103010 Raspberry Cream Sandwiches

These cookies were pretty easy to make...once the seeds were removed from the raspberries. The dough was quick and simple, especially with a cookie scooper. The raspberry filling took a while to sieve into a small bowl...I ended up leaving it in the sieve while I went out running errands. The cream is definitely worth the wait...so light and just the right amount of sweetness! At first, the cream seemed a bit "runny" but it held up ok...didn't set like a frosting but it didn't run off the cookie either. Amazingly, the cookies stay soft even though I stored them in the refrigerator after assembly. Very yummy and worth making again!!

102310 Cashew Caramel Cookies

Making the cashew cream in the food processor bought about such a nice, nutty aroma....so fragrant! This recipe was easy to make with the only tricky part being the caramel drizzle. I thought the cookies were a bit sweet with the caramel....need a cup of coffee or milk to even out the sweetness. Actually, the cookies were fine without the caramel - like a peanut butter cookie. The recipe yielded a dozen more than expected!! A good recipe, overall....

101610 Pecan Bars

OMG!!!These pecan bars are so out of this world and a cinch to make!! The buttery and pecan aroma lingering in the kitchen brought my son out of his room looking for samples. They're not too sweet and they're bursting with pecans (2cups worth)!! I was in a tight schedule so I skipped chilling the crust for 20 min - i.e. the crust went straight into the oven after I punched holes with a fork. The bars inverted out of the pan effortlessly and cutting them into bar/bite size cookies was easy with minimal losses. This recipe is a keeper and I know I will be making them again!!

101010 Gingersnap Palmiers

This is a delayed post. When I first read the recipe I crinkled my nose at the thought of unsulfured molasses and grated ginger.....not to mention the salt, pepper and allspice at the end. Surprisingly, these palmiers were quite delicious and I wouldn't change the recipe a bit! They were easy to assemble but I would allow a little thaw time before slicing them out of the freezer, otherwise, they start to break. The cookies took some work in flipping them - sticky build-up on the spatula. Once you brush on the syrup and place them back in the oven, you need to keep a close eye on them because they burn quickly. And, actually, what I thought was burnt was really the dark browning of the syrup - very tasty!!