Chocolate Mexican Wedding Cookies

These were not my choice to make. I asked someone at work what kind of cookie they wanted and this is what they came up with. These cookies have pecans in them, and i hate any kind of nut in my baked cookies....but I complied and made them anyway :) They are a little dry, and kind of sweet at the same time. Because of my not liking nuts in food, I don't like them much....but if you're a fan of nuts, you might enjoy them!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup ground pecans (I bought chopped pecans and smushed them up with my rolling pin)
  
• 1/2 cup German sweet chocolate, grated (I used semi-sweet chocolate)
  
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup German sweet chocolate, grated (again, semi sweet)
  

Directions:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter and 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract.

• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, ground pecans, 1/2 cup ground chocolate, cinnamon and salt; mix well.

• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.

• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill 1 to 2 hours, or until firm.

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (180 degrees C).

• Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are firm to the touch. Cool 1 minute on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack.

• For the coating, sift 1/2 cup of the confectioner's sugar and 1/4 cup of the ground cocoa into a shallow bowl. While cookies are still warm, roll them in the coating.

Apple Dumplings

I got this recipe from Rachel Rays magazine. It is a recipe from Angela Kinsey (from The Office). It is her grandmas recipe. They came out really good!

Ingredients:

• flour, for dusting
• 1 can crescent rolls
• 1 granny smith apple- peeled, cored, and cut into 8 wedges.
• 1 stick butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup mountain dew

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350. Ona surface dusted with flour, unfold the rolls. Place an apple wedge on the wide edge of each piece of dough and roll up; place the dumplings in an 8-inch square baking dish
• In a saucepan, melt the butter with the sugar and cinnamon over medium heat; stir in the mountain dew. Pour the mixture on the dumplings. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes; remove the foil and bake 15 minutes longer.

I served mine with low fat vanilla frozen yogurt. These are so easy and so yummy!!