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Quick & EasyBy Beverly Barbour
Trick up some cookies for Halloween TreatsHauntingly good cookies are a dream to make. You don't have to worry that they're going to fall in the middle and cause you to have a culinary pratfall. Besides, everyone of every age loves tickling the tonsils with cookies. Parchment paper is a lifesaver when you're baking cookies that have a tendency to stick and are a tad fragile to remove from the pan. The parchment creates a nonstick surface, protecting cookie bottoms from burning, and ensures easy cleanup. It is especially important to use parchment when baking any kind of lace cookie as they tend to break easily. Lace Sandwich cookies with Orange ButtercreamA cross between cookie and candy, they stick to the baking sheet if you don't use parchment. Cookies Filling Cookies: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir butter, sugar, and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in flour. Add nuts and vanilla; stir to combine. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake 1 sheet at a time, until bubbling and lightly browned, about 11 minutes. Cool on sheets 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely. Filling: Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Spread 1 teaspoon filling onto bottom of 1 cookie. Top with second cookie, bottom side down, pressing lightly to adhere. Repeat. Yields about 18 cookie sandwiches. Store them between sheets of waxed paper in airtight container at room temperature. Chocolate-Glazed Cranberry BlondiesThis recipe is as simple as it is delicious. Make a double batch and freeze for emergency sweet tooth aches. Bar cookies Glaze Heat oven to 350 F. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line bottom and 2 sides with foil, letting edges extend over sides. Coat foil with spray. Sift together flour and baking powder; set aside. In a large bowl, beat together egg, brown sugar, butter and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture just until blended. Mix in cranberries and walnuts. Spread evenly in pan. Bake about 20 minutes or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. To make glaze, in a medium bowl whisk together confectioners sugar, cocoa and water until smooth. Drizzle over blondies. When glaze sets, remove from pan with foil and cut into squares. Makes 36 cookies. Triple-Chocolate BiscottiYou can add even more excitement by melting some white chocolate chips and dipping one end of the cooled biscotti in the chocolate. Let them dry on a cookie rack. 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour Line large baking sheet with parchment paper or double thickness of foil. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Beat sugar and butter together until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then vanilla. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in semi-sweet and white chips. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheet in two long strips, spacing 3 inches apart. Using metal spatula or wet fingers, shape strips into 11- by 2 1/2-inch logs. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake logs until tops are cracked and dry and tester comes out clean, about 25 minutes; cool 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 F. Using foil as aid, lift logs onto work surface. Line baking sheets with clean foil. Using serrated knife gently cut warm logs crosswise into 3/4-inch thick slices. Arrange half of slices, cut side down, on each prepared baking sheet. Bake biscotti until just dry to touch, about 8 minutes. Turn biscotti over; bake until top is dry to touch, about 8 minutes. Cool on sheets. Makes 30 cookies. It takes a lot of skill to make a bad cookie!
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