Cookie Carnival- Toasted Almond Lemon Bars

This month's Cookie Carnival cookie is Toasted Almond Lemon Bars, from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book. I just noticed a baking group-Sweet Melissa Sundays- that is baking it's way through this cookbook. I own this cookbook and it has some really great recipes.
Back to the Cookie Carnival. This month we had our first ever guest host- Holly of Phemomenon. She chose these lemon bars and I know quite a few people who are glad that she did.
Lemon Bars were something I remember having as a kid and nothing is as good as a homemade lemon bar. (Meaning the ones from the box just don't cut it for me).
I do have to admit that I gasped when I saw that the crust called for 2 1/2 sticks of butter. And that the recipe was only supposed to yield 12 squares. I wouldn't allow myself to do the math. I don't know why it was so shocking- it just seemed like a ton of butter.
Luckily for me and my hips, I made these for a family members' work meeting and probably cut them into 36 squares, at least.
I used sliced almonds, which I toasted and that gave the crust little flecks of almond that I thought was nice.
The filling was nice and tart. It had quite a zing to it. The almond extract added something extra too, which was very delightful. I did have to try a tiny piece, as did my little helpers and everyone thought they were really good.
The plate came back from the meeting empty, so I am pretty sure everyone enjoyed them.
These are just how a lemon bar should be- thick crust, tart filling and a heavy sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Toasted Almond Lemon Bars
From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy
Makes 1 dozen bars
"Everyone loves lemon bars. I make mine extra special by adding toasted almonds to the shortbread crust."
For the Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds, lightly toasted
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 Tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
For the Lemon Filling:
4 large eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 7 lemons)
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for sprinkling
To Toast the Almonds:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden and you can smell them. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Before You Start:
Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 - inch pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Make a parchment "sling" by cutting two pieces of parchment paper, measuring 16 1/2 inches long by 12 inches wide (you can also use aluminum foil). Place one piece across the length, and the other across the width of the pan, with the excess hanging over the edges. You will use this sling later to lift the finished bar from the pan. Spray the sling with the cooking spray.
To Make the Crust:
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the flour, sugar, almonds, and salt to combine. Add the cold butter in pieces and pulse until the dough comes together in a ball.
2. Turn the dough out into the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom and 1 1/4 inches up the sides. (This crust, once it is baked, needs to act as a liner in which to pour the liquidy lemon filling. So be sure to do a good job of pressing the dough up the sides - no cracks!). Cover the dough with a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil, and fill with pie weights ( you can use dried beans or uncooked rice as pie weights as well). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Carefully remove the pie weights and the liner and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the whole crust is golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
To Make the Filling:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until smooth. Add the almond extract and flour, and whisk until smooth. Add the lemon juice, and whisk to combine.
To Complete the Bars:
1. Pour the lemon filling into the prepared crust. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is firm and lightly golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
2. When cool use the parchment sling to lift the entire bar from the pan and onto a cutting board. Slice into twelve 3 x 3 1/2 - inch bars. Remove from the pan and, using a small sifter, dust with the confectioners' sugar.

Up next- TWD- Chocolate Cream Tart

Cookie Carnival- The Ultimate Chewy and Soft Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This month's Cookie Carnival choice, was a classic and a favorite of my husbands- Chocolate Chip Cookies. My husband prefers Pillsbury ready to bake cookies, but I have been on a mission to try and satisfy his love of these cookies with a homemade recipe. This hasn't been a real quest, where I am baking a different cookie recipe every day, but rather, every once and awhile I try a chocolate chip cookie recipe to see if he likes it. So far, I haven't had too much luck. He likes what he likes!
But, these did go over well. They were soft and chewy and quite simple. The kids loved them, but my hubby prefers milk chocolate chips, so I think next time I will sub those. These are good, if you are in the mood for a cookie and milk!


The Ultimate Chewy and Soft Chocolate Chunk Cookies from In The Sweet Kitchen by
Regan Daley
INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter at room temp
1 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsps. pure vanilla extract
3 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
16 oz. flavorful bitter or semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used semi-sweet chips)


INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or lightly butter them, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, or a large bowl if mixing by hand, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture, and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
3. Using your hands, shape knobs of dough about the size of a large walnut and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Stagger the rows of cookies to ensure even baking. Bake 12-15 for smaller cookies, 14-17 for larger ones or until the tops are a light golden brown. If the cookies are neither firm nor dark when they are removed from the oven, they will cool chewy and soft. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. If somehow they don't get inhaled immediately, they may be stored airtight at room temperature for up to one week.


