heart cookies

I bought the last issue of Martha Stewart Living because of the cookies on the cover.

They were so cute and I was inspired to create them for our boy's friends as valentines. So I did. I made the cookie dough one day, divided the dough into 3 and coloured the dough into a soft pink, a darker pink and what I tried to make red. A couple of days later (ok, Wednesday night) I rolled the dough out, cut out the hearts, baked the cookies,

made the frosting and made up the cookies

and then the valentine treat bags (one heart cookie and 2 chocolate kisses). The boy loved the cookies and reports his friends did too. I gave extras to his teacher (school and before/after school care) and still had a tin left to take to work. A small, sweet treat that was a bit different for Valentine's day. I made a couple of bigger cookies as presents for my boys.

And now I'm thinking I could do the same idea - coloured dough, shaped cookies and filling for other occasions.

almond butterscotch shortbread

T'is the last weekend before Christmas and apart from a massive grocery shop, I've been avoiding the malls. So after stuffing my fridge full of goodies this morning, I decided to bake some cookies. My husband's stomach has been giving him gyp lately, so he's avoiding chocolate as much as he can. I had a recipe from Martha Stewart Living magazine for chocolate and almond shortbread, and was inspired by that and a recipe idea from Farmgirl Fare for chocolate and toffee shortbread. I pulled out butterscotch chips when looking for toffee bits in my baking drawer and went with that.

Almond and Butterscotch Shortbread (inspired by Martha Stewart Living and Farmgirl Fare)
1 c butter
3/4 c packed light brown sugar
2 c flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 c coarsely ground almonds
1 c butterscotch chips

Preheat the oven to 300 deg F.

Cream the butter for 3-5 minutes until fluffy and light. Add the sugar and beat for another 2 minutes. Add the flour and salt combined and mix until blended. Add the almonds and mix until blended. Fold in the butterscotch chips. Press the dough into a parchment lined, 9x13 baking sheet and then place into the fridge for 20 minutes or more to set. Cut into 8 strips lengthwise and 4 strips widthwise, making 32 rectangles. Prick each rectangle several times with a skewer.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until set and just beginning to brown. Let cool on a rack and keep in an airtight tin.