live in Paris, France along with the U.S. in California so her exposure to delicious foods has a very wide range.  You can see this clearly in her recipes that she shares with all of her tasty Brazillian recipes to her gorgeous breads - many of which came inspired from her life in France. 

Unfortunately, my time was limited in the kitchen today.  If I had had more time I would have made Sally's gorgeous Cinnamon Wreath bread.  Instead I made her delicious and very simple Nutella Drop Cookies.

 

 

 

 

 

In a jiffy these cookies came to life with just a few ingredients.  And as my oldest daughter exclaimed so well, "my goodness those cookies look like scoops of ice cream!"  As they did!  They held their "ice cream" shape perfectly even after they were baked.

 

 

 

 

A batch of these cookies would go perfectly with a hot cup of tea on a cold Winter night.  Tender in texture and sweet on the tongue.  I know you will enjoy this recipe just as much as I did!

 

 

 

 

Nutella Drop Cookies  

(recipe from Bewitching Kitchen)

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1/2 cup Nutella, at room temperature

powdered sugar for dusting

 

Directions:

 

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Line cookie sheets with parchement paper and set aside.

 

2. Cream together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy - about 3-4 mintues.  Add in vanilla extract and mix to combine.

 

3. Gradually add in flour until combined and then the Nutella.

 

4. Scoop cookie dough by the tablespoon or a small cookie scoop onto prepared cookie sheets.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookie edges start to flatten slightly. Cool cookies 5 minutes before removing from sheets.  Once cookies are completely cooled dust with powdered sugar if you wish.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Happy Nutella Drop Cookie Baking!



Appledoodle Cookies (October's SRC pick)

Goodness I am so excited to share this month's recipe for Secret Recipe Club! I was granted the honor of being assigned the blog called, Fried Ice and Donut Holes for the month of October (such an fabulous name for a blog!).  It truly was an honor and so much fun to browse through this blog.  Please do hop on over to Fried Ice and Donut Holes and check out all the scrumptious recipes.  You might want to take a peek at the Blueberry Biscuit Cobbler along with the Buffalo Chicken Shepard's Pie and then be sure to check out the Cashew Chicken recipe too! So many wonderful recipes.  And yes of course I choose to pick a recipe that I could bake.  You know the kind the has flour, sugar and butter in it.  Yes, you know me well!  Always baking over here! :-)

 

 

 

  I have so many apples in my house that have to used before they get rotten so when I came upon the recipe for Appledoodles I jumped on it fast! I could make cookies and the cookies would be made with apples! Granted it was only two apples from my 20+ but still it was a win win situation as the cookies came out fabulous and I had two less apples in my pile of "must-use-soon-apples" before they turn mushy and rotten. 

 

I loved everything about these cookies.  The fact that they are a spin off of Snickerdoodle cookies caught my eye right away as I just adore Snickerdoodles!  Adding in chopped apples to a favorite cookie was brilliant.  The cinnamon sugar rolled cookies came alive with all things Fall and comforting when the apples were baked into these little gems.  And since I had some peanut butter morsels just itching to be paired with the apples (because apples and peanut butter go together in my world) I threw in a couple handfuls to the cookie batter.  Oh my, what delicious happiness found in a cookie!

 

 

 

Appledoodle Cookies

(recipe from Fried Ice and Donut Holes)

 

Cookie dough

 

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

1-2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup peanut butter morsels (my addition)

 

Cinnamon Sugar Mixture

 

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons cinnamon

 

Directions

 

1. In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons cinnamon.  Set aside.

 

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large bowl cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy - about 3-4 minutes. Add in eggs and beat to combine well.

 

3. In a medium bowl combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt and nutmeg (if you wish).  Add to the wet mixture. 

 

4. Gently fold in chopped apples and peanut butter morsels.

 

 

5. Form balls of the dough and roll carefully to coat in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place sugar rolled cookies on parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for 14 minutes turning cookie sheet half way through baking time. Cookies will be golden on the edges and blond in the middle.  Allow cookies to cool on sheets before removing.  Cookies are stored best in an airtight container and will remain soft for about 3 days.  Yum! 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 





New England Oatmeal Cookies for The Secret Recipe Club

 

 

Serious, SERIOUS happy pitter patter of my heart happened to me this past month for I was assigned through The Secret Recipe Club to a New England based food blog called, I Am Honey Bee .  That's right folks, this blog is based in the lovely city of Boston.  Less than 2 hours away from me!!! Hip, Hip, HOORAY!  I just love finding fellow food bloggers that live in New England. 

 

 

The adorable, Nicole is the brains and beauty of I Am Honey Bee.  She offers a huge variety of wonderful recipes.  I chose a cookie recipe (no surprise there!) but I was seriously on the edge of trying out Nicole's recipe for Insalata Caprese.  The cookie recipe that I chose to bake is called, Maple Walnut Oatmeal Cookies.  I mean really! - how could I NOT make such a cookie recipe!?!  Living in the heart of NH, maple anything is a delight to me.  And these cookies baked up to be a HUGE delight to me and my little family.  Yum. SERIOUS yum!

