Recipe(tried): Whipped Shortbread, Reverse Nanaimo Bars and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

WHIPPED SHORTBREAD
Serving Size : 48

1 lb. butter
1 c. icing sugar
3 c. flour
1/2 c. cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla
12 candied cherries

Preheat oven to 325 deg. Cut cherries into 1/8's or 1/4's. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla together until until very soft. Add cornstarch and flour and beat until of whipped cream consistency. Drop by tsp. onto ungreased cookie sheet top each cookie with a piece of cherry. Bake for 15-20 min or so until golden on the bottom, cooked on the inside but not browned on top. makes 4 dz. or more. Store in an airtight container, or freeze.

NOTES : This is easy, wonderful and always a favoite!REVERSE NANAIMO BARS

CRUST
1 oz. white chocolate (Bakers 1 sq.)
1/4 c. butter
1 egg beaten
1/2 c. coconut, unsweetened
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
MIDDLE LAYER
1/3 c. butter 2/3 c. cocoa
1 1/3 c. icing sugar
3 Tbsp. milk
2 Tbsp. custard powder (Bird's) or van. instant pudding
1 tsp. vanilla
TOP LAYER
4 tsp. veg. oil
4 oz. white choc. coarsely chopped (Bakers Brand)
1 oz. semi sweet chocolate

Grease 8 inch square pan, set aside. In a small heavy saucepan, over very low heat, melt white chocolate with butter stirring until smooth. Stir in beaten egg, and coconut. Remove from heat and stir in crumbs. Press evenly with a spoon into bottom of prepared pan. Refrigerate while makeing next layer. MIDDLE LAYER: IN heavy sauce pan melt butter over low heat. Stir in cocoa until smooth (can do this step in the micro). Transfer mixture to a bowl, beat in icing sugar, milk, custard powder and vanilla until smooth. Spread over bottom layer. Refrigerate until firm. TOP LAYER: Reserve 1/4 tsp. oil. In small heavy saucepan over very low heat, melt white chocolate with remaining oil. Pour over middle layer, smoothing evenly. Refrigerate until set. Melt semi-sweet chocolate with reserved oil. Drizzle over white chocolate. Refrigerate until set. Cut into squares or bars. Store in frige for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Makes 24 squares.
To drizzle chocolate, use a heavy pastic bag with a tiny hole in one corner. Put chocolate in bag and squeeze out as desired.

NOTES : These are totally yummy.I haven't tried the following but the recipe got rave reviews:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookie

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 squares unsweetened chocolate -- (2 oz.)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbls. a.p. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Garnish:
3/4 cup finely chopped peanuts
36 miniature Peanut Butter Cups -- frozen and
unwrapped.
1 cup peanut butter baking chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

350F. oven. Makes 36 cookies.
Combine chocolate in bowl and microwave at 50% for about 2 minutes, stir and repeat until smooth and melted (or do it the old-fashioned double boiler way if you prefer). Cool slightly. Combine sugar and fat in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with elec. mixer until blended and crumbly. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then salt and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add chocolate slowly. Mix until well blended. Stir in flour and soda with spoon until well blended. Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Roll in chopped peanuts. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350F. for 8-10 minutes or until set. Press a frozen (important) peanut butter cups into the center of each cookie immediately upon removing them from the oven. Press cookies up against peanut butter cup if desired for appearance, but, do not touch the peanut butter cup again since it is now melted, it must remain intact. Cool completely.
Melt the peanut butter chips and drizzle back and forth over the cookies using a parchment pouch or plastic bag with a little snip off the corner. Repeat with the chocolate, only drizzling at another angle from the peanut drizzle. A blue ribbon winner from the Arizona State Fair. These go fast. Rave reviews from Gails Swap.

NOTES : These, in a word, are incredible, from Richard in Cincy