Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Men

What says Christmas better than a cheery little gingerbread man? Be-deckled with edible jewels and painted with a benign, frosting smile; he bades any passers-by to stop and nibble at his tender, spicy flesh. The perfect gingerbread man should be soft and chewy, his appendages slowly drooping as you hold him across your palm. No crispy, crunchy, cardboard gingerbread men here. Those over-baked samples belong on the Christmas tree, not in the mouth.

Chocolate-Peppermint Sandwiches

Christmas will soon be here! This being my last week teaching piano lessons for the year, I decided to bake cookies for all 25 of my students. I settled on Gingerbread Men and Chocolate-Peppermint Sandwiches, two new recipes. I stocked up on flour, sugar, butter and eggs, bought plastic goodie bags decorated with grinning gingerbread men and got up early to start baking before breakfast.

Toffee Bars

Chocolate is the king of all sweets. Add chocolate to any dessert and it becomes infinitely better. Silky and smooth with deeply rich, cocoa flavor, chocolate is pleasing to the tongue and satisfies the sweet tooth.

I'm one of those people who eats chocolate chips as a snack. Ask me my favorite dessert and I say, "Anything with chocolate." I remember as a little girl, tip-toeing into the kitchen, climbing onto the counter and sneaking chocolate chips from the cabinet. And then I would be amazed when my mom (upon smelling my breath) would say, "You've been in the chocolate again, huh?" How did she know? The scenario today is much the same, except now it's my husband, smiling reproachingly at my mouth full of chocolate.

This recipe is pretty easy...a buttery, toffee crust topped by silky-smooth, milk chocolate. Beware though, they are sort of addicting.