Life on Dahlia Lane

Pistachio-Cherry Cookies

I baked these delicious cookies for Christmas and gifted them to my awesome work family. It's just Martha's Ideal Sugar Cookie recipe with a couple bells and whistles.

Photo: www.foodnetwork.com

Yields 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 T. milk

1/2 t. vanilla

½ c. pistachios, roughly chopped

½ c. dried cherries, roughly chopped

1 (12 oz) bag white chocolate chips

Directions

Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar; add egg, milk and vanilla, mix well. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Fold in pistachios and dried cherries.

Transfer dough to a work surface. Shape into a 6-inch log, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Slice 1/4-in thick cookies, should yield 24 cookies. Bake until lightly golden, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

After cookies have cooled, melt white chocolate in a double boiler and dip cookies halfway. Place on parchment paper to dry, about 1 hour.

Corn & Black Bean Salad

This yummy side dish goes great with just about anything. It is super fast, super healthy and super easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 small red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 t. red pepper flake
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can whole corn kernels, drained & rinsed
1 t. fresh-cracked black pepper
1/4 c. cilantro, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 T olive oil

Directions:
Saute onions and garlic in oil over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Add bell pepper and red pepper flakes, saute another 2 minutes. Add black beans, corn and pepper until heated through. Stir in fresh-squeezed lime juice & cilantro just before serving. Generously serves 4.

I used leftover salad to make Stuffed Bell Peppers the next night.

Hershey's Candy Cane Cheesecake

This lovely cheesecake graced my Christmas dessert table with it's presence:

The original Hershey's recipe can be found here. My recipe is very close, but slightly altered to yield a lighter, fluffier filling.

COOKIE CRUMB CRUST

1 1/2 c. Nilla wafer crumbs (about 45 cookies)
1 T. sugar
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted

Heat oven to 350°F. Using food processor or blender, pulse together cookie crumbs and sugar; add melted butter and pulse until combined. Press mixture onto bottom and 1/2 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8 minutes; cool.

FILLING

3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs, separated
42 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Candy Cane Mint Candies, unwrapped and divided
1 tablespoon milk
Sweetened whipped cream

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare COOKIE CRUMB CRUST.

2. Whip cream cheese in a large bowl until light and fluffy, blend in sugar. Lightly beat egg yolks and vanilla together, add to cream cheese mixture. Whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into cream cheese mixture. Set aside 1/4 cup batter; pour remaining batter in prepared crust.

3. Place 30 candies and milk in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until candies are melted and mixture is well blended when stirred. Gradually blend reserved cheesecake batter into candy mixture. Drop candy mixture by tablespoonfuls onto vanilla batter. Gently swirl with knife for marbled effect.

4. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Allow to cool in the oven with oven door open for 1 hour to prevent the top from cracking or caving in. With knife, loosen cake from side of pan. Cool completely; remove side of pan. Cover; refrigerate until chilled. Garnish with whipped cream and remaining candies. Cover; refrigerate leftovers. 8-10 servings.