Scrappy Jesse's Cookie Exchange Party !

Hi !! Welcome to Scrappy Jesse's 3rd Annual Cookie exchange !! I haven't made our cookies yet for Christmas, but I have to share the BEST cookie recipe EVER !!! This recipe was on Emeril's annual best recipe contest one year and I had to try these as we are Almond Roca-holics in this house. WOW, these are SO good, Hubby sat and ate a whole dozen of them in a half an hour the first time I made them ( Naughty boy !! :) ) And these are a musta gotta each year since :)


Blue Ribbon Almond Roca Cookies
by Lynn Scully, Rancho Santa Fe, California

Ingredients :

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 package toffee bits
1 cup coarsely ground almonds
4 ounces milk chocolate ( I use a Hershey bar )
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions :

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend sugars together on medium speed. Add butter and mix to form a grainy paste. Add eggs and vanilla and mix at medium speed until light and fluffy. At low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and then the toffee bits. Mix until blended, do not over mix.

Place ground nuts in a small bowl. Using hands, roll dough into 1 to 1 1/2" balls, then roll into the ground nuts. Place on cookie sheet, several inches apart. Bake approximately 22 minutes and then transfer cookies to a cooling rack.

Melt the chocolate with the vegetable oil in a double boiler ( I melt the chocolate and oil in a zip lock bag in the microwave for a few seconds, then cut off a small corner of the bag for drizzling, Much easier !! Just be careful to watch the chocolate so that it doesn't overcook ) or in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Drizzle melted chocolate over cooled cookies with a spoon. Place cookies onto a cookie sheet and place into refrigerator till chocolate is firmly set.

Please Dash over to Miss Jesse's blog to get the links for other great Christmas Cookie Recipes. :)

Enjoy !!

Hugs,

Rhea