Russian Tea Cakes

These are really easy fast cookies that taste delicious.  Even for those who don't like jam in there cookies (like me) they were good.  Here's the recipie: 
Cookies
2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt.

Topping
Jam
Nuts
Powdered sugar

• Preheat oven to 325 F.
• Beat all ingredients in order (aka butter and sugar, and vanilla, etc.)
• Roll into about 1 inch balls.  Place on a greased cookie sheet 1 inch apart.  Indent the center and fill with about a teaspoon of nuts or jam.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.  When cookies are cooled, sprinkle powdered sugar on top.
• Devour messily!! :)

Eclairs- FAIL

Yeah, eclairs didn't really work for us... We don't know what happened but they ended up tasting like pancakes with vanilla pudding and chocolate on it.  Which is good but not exactly what you'd want eclairs to turn out like.  (For those of you who don't know eclairs are this bread with vanilla pudding in the middle and mousse on top.)  Plus when we took them out of the oven they *poof* deflated, so they were really hard to cut open.
Oh well...

Chocolate Truffles

Here's how to make these really easy truffles.  So yummy!
Ingredients:
1 pound chocolate
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Cocoa powder or powdered sugar
Steps:
1.  Melt chocolate in either the microwave (stopping to stir every 30 seconds) or in a saucepan over simmering water.
2.  Pour cream over chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, stir smooth.
3.  Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
4.  Take out and roll into balls and sprinkle the cocoa powder or powdered sugar.

Here's the turnout!!!

Chocolate Carmel Custard

Basically, the summary of this blog post is that if your jealous, your sane.  Sorry, the picture isn't working, but I have a picture on Me Myself and I, and it sure was and is yummy.  And, because we're together right now in AK, we got to make it together.

Here's how to make it:      

Caramel                                       

• 1/4 c. water   
• 1 1/2 c. sugar

Chocolate Custard

•  8 egg yolks
•  1/2 c. sugar
• 2 c. light cream
• 6 oz. semisweet choc.
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions :

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Caramel ~ in a small saucepan, dissolve sugar in water. Stir constantly. Once dissolved, turn up heat and boil until it turns dark amber.  Quickly pour into 8 4-ounce ramekins.
3. In a different bowl, combine the eggs and sugar.  
4. Bring cream to a simmer. Pour into egg yolk mixture.  Add chocolate and vanilla.  Take out little chocolate bits with a sieve.
5. Pour chocolate into ramekins. Put ramekins into a baking dish or pan and fill pan with water until 1/2way up the ramekins. Bake for 30 minuets.  Take out and cool individual ramekins on a cooling rack until room temperature.
6. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
7. To serve, garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.