Holiday Baked Goodies

I got the most amazing and delicious assortment of baked goodies this holiday from my generous friends. Recipes for some of them can be found in the links.

Italian Biscotti and Amaretti - the Biscotti baked by my friend Michael's Italian mom, and the Amaretti by my friend Maria's Italian mom... so they are authentic. I was compelled to make myself an espresso (macchiato) before I sat down to enjoy these treats. Grazie mille signore!

Chocolate Chip Cookie - from my friend Theresa who is Baker Extraordinaire! I once hosted a holiday cookie exchange where we did a tasting and rating, and her cookies won first place out of 12 cookies. She's had this secret recipe for 20+ years and has brought the cookies to many parties over the years - one of my favorites.

Cranberry Bliss Bars - I'm not the number one fan of dried cranberries but in this recipe it works for me because it combines well with the cream cheese frosting. My friend Edith baked these and she says this is a Starbucks recipe. 

Double Chocolate Cheesecake - also made by Theresa (Baker Extraordinaire) who got the recipe came from Epicurious. She says "I didn't do the ganache glaze and I used half bittersweet and half semi-sweet chocolate. I also crushed some heath bar candy and sprinkled it on the crust." This was my husband's favorite - he's a cheesecake-aholic.

Peanut Butter Blossoms - also baked by my friend Edith, these are a classic Hershey's recipe using the Kisses chocolate. Peanut butter in cookies is always a hit with me and combining it with chocolate is a winner.