Macadamia White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Macadamia nuts are a good source of protein, calcium, potassium and dietary fiber. The oils in macadamia are: 84% monounsaturated, and 3.5% polyunsaturated.12.5% saturated, which make them a healthy snack addition to your diet.

1 cup Butter
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
3 cups Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
12 oz White Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) Chopped Macadamia Nuts

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Blend in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia pieces.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking pans. Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Makes about 50 cookies.

Irish Lace Cookies

This recipe produces yummy wafer thin and crunchy oatmeal and brown sugar cookies that resemble "Lace". Be sure to use old-fashioned rolled oats for this recipe, not "instant" or "quick-cooking". For a unique additon to a dessert, roll warm cookies into cylinders and add to the side of a dessert plate.

1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar, firmly packed
2 TB Flour
2 TB Milk
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 1/4 cups Old-Fashioned Oats

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, milk, and vanilla. Stir in the oats. Drop by teaspoonfuls into ungreased cookie sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

Cool slightly, then move with a spatula to a wire rack.

As an alternative, roll the slightly cooled cookies into cylinders then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Heart-Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

Enjoy these delicious oatmeal cookies without feeling a bit guilty! These tasty snacks contain fiber-packed dates and cholesterol-lowering oatmeal plus just a touch of chocolate to create a healthy snack.

6 TB Unsalted Butter
3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
1/3 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 cups Regular Oats
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 cup Chopped Pitted Dates
3 oz Bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and add brown sugar. Stir until smooth.

In a medium bowl, combine both flours, baking soda, oats and salt. Combine the butter mixture with the dry ingredients and add the egg, vanilla, and dates and blend well. Fold in the chocolate and mix well.

Using a tablespoon, drop spoonfulls of mixture onto a lightly greased baking sheet or use silicone baking mats. Bake for 12 minutes, until tops are dry to the touch.

Lemon & Blueberry Bars

The lemon zest is the secret ingredient in these bars. The creamy citrus flavor of lemon plus the health benefits of blueberries makes these bars a great snack.

1 3/4 cups All-Purpose Fflour
1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
12 TB Unsalted Butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups Quick Cooking Oats
2 large Egg Yolks
1 can (14-oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tsp Lemon Zest
2 cups Fresh Blueberries, washed, drained, patted dry
1/2 cup chopped Pecans for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13" x 9" inch baking pan. (Line with foil or parchment if desired)

Combine the flour, both sugars, salt and baking soda in bowl of a food processor and pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse until mixture is coarse and crumbly. Add oats and pulse to mix.

Press about 2/3 of the crumb mixture into the pan and set remainder aside. Bake crust for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare filling.

Whisk the condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and egg yolks together in a medium bowl and let stand for 5 minutes.

Arrange blueberries evenly over the crust; pour lemon mixture over the blueberries. Spread gently with a spatula to distribute as evenly as possible. Bake until the lemon mixture just begins to form a shiny skin; 7 to 8 minutes.

Sprinkle reserved topping over the lemon layer, then sprinkle pecans over topping. Bake for 25 minutes.

Let the bars cool in the pan on a rack until just warm, about an hour. When cool, transfer to refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours. The longer the chill time, the better they’ll be.  Makes about 24 bars.

Apricot Oatmeal Bars

These bars make a healthy and tasty snack for the whole family. For an added treat, serve warm with a scoop of low-fat vanilla ice cream.

2 cups Regular Old-Fashioned Oats
1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 cup packed Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Light Margarine
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cups Apricot Preserves

Preheat oven to 350. Coat 13" x 9" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, margarine and vanilla. Cut the margarine into the mixture using a fork or use 2 knives to "crumble" the margarine into the mixture.

Press half of the oat mixture into the bottom of the baking dish. Then spread the apricot preserves onto the oat mixture, followed by the remaining oat mix on top. Gently press mixture to form a smooth top.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

When cool cut into 36 bars.

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

To prevent cracks in the top of the cheesecake, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake sit inside for 1 hour. Hint: To serve cut perfect slices, use a knife dipped in warm water.

1 pkg ( 9 oz ) Chocolate Wafer Cookies
1 TB Unsalted Butter, melted
4 bars ( 8 oz each ) Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
4 Large Eggs
1 cup Sour Cream
8 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted
Chocolate Ganache ( see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Assemble a 9-inch springform pan with the raised side of the bottom down.

In a food processor, pulse wafers until finely ground. Add butter and pulse to moisten. Transfer to the springform pan and press crumbs firmly into the bottom of the pan. Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet; bake 10 minutes and set aside.

Wipe out teh bowl and blade from the food processor. Add cream cheese, sugar and salt; blend until smooth. With motor runnng, add eggs, then sour cream, and finally chocolate; blend filling until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Pour filling onto crust and bake just until set, about 1 hour. Turn off oven and let cheesecake sit 1 hour in oven, without opening (This step will prevent cracks on the cheesecake surface.)

Run a thin knife around the dge of the pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Cover loosely and refrigerate at lest 6 hours or overnight.

Prepare the Chocolate Ganache

1/4 cup Heavy Cream
4 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped

In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream to a boil. Remove from heat, and add chocolate. Stir until melted, then set aside until thickened, about 3 - 4 minutes.

Unmold cheesecake from the springform pan. Spread the ganache in the center of the cheesecake; let set a few minutes before serving.