Chocolate Nut Buttons Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add the flour, sugar and salt; beat just until crumbly. Set aside 1 cup for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake 10-12 minutes or until set and edges begin to brown., Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine milk and 1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips. Cook and stir until chips are melted. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Spread mixture over crust., Combine the nuts and milk chocolate chips with the remaining semisweet chocolate chips and crumb mixture. Sprinkle over filling. Bake 15-20 minutes or until center is set. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Steps:

• Melt 2 sticks butter over medium heat until browned, then cool. Make Classic Sugar Cookies with the browned butter in place of the 2 sticks butter and use just 1 egg yolk and 3/4 cup granulated sugar total (omit confectioners'). Scoop into tiny balls and bake 10 to 12 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool, then sandwich with raspberry jam and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Position racks in the lower and upper third of the oven. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. (If you don't have 3 pans, simply cool the pan between batches.)
• Put the butter, unsweetened chocolate and 4 ounces semisweet chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat at 75 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 2 minutes. Stir and heat again until melted, up to 2 minutes more. (Alternatively, put the chocolates and butter in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching the water, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.)
• Stir the granulated and light brown sugars and vanilla into the chocolate mixture with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs and buttermilk and beat vigorously until thick and glossy.
• Whisk together the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa and the salt in another bowl. Add them to the egg mixture and stir until just mixed. Stir in the remaining chip-size semisweet chocolate. Cover and refrigerate the dough until firm enough to scoop, about 1 hour.
• Roll the dough into scant 1 tablespoon (about 3/4 inch) balls and place 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put the remaining 1/2 cup cocoa powder and the confectioners' sugar in two separate bowls for rolling. Roll the dough balls in the confectioners' sugar, then in the cocoa powder and place on the baking sheets. Bake until the cookies set but are soft and fudgy on the inside, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extract. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the chips and nuts. , Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 7-9 minutes. Cool on pans for 1 minute before removing to wire racks to cool completely.