Russian WarranTEA Cakes

Yum Yum Yum! My mother's favorite cookies! She tells me they are like the cookies she ate growing up in Ukraine. I've been on a mission to replicate them for my her. I've tried multiple recipes before and somehow they just never worked out. UNTIL NOW! Try these little delicious treasures! They're delicate, buttery, perfectly sweet, with a nice nutty crunch. yummmmmmmm

[Sidebar: these gems are also known as "Snowballs"and "Mexican Wedding Cake"]

What you'll need:
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans

How you make it:

Start by toasting the pecans in a 400 degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, beat the butter in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add in a 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar and the vanilla. Beat this mixture well.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, and salt. Then add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, slowly. When everything comes together, add in the pecans and mix with a wooden spoon.

Divide the dough in half and form each half into a ball. Separately wrap the two portions of dough in plastic and chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Now preheat you oven to 350 degrees.

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Bake the cookies until light brown on their bottoms and just pale golden on top. This s approximately 16-18 minutes. MAKE SURE NOT TO OVER BAKE THE COOKIES or they will be dry and not tasty :(

Let the cookies slightly cool, and then gently toss the lukewarm cookies in powdered sugar. Make sure to coat the cookies completely.

Then set the cookies aside and let them cookie completely. Once completely cooled, roll them in powdered sugar again.

YUM YUM YUM!!!!

Cranberry Almond Bars!

Cranberries and cranberry flavored treats are some of my favorite things about this part of the year! They're just awesome little things! Sweet, yet tart. Vibrant, yet so chic. (plus, red is my favorite color)

These bars are just plain yummy! The crust is delicate, the cranberries are tart, the almonds add crunch, and the glaze is sticky sweet. Try it out, and let me know what you think!

What you'll need:

- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened (you'll also need 2 tbsp butter for the glaze)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I assumed light brown sugar)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 can of whole berry cranberry sauce
- 2 cups toasted slivered almonds (you can substitute any nut you like)
- 1/2 lemon

How you make it:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil. Beat the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then, while on low speed, add in the flour and salt. Let this mix until a soft dough forms it will be very sticky).

Next, spread the dough across the baking pan, doing your best to make it even. Make sure to press the dough up the sides of the pan, otherwise when you add your toppings later, they will stick. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 10-12 minutes until the crust is golden. Take the crust out of the oven when done and let it cool.

While it cools, reduce the oven to 325 degrees and get a medium saucepan! Combine the corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla and cook this over medium heat until mixture has melted and becomes syrupy. Make sure that you continually stir the mixture until bubbles form around the edges. DO NOT LET IT BOIL!

Now, remove the glaze from heat and let cool. Make sure to stir it every once in a while. Once the mixture has cooled substantially, whisk in your beaten eggs. Make sure that your mixture has properly cooled, otherwise you'll have scrambled eggs!

By this point, your crust should be cooled. In a bowl mix together the cranberry sauce and the juice of half a lemon. Then, evenly spread the cranberry mixture over the top of the crust. Next, scatter the almonds all over and pour the glaze over everything. Make sure to evenly coat everything. Pop it back in the over to back for 35-40 minutes. When the looks firm in the middle, you're done!

Make sure to let these babies cool completely before cutting, or they just turn into a huge mess! So delishhhh