We are introduced, at an early age, to the sweet wondernous of a cookie. From teething cookies to soothe the swollen aching gums of incoming incisors, onto animal crackers purchased in rectangular-shaped boxes bearing a string handle for easy toting by little fingers. Deciding which part of the animal should be eaten first-the trunk of the elephant or the tail of a lion-depended on how hungry one was. Savor each and every one or simply gobble them down as fast as possible.

My next cookie memory would be the ever famous, possibly all-time favorite, the chocolate chip cookie. There is nothing better than to bite into a round circle of baked dough sprinkled with gooey melt-in-your-mouth chocolate. A chocolate chip cookie can dry tears, heal broken hearts, mend scraped knees and elbows and solve sibling arguments. Most of the problems in the world could likely be solved by a properly baked, right out of the oven, chocolate chip cookie. The power of a cookie is underestimated.

I will attempt in the next 365 days to prepare and comment on a year’s worth of different cookies-one for each day. My goal is to share with others my extreme love of cookies-baking them and especially eating them! Feel free to send me your favorite recipe, your earliest cookie memories, or how cookies may have influenced your life. Cookies Rule!


Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Cookie Recipe #248 - Fudge Brownie Tassies


A cream cheese pastry shell holds an ooey, gooey, fudgey brownie filling; this describes today's cookie recipe.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter, softened, 3 ounces cream cheese, softened, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons butter, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 beaten egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, hazelnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, or walnut pieces (optional).

Instructions: For pastry, in a medium mixing bowl, beat the 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese for 30 seconds. Stir in flour and mix well. Cover and refrigerate dough about 1 hour or until easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Shape dough into 24 balls. Press each ball evenly into bottom and up sides of ungreased mini muffin pans.

For filling, in a small saucepan, melt chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons butter over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, egg, and vanilla.
If desired, place a nut in each pastry-lined muffin cup. Spoon about 1 teaspoonful of the chocolate mixture into each cup. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until pastry is golden and filling is puffed.

Cool tassies slightly in pan on wire racks. Carefully remove tassies from pan by running a sharp knife around the edges of each cup and lifting gently. Transfer tassies to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 2 dozen tassies.

"Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Cookies", Meredith Corporation, Des Moines, IA, 2003.

Cookies Rule!!!

2 comments:

  1. The best thing ever!

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  2. Use to make these years ago when my children were small. I somehow misplaced my recipe for them. Yours is an exact match. I can now make them for my grown children and their children. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes with us.

    ReplyDelete