Lemon Zuchinni Cookies

Lemon Zucchini Cookies
Found Here: http://realmomkitchen.blogspot.com/search/label/zucchini

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I didn't use nuts)
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

LEMON FROSTING:

3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon water

Heat oven to 375. Mix sugars, butter and eggs. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until almost no indention remains when touched (about 8-10 mins.); cool. Frost w/ lemon frosting (below). Makes 3 doz. Lemon Frosting: Mix sugar, butter and lemon peel. Beat in lemon juice and water, adding more water if necessary.
FOR CARROT COOKIES, substitute carrots for zucchini.

Chocolate Thumbprints

Chocolate Thumbprints
adapted from Martha Stewart
Found Here: (http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2009/06/chocolate-thumbprints.html)

(Martha's recipe insists this makes 90 cookies. Really, Martha? Are you sure this was tested? I rolled the cookies quite small and still only came out with about 36-40)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons coarse salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar, plus more for rolling
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Chocolate and Vanilla Ganache (below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a small bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium, and add yolks, cream, and vanilla. Scrape sides of bowl. Beat in flour mixture until just combined. The dough will appear quite dry but will come together when you start rolling it into little balls.

Roll balls using 2 teaspoons dough for each, and roll each ball in sugar. Place 1 inch apart on parchment or silpat lined baking sheets. Using teaspoon measure, make an indentation in the center of each ball. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are just set, about 10 minutes. (If indentations lose definition, press centers lightly again with the teaspoon measure.) Let cool slightly on baking sheets. Transfer cookies to wire racks, and let cool completely.

Spoon warm ganache into center of each cookie. Let stand until firm, about 15 minutes. Cookies will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Vanilla Ganache
Makes about 1 cup

1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used chocolate chips)
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened

Combine honey, cream, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring until honey dissolves. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes.

Place chocolate in a small bowl. Pour cream mixture over chocolate, and let stand for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Add butter, and continue to stir incorporated. Let cool slightly, and then use immediately.

Somoas Bars

Homemade Girl Scout Cookies: Samoas Bars
Found here: (http://cornercooking.blogspot.com/)

I added this to our recipe site because Aaron and I both LOVE the Girl Scouts Somoa cookies. Yum!

Homemade Samoas Bars
Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

First, make the crust.
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepapred pan and press into an even layer.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).
Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 30 bar cookies.

Note: You can simply drizzle chocolate on top of the bars before slicing them up if you’re looking for yet an easier way to finish these off. You won’t need quite as much chocolate as noted above, and you won’t quite get the Samoas look, but the results will still be tasty.