Cocoa Kiss Cookies

Cocoa Kiss Cookies are another recipe that I love to make since I am an avid chocolate lover. This also comes from New Hampshire from an inn called The Darby Field Inn. It is a super simple cookie recipe that is great for gift giving (although these do not ship well either,but make great gifts packaged in decorative tins and given to friends and family locally. My family loves these as well and they were received well also when I brought them to work in one of my treat trays. I work in a happy place and like everyone who works there to be happy also during this time of year. The Hershey kiss on the top of each cookie remains soft after the cookie has cooled so it gives a great burst of chocolate when you bite into this cookie. Truly a chocolate lover's cookie!



Cocoa Kiss Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks)of butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup finely chopped walnuts (if desired)
1 package (9 oz) Hershey Kisses, unwrapped
Powdered sugar for sprinkling on top

Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Mix flour, cocoa, and salt in a small bowl. On low speed, beat into butter mixture. Add walnuts (if desired); beat until blended. Chill for 1 hour or until firm enough to handle. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough into balls, 1 tablespoon of dough each. Press unwrapped kisses into centers of balls. Place on ungreased or parchment paper lined baking sheets, spacing 1/2 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly on sheet on rack. Remove cookies to rack to cool. Dust with powdered sugar. If desired, dust with sugar again before serving. Store in airtight container.

Notes:
- I do not use nuts in my cookies, my family isn't really all that hot on nuts in cookies. I find they taste better without the nuts, but feel free if you like nuts in your cookies.

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Cookies

This is a wonderful holiday cookie recipe that I have come to love over the years. The Raspberry Almond Shortbread Cookies come from New Hampshire from The Forest which is a quaint country inn located there. I got it from my magazine Holiday Cakes and Cookies by Family Circle from 1999. They are super simple to make and the recipe makes quite a bit of cookies. It is versatile in that you can use any berry jam, I really like the raspberry and one year I made it with cherry jam and it was very good too. With the almond glaze, this makes it a very decadent cookie for any occasion. My family loves them, I usually end up making at least 3-4 batches a year for Christmas cookies. I may have to make more this year since I took some to work and they were received very well by my fellow co-workers. This is not one of my Grandma's recipes but, it is just a good cookie to have around!



Raspberry Almond Shortbread Cookies

2/3 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup raspberry jam

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
2-3 Tbsp water (or milk can be used for a richer glaze)

Beat sugar, butter, and almond extract in a large bowl until light and creamy. On low speed, beat in flour until dough forms. Cover and chill at least an hour. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1 inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. With thumb, make indentations in center of each dough ball. Fill each indentation with 1/4 tsp of jam. Bake for 14-18 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on rack.

For the glaze whisk together powdered sugar and almond extract. Add water or milk until desired consistency is achieved whether you like a thin glaze or a thick frosting. Pipe on or drizzle on glaze on each cookie. Store in an airtight container.

Notes:
- Good cookie for gift giving but not for shipping. They are too fragile to make it in the mail but are great to put into a decorative tin to give gifts to friends and family locally.
- I make my glaze thick so that it pipes on good and stays on the cookie and a thicker glaze doesn't make the cookie soggy while it is stored. If you use a thinner glaze, plan on eating the cookies within about 3 days as they will absorb the moisture and become soggy the longer they sit.

Gooey Bars

Here is another recipe that is great for the holidays and would make a great gift for the person who has everything but is a lover of sweets. These Gooey Bars are very rich and decadent and so very easy to make. With a combination of chocolate, cranberries, and coconut, it is sure to please everyone. The best part, they are gooey and yummy!

Gooey Bars

1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick of butter, melted
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 bag (12 oz) chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded coconut

Combine the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs. Spray 13x9x2 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Pat down graham cracker crumbs into bottom of pan for the bottom crust. Pour sweetened condensed milk all over the crust covering all the crust. Add chocolate chips; then cranberries and nuts; finally top with coconut.
Bake in 350 oven (325 for glass dish) for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Cool completely, then cut and serve. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Notes:
- Arrange these in decorative tins for a great gift giving idea.
- Substitute raisins for the cranberries if desired.
- Substitute any type of nuts for pecans; the pecans are my nut of choice.
- Also great with crushed chocolate cookie crust instead of graham crackers.

Cranberry Pecan Chocolate Clusters

Here is a fun and easy Christmas candy that also makes a great gift in a jar or tin. It takes no time at all and I think I made my batch of clusters in about 20 minutes from start to finish. Get some great holiday tins or jars and they make great gifts for chocolate lovers. Try some!

Cranberry Pecan Chocolate Clusters

1/2 lb vanilla almond bark (or chocolate can be used for more chocolate flavor)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans

Melt the vanilla almond bark and chocolate chips. Add cranberries and pecans. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate until hardened. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

How easy can it get? Pretty darn easy for fast gifts that anyone will love!