Last Minute Cookie Recipes

Croatian Crescent Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 vanilla bean

Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in vanilla and lemon zest. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in walnuts.

Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into crescent shapes.

Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking pan. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Place sugar in a food processor. Split vanilla bean and scrape seeds into food processor.

Discard vanilla bean. Pulse mixture until combined. Transfer to a small bowl; stir in remaining confectioners’ sugar.

Coat warm cookies with sugar mixture. Cool completely on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

Buckeyes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

• 1/2 cup butter softened

• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3 cups powdered sugar

• 12 ounces dark chocolate

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt.

Beat with the beater blade on low until well blended. 

Add 3 cups powdered sugar, beating until blended. 

Shape a scoop of peanut butter into a 1-inch or slightly larger ball. The mixture should come together smoothly. If it is too crumbly, add a touch more peanut butter. If it is too sticky, add a bit more powdered sugar.

Place the peanut butter balls on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Freeze for 30 minutes.

Place chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Pour 1 cup of water in the bottom pan of the doubler boiler and simmer the water on low. As the chocolate starts melting over the heat of the hot water, stir until the chocolate is smooth. Remove the double boiler from the stove.

Insert toothpick in peanut butter ball. Dip 3/4 of ball into chocolate, leaving top uncovered to resemble a buckeye. Allow excess chocolate to drip from the buckeye. 

Dab the bottom of the buckeye on a piece of wax paper to remove excess chocolate, then place the buckeye on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. 

Remove toothpick. Smooth over holes. Refrigerate until firm.

Notes

If the chocolate is too thick, you can add a tablespoon of shortening to thin it.

The number of buckeyes you will get depends on how big you roll the peanut butter balls. We roll our buckeyes about 1″ in diameter.