Swedish Almond Cake

Almonds. One of the most perfect foods. Seriously, I keep a bag full in my drawer at the office, and if there's a recipe with almonds, or even almond extract (I could sniff that stuff forever!), you can bet I'll be making it. I whipped up this delightful little cake for a dinner party a few weeks ago, and it was a tremendous hit. It's super easy to make, no mixer required, and it is absolutely delicious. I served it with vanilla ice cream and strawberries, but I think the combinations of different fruit and sauces could be endless. Or you can eat it plain. For dessert or for breakfast. Hooray for versatility!

Get more great ideas at Hearth and Soul, What's Cooking, Totally Talented, Create Link Inspire, Clever Chicks, Try a New Recipe, Inspire Me, Tasty Tuesday, Tickle my Tastebuds, Full Plate, Showcase Your Talent, Foodie Friday, Friday Flash, Friday Frenzy, Friday favorites.

Swedish Almond Cake

1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp. sliced almonds
1 Tbsp. coarse sugar

In a medium bowl, combine melted butter and sugar and stir well. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well by hand until incorporated. Stir in salt and almond extract, then mix in the flour.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 9 inch cake pan. Sprinkle coarse sugar and almonds on top. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on a wire rack. Makes 8 servings.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Shugary Sweets

Cherry Kisses

Here's a sweet little treat to make for Valentine's Day - combining the colors of Valentine's with the most beloved flavor (chocolate!) and even a candy the symbolizes love (kisses)! This cookie has got it all! They are also easy to whip up, and so cute on a tray or platter. Treat the ones you love to something special this weekend!

Get more great ideas at Full Plate, Showcase Your Talent, Foodie Friday, Friday Flash, Friday Frenzy.

Cherry Kisses

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tsp. maraschino cherry juice
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3-4 drops red food coloring
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
48 Chocolate Kisses, unwrapped

In a large bowl, cream together butter, powdered sugar, cherry juice, almond extract and food coloring. Beat in flour, just until combined, then stir in cherries. Form dough into 1 inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Immediately top each cookie with a chocolate kiss. Remove to a rack to cool.
Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Pumpkin White Chocolate Snickerdoodles

These little cookies look so unassuming but WATCH OUT. They are highly addictive. And since they're so cute and little, you'll quickly rationalize that it's ok to have another, and another, and another. I'm normally not a huge fan of snickerdoodles, but add some pumpkin and white chocolate, and the deliciousness begins.

Do be sure you allow time to chill the dough - it's really important in this recipe.

And maybe consider doubling it - that way you can share with colleagues and friends and still have enough of these divine morsels for yourself!

Find more great recipes at Mouthwatering Monday, Inspiration Monday, Mix it up.

Pumpkin White Chocolate Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar, divided
1 tsp. vanilla
6 Tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon, divided
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup white chocolate chips or chunks

In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the vanilla and pumpkin until smooth. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, toss together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft. Fold in white chocolate chips. They may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to have them evenly dispersed among the dough. Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes, or up to 3 days. (You must chill the dough or this cookie won't turn out!)

After chilling, roll the dough into balls, about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough each. Mix together the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Roll each of the dough balls generously in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and arrange on 2 baking sheets, lined with parchment or silpat. Slightly flatten the dough balls.

Bake the cookies at 350 for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and underbaked, but that's ok.

Allow the cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes on the cookie sheets before transferring to a wire rack. The longer the cookies cool, the chewier they will be, and I prefer to let them cool for about an hour on the wire racks. Store the cookies in an airtight container.

Recipe Source: Sally's Baking Addiction