Saturday Cooking Extravaganza Part 1: Rocky Road Shortbread Cookies

I wanted to do something special to celebrate Valentine’s Day.  Who knew I could cook for an entire day?  It was so much fun and the best part may have been that I didn’t even mind doing so many dishes. 

Here’s a list of what I made today:  Vegetable Beef Soup, Roasted Vegetable Lasagna, Pear Galette, Walnut-Romaine Salad, Swiss and Gouda Fondue and Chicken Roll-Ups.  And let’s not forget the Rocky Road Shortbread cookies I made yesterday.  (I had a half day off of work!)

Let’s get right to the recipes:

These were a hit!  I think I’ll make just the cookies next time and skip the toppings.  I’m a fool for shortbread.




Rocky Road Shortbread Cookies (Courtesy of Family Circle Magazine)
Makes 16 cookies

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup mini marshmallows
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1.  Heat oven to 350°.  Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.
2.  Stir flour, walnuts and salt in a bowl.
3.  In second bowl, beat together butter, sugar and vanilla for 2 minutes or until creamy and smooth.  Stir in flour mixture.
4.  Roll 1 tablespoon dough into a ball; place on prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining dough.  Gently flatten each ball to 1/2-inch thickness and smooth its edges.  Bake for 16 minutes of until lightly browned at edges.
5.  Meanwhile, stir together marshmallows and coarsely chopped walnuts in a small bowl.  Melt semisweet chocolate chips in another small bowl in microwave over for 1 minute, stirring halfway through.
6.  Remove cookies from oven and spread each with 1 teaspoon of the chocolate, then sprinkle with the marshmallow mixture.  Return to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes, until the marshmallows soften.  Let cool on baking sheet on wire rack for 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Per Cookie:  169 calories; 11g fat (5 g sat.); 3g protein; 16g carbs; 1g fiber; 40mg sodium; 15mg chol