Orange Cookies (Orangesmekager)

2 Oranges
½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup sugar
1 large egg
½ t orange extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
4 squares (1 oz each) semisweet chocolate

Finely grate colored portion of orange peel using bell grater or hand held grater. Measure 2 T orange peel; set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down side of bowl once. Beat in egg, orange extract and grated peel until well blended, scraping down side of bowl once.

Gradually add flour. Beat at low speed until well blended, scraping down side of bowl occasionally. Stir in additional flour with spoon to form soft dough. Form dough into a disc; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.


Preheat oven to 400°F Grease cookie sheets; set aside.


Unwrap dough and place on lightly floured surface. Roll out dough with lightly floured rolling pin to ¼" thickness. Cut dough into 2x1" bars. Place bars 2" apart on prepared cookie sheet. 


Gently press dough trimmings together; reroll and cut out more cookies. (Rerolled dough will produce slightly tougher cookies than first rolling.) 


Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove cookies with spatula to wire rack; cool completely.


Melt chocolate in 1 cup glass measure in microwave at MEDIUM (50% power) 3 to 4 minutes stirring occasionally. Dip one end of each cookie into chocolate, coating ½ way up side. Scrape excess chocolate on bottom of cookie back into cup. Transfer cookies to waxed paper; let stand at room temperature 1 hour or until set.


Store tightly covered between sheets of waxed paper at room temperature.


Makes about 2½ dozen bars

Czech Bear Paws

4 cups toasted ground hazelnuts
2 cups all purpose flour
1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t ground cinnamon
½ t ground nutmeg
¼ t salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg yolk
½ cup melted chocolate chips
slivered almonds, halved

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place hazelnuts, flour, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in medium bowl; stir to combine.

Beat butter, powdered sugar, and egg yolk in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour mixture. Beat at low speed until soft dough forms, scraping down side of bowl once.


Grease 3 madeleine pans with softened butter, 1 teaspoon per pan; dust with flour. (IF only one 1 madeleine pan is available, thoroughly wash, dry, regrease and flour after baking each batch. Cover remaining dough with plastic wrap; let stand at room temperature.)


Press level Tablespoonfuls of dough into each mold. 


Bake 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cookies stand in pan 3 minutes. Carefully loosen cookies from pan with point of small knife. Invert pan over wire racks; tap lightly to release cookies. Let stand 2 minutes. Turn cookies shell side up; cool completely.


Pipe squiggle of melted chocolate on curved end of each cookie; place slivered almond halves in melted chocolate for claws. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour or until set.


Store tightly covered at room temperature. These cookies Do NOT Freeze well.


Makes abut 5 dozen cookies.

Polvorones

1 cup butter, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
2 T milk
1 t vanilla
1 t ground cinnamon, divided
1½ to 1¾ cups all purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 square (1 ounce) semisweet chocolate, finely grated

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease cookie sheets; set aside.

Beat butter, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and ½ t cinnamon in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down side of bowl once. Gradually add 1½ cups flour and baking powder. Beat at low speed until well blended, scraping down side of bowl once. Stir in additional flour with spoon if dough is too soft to shape.

Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into 1¼" balls. Place balls 3" apart on prepared cookie sheets. Flatten each ball into 2" round with bottom of glass dipped in granulated sugar.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let stand on cookie sheets 3 to 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine granulated sugar, grated chocolate and remaining ½ t cinnamon in small bowl; stir to combine. Transfer cookies, one at a time, with spatula to sugar mixture; coat on both sides. Remove with spatula to wire racks; cool completely.

Store tightly covered at room temperature or freeze up to 3 months

Makes about 2 dozen cookies 

~*~Dairy ALLERGY WARNING~*~ this recipe contains milk. 

Chocolate Chip Walnut Quinoa cookies

½ cup dry quinoa

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup old-fashioned oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup packed light Brown sugar

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 bag (10 or 11.5 ounce) bittersweet chocolate chips

1 bag(10 or 11.5 ounce) white baking chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

heat oven to 375°. Heat a 2 to 3 quart sauté pan over medium heat. Add quinoa. Cook, stirring constantly, until quinoa pops, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

In a medium bowl whisk flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and make and popped quinoa. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low, beat in vanilla. Spoon flour mixture into bowl and beat on low just until combined.

With a wooden spoon, stir in both kinds of chips and the walnuts. Drop dough onto baking sheet by large spoonfuls (about 3 tablespoons) 2 inches apart. Bake at 375° for 12 to 15 minutes per batch. Cool two minutes on baking sheet; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

makes 3½ dozen

*~*NUT ALLERGY WARNING!!!*~* This recipe contains walnuts.

Hot Fudge Sauce

3 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate
1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
½ cup hot water
¼ t salt
¼ cup sugar
1 t vanilla extract



In top of double boiler, melt chocolate over hot water. Stir in sweetened condensed milk. Cook until very thick; stir constantly. Add hot water, salt and sugar.; continue to cook until mixture in very smooth and of desired thickness. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract. Serve hot.

Magic Chocolate Sauce

1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate
1/8 t salt
½ to 1 cup hot water
½ t vanilla extract

In top of double boiler, combine sweetened condensed milk, chocolate and salt. Cook over hot water. Stir frequently until thickened. Remove from heat. Slowly stir in hot water until sauce is of desired thickness. Stir in vanilla extract. Serve hot or chilled.

Variations:
Chocolate Almond: Proceed as for magic chocolate sauce except add ½ t almond extract.

Chocolate Peanut Butter: Proceed as for magic chocolate sauce except add ¼ cup peanut butter.

Mocha: Proceed as for Magic Chocolate sauce exept add 1 T instant coffee, dry form.

Makes about 2 cups

Chocolate Coconut Potato Candy II

4 cups coconut
¾ cup cooked, cold mashed potatoes
1 pound powdered sugar
6 oz chocolate chips
small piece of paraffin

Variation add finely chopped almonds to the mix

Mix the first three ingredients together. Next shape the mix into balls about the size of an unshelled walnut. Let the walnut size balls dry on wax paper. In a double boiler melt chips and a little bit of paraffin on low heat. Dip dry balls into chocolate.

These have been described as being close to Mounds candy bars and as being close to Almond Joy if you add in some finely chopped almonds to the mix before dipping in the chocolate.

Chocolate Coconut Potato Candy

1/3 cup mashed potatoes
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flaked coconut
Chocolate (German or Semi-Sweet works well)

Mix ingredients thoroughly. Shape into desired size balls. Place in refrigerator until very cold. Roll candy in melted chocolate.