Last Cookie Recipe of the Season!

Merry Christmas Eve to those of you who celebrate! Even though I don't, the holiday spirit is infectious! And...it's still Hanukkah, so I can relate to the cheer of the season.

Today will be my last holiday cookie oriented email. Post holidays I will move into a new theme: cupcake recipes! I will actually be asking for all of your help...my next class that I am teaching is called "How to bake the Perfect Cupcake". So many of you are so talented...if you have any show-stopping recipes that you think people would really enjoy, shoot them my way. I'd be honored if you'd allow me to impart them onto my class.

Then, in February I have a second cupcake class called "Hot Cupcakes for Cold Nights". My plan is to include Red Velvet for sure...because, come one, it screams Valentines Day :). The theme of the others...ideally...will be to focus on ingredients that are considered Aphrodisiacs. A little risque, I know, but that's the theme of the class the center created! So...obviously something decadently chocolate...but I need more ideas! If you have a recipe that you think is awesome & caters to the February Romance theme...please shoot them my way.

As I'll have a post after each of these classes on the class, I'm commited to giving you credit! If you've blogged about your recipe, make sure to include the link to the post in your email. I'll be sure to give you ample credit!

Now, here is the last recipe I am giving for the holiday cookie baking season!

I work at a company that gets a million gift baskets every holiday season. Yesterday, in one of the baskets, there were the coolest looking cookies: Shaped like walnuts with a pecan pie type filling (except with walnuts instead of pecans)...these guys were majorly decadent & original. I've searched around & found a recipe that sounds like it may replicate. The recipe is from cdkitchen.com.

You'll need a special baking tin for this: walnut tins. *that link takes you to a chocolate mold - check manufacturer for details on whether or not they can go into the oven!

Ingredients

***Pastry for shells:***

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 pound soft butter

1 1/2 cup icing sugar

1/2 cup finely ground walnuts

1/4 cup milk, more as needed

***Filling:***

1 cup milk

3 egg yolks

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups icing sugar

1/2 pound butter

2 teaspoons cocoa

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup finely ground walnuts

2 teaspoons rum or rum extract

Pastry for shells:

In large bowl mix flour, baking powder, walnuts, icing sugar, add butter in pieces and work with hands until blended.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup milk over mixture, make sure dough stays together add more milk if needed. Shape into big ball.

Take approx. 1 tsp. dough and press into walnut tins. Put tins on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees until light brown. Approx. 10-12 mins.

Filling:

Put milk, egg yolks, and flour in blender and mix until smooth.

Pour into small non-stick pan and cook on medium until thick and comes away from sides of pan. Cool.

In small mixmaster bowl add icing sugar, butter, cocoa and vanilla. Blend. Add small pieces of cooked mixture as this is blending. Then add rum to taste. Add walnuts.

Blend until mixture is creamy & fluffy.

Fill shells with approx. 1 tsp. of filling and put shells together.