Cupid's Pillows

For the same women's breakfast we made the Blueberry Stuffed French Toast and Apple Tarts for, we made this delectable treat. I mentioned that the ladies considered the french toast to be the best dish served, but personally these pastries exceed even this favorite dish in flavor.

Cupid's Pillows

 



- Danish dough, we used home made but store bought will work too.

- Fresh Raspberries

- Chopped Dark Chocolate

 

Preheat oven to 425F. Spread Danish dough 1/8 inch thin then cut into 3 inch squares. In the center of each square place 1-2 fresh raspberries and a large pinch of dark chocolate. Fold the squares in half diagonally and seal/score with the tines of a fork. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and bake cupid's pillows at 425F for 8-15 minutes, until golden brown.

 

Enjoy!

 

Easy Fruit Tarts

 

 

 You can take the time to make your own puff pastry dough like my mom did for the first time I made these tarts for a church breakfast, but for these easy tarts, I used frozen puff pastry dough from the grocery store, and they went over just as well at the Easter brunch I served them at.

Easy Fruit Tarts

 

1 box frozen puff pastry dough, thawed



Fruit of choice (I used diced apples with cinnamon and granulated sugar and frozen mixed berries, thawed, drained and chopped with a little added granulated sugar.

Preheat oven to 350F. Roll puff pastry dough to 1/8 inch thickness.  Cut each sheet of dough into 12 squares. Use the squares to line muffin tins and fill with desired fruit mixtures. Bake at 350F for 10-20 minutes, until crust has puffed and turned golden brown.

Enjoy!

Berries and Bits

This is a recipe I picked up from my son's godfather's family.  Always a favorite at get-togethers, this combination of pudding, fresh berries, vanilla wafers and chocolate chips is beautiful in it's simplicity and yet decidedly decadent.

Berries and Bits

- 1 box Nilla Wafers

- Strawberries, diced, reserve some sliced and one whole for decoration (optional)

- Blueberries, reserve 1/2-1 cup for decoration (optional(

- Chocolate Chips

- Vanilla pudding

- Whipped Cream

Combine equal parts Vanilla Pudding and Whipped cream, making sure to save some whipped cream for decorating (optional).  Line the bottom of a small bowl with a single layer of wafers.  Cover wafers with a layer of pudding mixture.  Sprinkle strawberries and blueberries over the pudding then lightly sprinkle chocolate chips.  Continue layering wafers, pudding, berries and chips until you're less than a half inch from the top of the bowl, stop with a pudding layer if you plan to decorate and berries if you don't.  Use reserved berries and whipped cream to decorate to your liking.

Mint Cookie Blossoms

Who doesn't like mint and chocolate.  I started making these cookies as mint chocolate chip cookies back in college after adapting my family's delectable chocolate chip cookie recipe to add the mint.  Now I've added another little twist in removing the chocolate chips and replacing them with milk chocolate kisses.

Here are some soft delectable cookies, with a hint of mint, and melty chocolate kisses.

Mint Cookie Blossoms

2/3 cups vegetable shortening

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp mint extract

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

chocolate kisses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Combine shortening and sugars mixing well.  Add eggs and vanilla extract.  In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients.  Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet.  Form 3/8" balls of dough and place onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 7-10 minutes or until golden brown (the top of the cookie will look like it just started cracking). Press a kiss into the top of each cookie immediately upon removal from the oven. Let sit on cookie sheet 2-3 minutes before removing to wire cooling rack*. Enjoy!

*Note - the kisses will melt so try not to touch them while moving the cookies. They will set again after sitting for a few hours but will remain soft and malleable.