Sand Dollars

So appropriate. I'm not sure what happened around here, but I know 95 degrees is not a normal temperature for the DC metro area in late April. It was a scorcher. Yeah, I got a little burned, but what are you going to do. Met the fam at Maryland Day, but I needed some supplemental gift cookies for Dad, so I finished these off before we left the house.

Stop me if you've heard this before.

Cream butter and sugar.

Add in your flavorings- lemon zest and vanilla this time, along with eggs.

Add in some flour and let it rest in the fridge before you cut out 3 in. rounds. I don't have many cookie cutters, so my glasses have to do.

After they're on the cookie sheet- brush with egg white, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and place almonds thusly (sanddollarly).



Bake and enjoy. As a side note I brought them to meet Dad and we got a burrito at Chipotle. A few people in line asked if they could try one and since dad didn't mind, I passed some around. I'm not a huge huge fan, but the Chipotle clientèle must have an affinity for desserts that resemble seashells. ;)

Chocolate Malt Sandwhiches

Two in the same night- it was a long one!

These bad boys I made to accompany some cherry ice cream (also for blossom festivities). They're a chocolate cookie sandwich with a cream cheese frosting filling.

I ended up halving this recipe, and I still ended up with a ton of cookies. I made about 16 sandwiches, so 32 cookies, with half the batter.

I love cream cheese frosting, so these were right up my ally. I caution those of you with husbands that are less than enthusiastic about cream cheese to temper your expectations, and prepare to consume yourself or share with fam and office mates.. ;)

Cherry Tuiles

The cherry blossoms are out in DC, and so these are seasonally inspired. They are very similar to the honey florentines- so obviously, I love them!

Instead of the honey, these are made with corn syrup and cherries. Same process, but the baking time, and final shape are a bit different.

The cherries need to be re-hydrated a bit, in warm water, then mixed in with the batter. After chilling for about an hour, I shaped and baked the dough.



When they came out of the over, I draped them over my cookie dough scoop- it was the only cooking utensil i had that had the recommended circumference.

Crispy and delicious!