12 Days of Holiday Cookies

[Food Network Fan]

12 Days of Holiday Cookies, Day 2: French Chocolate Bark

French Chocolate Bark
Traditionalists temper chocolate in a double boiler. Minimalist Ina Garten prefers the microwave. She also prefers to add the dried fruits and nuts after the chocolate has been poured rather than mixing them in, giving the bark the look of a jeweled crown. See all 12 days here.

1 cup whole, salted, roasted cashews

6 to 7 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 to 7 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

¼ cup finely diced crystallized ginger

½ cup dried cherries

½ cup finely diced dried apricots
¼ cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a pencil, draw a rectangle that is approximately the size of a standard sheet of paper (8½ inches by 11 inches) on a piece of parchment paper placed on a sheet pan, then turn the parchment paper over.
Spread the cashews in a single layer on another sheet pan and bake for 8 minutes, until just toasted. Set aside to cool. (You will not need the oven after this.)
Place the semisweet chocolate and half the bittersweet chocolate in a microwave-safe glass bowl and microwave on high power for 20 to 30 seconds. Stir with rubber spatula. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second intervals until the chocolate is just melted. Immediately add the remaining bittersweet chocolate and allow It to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.
Pour the melted chocolate onto the parchment paper and spread it lightly into the drawn rectangle. Sprinkle the top evenly in the following order: ginger, cashews, cherries, apricots, raisins. Set aside for 1 to 2 hours until firm. Cut the bark in 18 to 20 pieces and serve at room temperature.
Store in airtight container in a cool, dry place for several weeks (but why wait that long?).

Makes 18 to 20 pieces.

—Karen Miltner

[FoodieDoug]

I've never had them but the pic that accompanied this recipe makes these look absolutely sinful.

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Seven-Layer Cookie Bars
A Baker's Dozen of Christmas Cookies -- Day 3

I have been making these easy cookies every holiday season for years -- for the kudos you’ll receive, these are the easiest bars you’ll ever make. Some folks call these “hello dollies.” For a change, substitute peanut butter chips and peanuts for the butterscotch chips and pecans.
-- Meridith Ford Goldman


Hands on time: 15 minutes Total time: 2 hours and 20 minutes Serves: Makes 40 bars
Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
  2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips
  1 (12-ounce) package milk chocolate chips
  1 (12-ounce) package butterscotch chips
  1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
  1 cup chopped pecans
  2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

Instructions:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Spray sides of 9-by-13-inch pan with cooking spray. Pour butter into pan. Sprinkle crumbs evenly on butter, then pat them down to even out. Sprinkle semisweet, milk chocolate and butterscotch chips evenly over crumbs. Sprinkle with coconut, then nuts. Pour milk over layers. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until mixture bubbles and browns on top. Let cool on a rack; cut into squares.
Nutrition:


Per bar: 219 calories (percent of calories from fat, 22 percent), 14 grams fat (9 grams saturated fat), 2 grams protein, 22 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 11 milligrams cholesterol, 70 milligrams sodium

[Pluff Mudder]

I've had those 7-layer cookie bars Doug and they are soooooo good. It's hard to stop with just one.