 

 

The cookies were full with maple flavor along with a soft middle with a nice crisp edge allowing for the perfect amped up oatmeal cookie.  And because I adore raisins in my oatmeal cookies I threw a bunch of those in along with the chopped walnuts that Nicole had in her cookies.  Thus the title of these cookies becomes, Maple Raisin Walnut Oatmeal Cookies....the perfect New England oatmeal cookie in my book.  Next time I may add some dry cranberries into the batter just to make it an "ALL" flavors of New England cookie. :-) 

 

 

Maple Raisin Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

(recipe slightly altered from, I Am Honey Bee)

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup flour (I used all-purpose but Nicole used whole wheat)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp real vanilla extract

1 cup maple syrup (I used 1/2 cup maple syrup and 1/2 cup granulated maple syrup)

4 cups rolled oats

1 3/4 cups chopped walnuts

1 cup raisins (my addition)

 

Directions:

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silipat.

 

2. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl.  Set bowl aside.

 

3. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add in eggs one at a time, beating well in between each egg. Add in vanilla extract and maple syrup.  Beat well to combine all together.

 

4. Add in sifted dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix well. 

 

5. Add in oatmeal and mix well.  Toss in nuts (and raisins if you so wish) and mix to combine.

 

6. Drop cookie batter by the rounded tablespoon onto prepared sheets.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges of cookies start to brown and center is still slightly moist.  Cookies will continue to bake once out of the oven and cooling.

 

Enjoy!  And ENJOY some more!



While you are enjoying your cookies please be sure to browse through my fellow Secret Recipe Club-ers blogs....they seriously ROCK! Just see the great links below..... :-)

 

Happy Maple Walnut Raisin Oatmeal Cookie Baking!

Jammers for June's Secret Recipe Club

 Now just to be clear I am not talking about the kind of jammers that you wear to bed.  I'm talking about the kind that you eat.  That's right Jammers are cookies!  I had never heard of such a cookie until I was browsing through Fran's Favs for a recipe to make for my June 

Secret Recipe Club choice.  Imagine my delight when I came across such a cookie recipe!  I love the idea of a tender shortbread crust with a layer of sweet jam and then a sprinkling of brown sugar crumble all coming together to create a cookie.  Magic!

I was just as delighted to be assigned Fran's wonderful blog as I was to find this recipe for Jammers.  Her blog is completely packed with mouth watering recipes.  Honestly, it was very hard to chose just one recipe to make from her blog.  I really look forward to making her Carrot Cake -which looks like the moistest carrot cake I have seen in a LONG time! - and then the Coffee and Donuts Cake she created is out-of-this-world adorably yummy looking!  Such talent that gal Fran has!  I have a special little soft spot for Fran because she too originates from New England as a Bostonian.  Hooray for Boston!  I live just under 2 hours away from Boston in Southern NH. Let's meet up Fran next time you visit Boston.  I would love to meet you in person! :-)

Fran suggested using either english muffin rings or whoopie pie molds to make these cookies.  Muffin top molds would also work well for these cookies.  I used my whoopie pie mold to make my Jammers.  Yup, I really enjoy saying that word - "Jammers"...sorry that was just a side note. :-)

Jammers

(recipe from Fran's Favs)

Shortbread Dough Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup powdered sugar

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

Jam of your choice - I used Strawberry and Peach-Mango

Brown Sugar Crumble Topping Ingredients:

3 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Beat butter until smooth in a large bowl.  Add in sugars, cinnamon and salt and beat all together until well blended, about 1 minute.  Mixture will be smooth and velvety, not fluffy and airy.

2. Add in egg yolks and vanilla extract and mix on low speed.  Beat until mixture is homogeneous.

3. Add in flour all at once.  Cover mixer with a clean dish towel to protect yourself from any flying flour.  Pulse mixer on low speed a couple of times to incorporate flour into batter.  Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds more - just enough for the dough to look uniformly moist.  The dough will have the consistency of play-doh - soft, moist and clumpy.

4. In the mold of your choice (whoopie or muffin top molds or english muffin rings) fill each cup with dough and flatten with your fingers.  The dough should be slightly lower than the top of the pan.  Chill mold or rings in freezer for about 15 minutes until dough firms up.

5. Make streusel while dough is chilling.....

Melt butter in small saucepan on stove or in microwave.  Add to melted butter the remaining streusel ingredients all at once.  Stir all together with a fork to form coarse crumbs.  Cover streusel and set aside until ready to use.  The crumbs will harden a litthe as the mixture cools off.

6. Spread a couple of teaspoons of jam on top of chilled shortbreads.  Sprinkle with streusel....

Pop pan in oven and bake for 15-18 minutes until edges of cookies are light brown.  Larger molds will take longer.  Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes before removing from molds.  Allow cookies to cool completely before serving.

Share these cookies with those that you adore, cherish and love.  They are some special cookies. Above and beyond d'lish!

Happy Jammers Baking!