Pineapple Turnovers
Toffee Bars
‘Tis the season for treats and sugar highs.
Nancy thought it would be lovely to invite 8 of her friends, to her house, for a giant, adult, female sugar rush. Also known as a Cookie Swap.
Lovely idea it was, my dear friend…
The cookies were delicious and quite nommy.
So much so - that I’m still tweaking out.
Coming out of a sugar high is hard work and can only be cured with more sugar. I’m a proponent of weaning…a well mapped out withdrawal…
So, the only logical method would be to have a hearty plate of morning egg whites…
Then a cookie.
It’s 12:20pm and I feel as though I’m on the road to recovery.
It’s a long road. But I’m ready for the challenge.
My cookie contribution highlighted two family favorites…
Aunt Deb’s Toffee Bars and my mom’s pineapple filled cream cheese dough type cookies.
God, I love cookies.
Thank god baking is so much work - and I’m less inclined to do it more often…
Pineapple Turnovers
1 box Jiffy or Pillsbury Pie Crust Mix (prepare according to directions)
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 jar of fruit preserves (traditionally my mom always uses pineapple - but I did the split this year and did a batch with mixed berry preserves as well)
1/2 c. walnuts (chopped in the food processor until you have walnut dust)
Rolling Pin
Juice glass (you’ll use the top to make circles - a biscuit cutter also works - or anything 3” in diameter)
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-In a large mixing bowl, prepare pie crust according to directions
-Once pie crust mixture has been formed, add cream cheese and mix in well
-Put dough aside (you can refrigerate the dough for a half hour to an hour, I find it easier to work with, but you don’t have to)
-Place preserves in a bowl and fold in walnuts (this is your cookie filling)
-Roll out dough and begin to cut out circles using glass/biscuit cutter/cookie cutter
-As your making the circles, place them on a baking sheet
-Once all of your cut out have been made, put a dollop of filling in the middle of the circle (not too much, you don’t want the filling busting out) and fold dough in half (so a half moon/crescent is formed) and seal closed by using a fork to make indentations along the rim
-Repeat until all cookies have been filled and closed
-Bake for 12-14 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown
-Top with confectioners sugar
Toffee Bars
2 sticks of butter (softened at room temperature)
3/4 c. dark brown sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 bag semi sweet chocolate chips
Optional: ground walnuts
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar
-On low speed, beat in egg yolk and vanilla
-Little by little, incorporate all dry ingredients - blending on low
-Grease a 13x9 baking pan (I like to use an 8 x 8 square, so they come thicker - NOM)
-Press dough, evenly, in pan - and bake for 30-35 minutes - until golden brown
-Remove pan from the oven, pour chips on top, and place pan back in the oven for another minute or 2
-Take the pan out of the oven (for real this time) and use a spatula or icing knife to spread chocolate
-Sprinkle walnuts over top
-Place in the refrigerator (so chocolate hardens)
-Cut in to squares and NOM
