OK - sorry it took so long to get back to you. Here goes.
(Pre-heat oven for all recipes)
Melting Moments (Yield - about 3 dozen)
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. confectioners sugar
1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla
Topping: 1 c. confectioners sugar
Combine flour, constarch and salt and set aside.
Cream butter and 1/4 c. confectioners sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla.
Add the flour mixture and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
Refrigerate at least an hour or until firm.
Form dough in 1" balls and place 1" apart on parchment-lined baking sheet. (Cookies will not rise or spread.)
Bake at 350 degrees for about 12-14 minutes or until the edges of cookies start to brown. Remove to a rack and cool for about 5 minutes.
Roll cookies in 1 c. confectioners sugar to coat completely.
Be careful - cookies are tender and fragile. If the sugar melts, wait until they are completely cool and roll in sugar again.
Don't hesitate about using the cornstarch - you won't taste it and it makes the cookies tender and they will literally melt in your mouth - hence the name.
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Viennese Shortbread (Yield - about 2 dozen double cookies)
1 c. butter
1/2 c. confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
Mocha Filling
2/3 c. confectioners sugar
2 Tbls. soft butter
1 tsp. powdered instant coffee dissolved in boiling water
Cookies: cream butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until fluffy.
Combine flour and baking powder and stir into butter mixture.
Pack dough into a cooky press, using a medium star design, and press out strips, 3" long on ungreased baking sheet, placing 1" apart. (If dough does not come through press smoothly, add 1 or 2 tsp. milk or cream.)
Bake at #375 degrees about 7 minutes or until very lightly growned around the edges. Cool. Put 2 cookies together with filling. For a fancy trim, the ends of cookies may be dipped in melted sweet or semisweet chocolate.
Filling: combine all ingredients until fluffy.
I have used a little maple flavoring instead of coffee with great success. You may have to use a drop or two of milk if you don't use the coffee/water.
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Fruit Filled Bars (Yield - about 2 1/2 doz. 2" x 1 1/2" bars)
3/4 c. shortening (part butter or margarine)
1 c. brown sugar (packed)
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. quick-cooking oatmeal
Filling: Buy or use homemade apricot or pineapple filling
(cooled) or you may use 1 cup jam or preserves
(apricot, cherry, pineapple or strawberry are all good)
Mix shortening, butter and sugar thoroughly.
Combine flour, soda and salt together and blend in sugar mixture.
Mix in oatmeal.
Press and flatten half of mixture over bottom of greased 13 x 9 pan. Spread with filling. Top with remaining crumb mixture, patting lightly.
Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Try not to overbake or the edges will get hard.
While warm, cut in bars and remove from pan.
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EZ Does Raspberry Bars
1 box yellow 2-layer cake mix
1 1/2 c. quick-cooking oatmeal
3/4 c. margarine, melted
12 oz. jar raspberry jam + 1 Tbls water
Combine first 3 ingredients. Remove 1 cup crumbs and reserve. Press and flatten in greased 9 x 12 pan. Spread with jam. Sprinkle with 1 cup reserved crumbs.
Bake at 375 degrees 22-25 minutes (no longer or edges will get hard) Cut into bars when cool.
VARIATION:
For filling, spread with apricot jam or filling. Sprinkle with 1 cup chocolate chips, then sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Bake, cool and cut as above.
I have a recipe similar to this but made from scratch instead of a cake mix. Let me know if you want it.
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Cherry Dreams
1 c. butter, room temperature
3/4 c. confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/4 tsp salt
Maraschino cherries, drained
Combine butter, sugar and vanilla. Add flour and salt and mix.
Using 2 tsp. dough (I use a cookie scoop), form into balls and place on parchment-lined cookie sheet. Press 1/2 cherry on top of each ball. With fingers, form dough around cherry, leaving top of cherry showing.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 min. (Cookies will not brown nor spread.) Cool.
Drizzle with a thin chocolate icing. (I just mix powdered sugar and cocoa or an envelope of Choco-Bake and thin with a little milk.
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Chocolate Cherry Creams
6 oz. chocolate chips
1/3 c. evaporated milk (NOT sweetened condensed)
1 1/2 c. confectioners sugar
1/3 c. chopped nuts (I use walnuts)
1/3 c. chopped maraschino cherries
Coconut for rolling cookies
Heat chocolate chips and milk until melted.
Stir in confectioners sugar, nuts and cherries to blend thoroughly. Chill until cool enough to handle.
Roll 1 tsp. dough into a ball and roll in coconut. Chill about 4 hours or until firm.
These are like candies and are very good.
I hope you try some of these. Happy baking!