The ULTIMATE cookies

For Christmas Dad gave me the Better Homes and Gardens Ultimate Cookie Magazine. It has some really fun and delicious cookies and bars in it. Before we left for Utah I made some bar named Chunky Path Brownies for our Family Home Evening. They were yummy brownies covered in gooey Marshmallow drizzled in chocolate syrup!

A couple of weeks ago I help host my book club and decided to break out the Cookie Magazine once again. Because we had read Northanger Abbey by Jane Austin I wanted to make a shortbread cookie and then a fun cookie. I decided on Coconut-Lime Shortbread(top left) and Marshmallow Snappers(bottom left). The glaze on the Coconut-Lime Shortbread turned out a little funny but they tasted just as shortbread should. The Marshmallow Snappers were divine! I brought the leftovers to church the next day for my Sunday school class and linger longer, they never made it to linger longer! Some of the young men in my class admitted that they were in love with the cookies.

So, I promised some of you the recipe, here you go:

Marshmallow Snappers

Prep: 1 hr Oven: 350 Bake: 10 mins Stand: 2 mins Yield: 48 cookies

1 12oz package semisweet or bittersweet chocolate pieces (I did 3/4 bittersweet and 1/4 semisweet)

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups pecan halves, toasted

24 large marshmallows, halved

Caramel ice cream topping (optional, but worth it!)

1.) In a medium saucepan combine the chocolate pieces and 2 tbs of the butter, Heat and stir over low heat until smooth. Let stand at room temp for 20 to 30 mins or until cooled. Preheat oven to 350F . Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2.) In a large mixing bowl beat the remaining butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in brown sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating and scraping bowl after each addition. Beat in the melted chocolate mixture and the vanilla. Add the flour mixture beating on low speed until mixture is combined.

3.) Drop dough by heaping teaspoons 2 inches apart on to an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 mins. Remove from oven. Lightly press three or four pecan halves onto each cookie, spacing pecan evenly with ends pointing toward center of the cookie. Place a marshmallow half, cut slide down. in the center of each cookie over pecan ends.

4.) Return cookies to oven for 2 mins. Remove from oven. Lightly press a pecan half on top of each marshmallow. Let stand for 2 nins on cookie sheet. Transfer to wire rack and let cool. If desired, drizzle cookies with caramel ice cream topping just before serving.

Coconut-Lime Shortbread

Prep: 30 mins Oven: 325 Bake: 15 mins per batch Yield: 40 cookies

1/2 cup flaked coconut, toasted

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbs finely shredded lime peel

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cold butter, cut in to pieces

Lime glaze (optional)

Finely shredded lime peel (optional)

1.) Preheat oven to 325 F. In a food processor combine coconut, sugar and 2 tbs lime peel, and the vanilla. Cover and process until coconut is finely chopped. Add flour; cover and process with one on/off pulse just to combine. Add butter; cover and process until mixture starts to cling. Transfer to a very large bowl (dough will appear dry). Knead dough until smooth. Shape dough into a ball; divide in half.

2.) On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the dough portions to about 1/4 inch thickness. Using desired 1 1/2 to 2 inch cookie cutters, cut out, dough. Place cutouts 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

3.) Bake for 15 to 17 mins or just until bottoms start to brown. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool, Repeat with the remaining dough portion. If desired, spread tops of cookies with Lime Glaze and sprinkle with additional lime peel.

Lime Glaze: In a small bowl stir together 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp finely shredded lime peel, and 1 tbs lime juice. Stir in enough water (2 to 3 tbs) to make a glaze of spreading consistency.

ENJOY!!!