Rosie's Cooking Schedule for Monday, December 3.

Here's what Rosie made today. From top left and clockwise:
Mocha Toffee Cashew Squares,
White Christmas Fudge,
Magic Cookie Squares, and
Peanut Butter Coconut Squares.

For your information, after I bake and cool all these goodies, I put them in either Tupperware or freezer bags, then they go right INto the freezer until I assemble everything for Christmas.

The first thing I'm making today is:

Mocha Toffee Cashew Squares









Preheat oven to 350.

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanella
3 TB ground coffee dissolved in 2 TB boiling water

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup salted roasted cashews, chopped.

Beat butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes
Beat in yolk and vanella, then add coffee mixture.
Add flour and salt and mix at low speed until just combined.

Spread batter evenly in ungreased baking pan (10 1/2 x 15 1/2 x 1) and bake until top puffs and sides pull away from edge - about 16-22 minutes. Watch carefully at end of baking time.

While base is baking, melt chocolate in a double boiler.

Pour chocolate over warm base and spread evenly.











Sprinkle cashews evenly over top.





Cool completely, then cut INto squares.











And ... Wallah!

Mocha Toffee Cashew Squares.

Next up is:
White Christmas Fudge

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar (or "confectionary," as Pauler would say.)
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
12 oz. white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3/4 cup dried cherries
3/4 cup toasted almond slices


Line an 8-inch square pan with buttered foil.





Mix sugar and milk in heavy saucepan.













Add butter and bring to boil stirring constantly.










Boil for 5 minutes without stirring.










Add chocolate and almond aigstract.









Stir in dried cherries.











Stir in toasted almonds.









Pour mixture INto prepared pan.










Spread mixture evenly in pan, refrigerate until firm, invert pan, peel off foil, and cut INto squares.








And .... Wallah!
White Christmas Fudge.









My third item for today is:

Magic Cookie Squares










Preheat oven to 350.

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Melt butter in 13 x 9 inch pan, in oven.

Pour graham cracker crumbs over butter.

Now this is my semi-ho part, I'm sorry to say.
Look at the above picture of my mise-en-place. What is wrong with that picture? Well, I'll tell you. I used a box of graham cracker CRUMBS. I didn't even bother to make up my own crumbs!

I feel so ... dirty.

Next, pour the sweetened condensed milk over top of the evened-out butter and crumbs crust.













Add chocolate chips evenly over top.








Add the coconut.











And finally add the chopped pecans.









Bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes.










Wallah!

Magic Cookie Squares















The last goodie I made today was:

Peanut Butter Coconut Squares







Preheat oven to 350.

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 large aig
1 tsp. vanella
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
2 cups coconut
1/2 cup chopped, salted, roasted peanuts

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add in peanut butter.
Beat in aig, vanella, salt.
Add flour.
Stir in coconut.















Spread batter INto a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch buttered pan.

Sprinkle peanuts over top and press in.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.




Aaaaand ... Wallah!

Peanut Butter Coconut Squares.