Coming Next- Craving Ellie in my Belly- Macaroni and Four Cheeses

Cookie Carnival-Pink Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies and Grapefruit Mousse

Remember that stick of butter and cup of cream I didn't use in the soup yesterday? Well, don't worry folks, they both found a home and it was worth it, for these tasty desserts. This month's cookie for Cookie Carnival is Pink Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies. When I saw this recipe I immediately thought of a delicious mousse that I made last fall, from Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine. I decided to go all out and pair these two grapefruity desserts together.

The cookies were like a basic sugar cookie with a citrusy zest flavor and a tangy frosting. I couldn't really detect an exact grapefruit flavor, it was more of a citrus taste. No one really cared what citrus flavor it was, they just ate these up! The mousse is tart and a bit surprising, not too sweet, and I think that is why I like it so much. I am a big fan of grapefruit, so that might be another reason why I liked both of these treats. If you are looking for a couple fun, citrusy desserts, give these a whirl!

Pink Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies from Martha Stewart
You can bake the cookies and make the filling a day ahead
Ingredients for cookies
Makes 15 sandwich cookies.
* Grated zest of 1 Ruby Red grapefruit, plus 1/4 cup freshly squeezed juice
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
* 3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
* 2 large egg yolks
* Pink Grapefruit Cream Filling

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a small bowl, combine zest with 1 tablespoon sugar; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and remaining sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add egg yolks, and beat until combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in reserved zest-sugar mixture. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the juice, and beat to combine.
3. Turn out dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, and shape into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out disk to 1/8 inch thick using a lightly floured rolling pin. Using a lightly floured 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds and place about 1 inch apart on prepared sheet. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until edges are golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes. Transfer parchment paper and cookies to rack to cool completely.
5. Using an offset spatula, spread 1 tablespoon filling onto flat sides of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, keeping flat sides down. Once filled, cookies can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Ingredients for filling
Makes enough to fill 15 sandwich cookies.
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
* 2 cups confectioners' sugar
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed Ruby Red grapefruit juice

Directions
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in honey. Add juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until filling holds together and is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl, cover, and set aside until ready to use.

Grapefruit Mousse From Every Day with Rachael Ray Magazine
Four 4-inch strips peel and juice of 1 grapefruit
6 tablespoons sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 cup marshmallow cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon honey

1. In a small saucepan, bring the grapefruit juice, 2 peel strips and the sugar to a boil, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid is reduced by half, 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in half of the hot grapefruit syrup, pouring in a slow, steady stream. Whisk the yolks into the remaining grapefruit syrup and cook, whisking, over low heat just until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately strain into a small bowl set in a larger bowl of ice water and let cool. Discard the peel strips.

3. In a medium bowl, stir the marshmallow cream until smooth, then fold into the grapefruit mixture.

4. Using an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream and honey on high speed until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold the whipped cream into the grapefruit-marshmallow mixture.

5. Spoon the mousse into dessert cups and refrigerate for 2 hours. Cut the remaining 2 peel strips into slivers and sprinkle on the mousse before serving.

Cookie Carnival-Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

Yes, my friends, I have joined in on Cookie Carnival.

I saw so many yummy cookies floating around last month and I decided I could use some fun cookie recipes that are not picked by me. This month we got to try Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti. I had some very excited family members due to great memories of last month's DB Challenge. We loved these, although we didn't eat too many since I decided they would be a good cookie to send to my brother-in-law, Russ, who I am hosting Operation Baking GALS for this month. These was a lot of nibbling and luckily, not all of the biscotti would fit in the box. These were great, an easy first time biscotti making experience for me. I will probably make these again because everyone here love the combination of hazelnuts and chocolate!
CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT BISCOTTI from The Bakehouse via Bon Appetit
1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted, husked
3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Grind 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts in processor. Set aside. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Beat butter and sugar in another large bowl to blend. Add eggs and vanilla and almond extracts and beat until well blended. Beat in flour mixture. Mix in 1 cup whole toasted hazelnuts, chocolate chips and 1/2 cup ground hazelnuts.
Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece on baking sheet into 2 1/2-inch-wide by 14-inch-long log. Place logs on prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart (logs will spread during baking). Bake until logs feel firm when tops are gently pressed, about 35 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet 15 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.
Using long wide spatula, transfer baked logs to cutting board. Using serrated knife, cut warm logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
Arrange slices, cut side down, on 2 baking sheets. Bake biscotti until firm, about 15 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool completely. (Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti can be prepared ahead. Store in airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.)