Cravings in my sleep...

The first time I made these, I did actually use hazelnut liqueur and chopped hazelnuts for the decoration, but ever since, I've been using almond extract and slivered almonds on top. And last night I was dreaming of them, G-d help me.

I made these for the first time in several years this past June and have been craving them ever since--but not dreaming about craving them. Yesterday's buttery pie crust did this to me, I just know it!

So now I have an ARMY of chocolate frosted shortbread hearts here.

They're just too easy to make if you're willing to commit the fat and calories--and this is not a low-fat or low-calorie treat, not even if all you do is take one nibble!! Here's how you start: soften 1-1/2 lbs of butter *grin* Do you see where this is going? Add a little flour, not too much or you'll overpower all that yummy butter, then add a medium amount of sugar--again, don't want to drown out the butter with too much sweet--add a dash of almond extract and voila, shortbread waiting to happen. You have to sink your fingers into the silkiness of it, roll it around between your fingertips until it crumbles under your will. Having overpowered the butter with your own two hands, you can now have your way with it (that means chill, roll out, cut with shaped cutters, bake - the usual steps).

Then of course, you dip the warm cookies in a bowl of melted chocolate--which you have not been eating from!!--and if you can't figure out what to do with the nuts from looking at the picture, you don't deserve to eat them.

I can probably hold out, since (Clearly, I could not hold out and I've eaten the 3 that got "too dark" to frost--thank gawd I stopped at 3, these things are RICHER than half my meals!! Hey, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it! This army of cookies is going off to some US Army soldiers--half to Iraq, half to A-stan--and I'll be safe from the harm they could do me just as soon as I get these suckers bagged up and out of my sight)

I bought an orange today yesterday and that means I have all I need to make some of these "healthier" (do that hahahahahaha thing for me now) frosted orange-honey spice cookies. I'm with Evan, worshipping at the altar of orange-honey spice cookies, though the shortbread hearts are tempting. I've got it! I could make both recipes, eat one (okay, six of one, half a dozen of the other) of each type and then ship the rest out to the sandbox!! Yeah, that's the ticket (*evil grin*)