Almond Meltaway Cookies

Last week, I had the privilege of driving across the country for a quick weekend visit to my alma mater, Brigham Young University.  Every time I return, my heart aches a bit to go back and relive that amazing time in my life.  It was so much hard work to survive, but those four years were wrapped with the best people, professors and atmosphere you will find anywhere.

This return trip back "home" was to show off my school to my oldest son.  He has been there multiple times before, but this was an official visit as a prospective student.  You see, my son has been given the chance to skip his senior year of high school and head straight to college.  His college of choice?  BYU, of course!  Our trip was at his request as he tries to decide what he wants to do next fall.  It is a big decision and I think going out there and seeing it all from this new perspective only reaffirmed to him how big of a decision it really is :)  

In honor of my future BYU Cougar (just waiting for his decision if that future will be 2014 or 2015), I whipped up these non-chocolate cookies.  For as brilliant as this young man's brain is, he has some messed up taste buds.  He can't stand chocolate...and yet, I still love him :)

These cookies truly do melt away in your mouth, hence the name.  Buttery and soft, plus the delicious glaze on top makes a perfect bite!  They are delicious, although my kids said next time I should put sprinkles on top instead of almonds.  What is it with kids and sprinkles?!?

Almond Meltaway Cookies
(makes 32 cookies)
recipe from The Novice Chef
1 C butter, room temperature
3/4 C sugar
1 egg
2 tsp almond extract
2 C flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Icing:
1 C powdered sugar
1-2 Tb milk
2 tsp almond extract
sliced almonds, optional

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides occasionally.  Add the egg and almond extract and beat to combine, again taking the time to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and with the mixer on low, allow the dough to combine completely.
2.  Roll dough into 1" balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten each ball into a disc using the bottom of a glass dipped in flour.  Bake for 8 minutes then allow them to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to a rack to cool completely.
3.  While the cookies cool, mix together the icing.  You want a thick, but spoonable icing so adjust the amount of milk accordingly.  Spoon onto the top of each cookie and sprinkle on a few almonds.  Allow the icing to dry before storing in an airtight container.

Super Saturday Link Party

Happy Weekend, everyone! We're delighted that you came to our party. The link up is live and ready for you to share your projects, just make sure you follow the guidelines below:

When you link up, you are giving us permission to feature your project on our blogs and social media with a link back to you.

We'll feature our favorite projects from this weekend's party next Thursday! (Click HERE to see features from last week's party.)

Weekly favorites will also be pinned to our Link Party Favorites Board on Pinterest!

In your post on your blog, add a text link back to My Kitchen Escapades.You can link up any post you've created during this past week.

We're excited about your handmade items, but this link party is limited to blog posts only. Please don't linkup your Etsy shop.

Share the love and comment on two or more of the other projects that are linked up. We all love comments!

This party starts every Friday at 7 P.M. EST, and keeps going until the following Tuesday evening. Feel free to invite others to join in the fun!

Link Party Round-Up

Oh, what fun we have each week viewing the recipes, crafts, and great ideas that you share with us during our Super Saturday link party!  Each link represents someone's hard work and talent, and we feel so privileged to see the party grow each week.  Thank you for sharing your time and talents with us!  If you haven't had a chance to view these amazing links yourself, click here.  There were so many links that we wanted to point out to you this time!  We try to share some throughout the week via social media, so make sure that you are following us on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter, so you won't miss anything.  (Your link might have been featured there recently, better go check!)   In the interest of time, we've limited ourselves to Bunnies, Birds, and Blooms.  Check out these amazing Spring-themed projects:

Easter Egg Tree Centerpiece from Remodelando la Casa

Easter Cinnamon Rolls from Lemon Tree Dwelling

Homemade Cadbury Creme Eggs from Butter and Jam

Daffodils for Spring Decor from Simply Suzanne's

Healthy Bunny Snack (Gluten Free!) from Echoes of Laughter

Lemon Peeps Pie from Upstate Ramblings

Easter Bunny Bunting from Somewhat Quirky Design

Punch Art Chickie Card from Stamping On the Back Porch

Spring Centerpiece from Homey Oh My

Bluebirds in a Jar from The Pin Junkie

Do these fun projects make you want to start crafting and baking for Easter? We hope so! And we hope you come back for our next Super Saturday Link Party, starting at 7 P.M. EST on Friday night!

Amish Potato Rolls

My KitchenAid 6 qt mixer is 15 years old and had been struggling for over a year now.  While I was making these amazing rolls, it decided it was done limping along and died.

Even though I saw it coming, I was still shocked when it failed to perform and I just wasn't ready to give up on my dear friend.  After some research online, I decided to try my hand at being a mechanic with some replacement parts but in the end, was unsuccessful at bringing my beloved back to life.

I'll be honest.  My mourning phase lasted about 5 minutes before I jumped in front of my computer and started shopping for my new mixer.  Two days later, this gorgeous KitchenAid 8 qt Commercial mixer arrived on my front porch.  She is amazing!  Quiet as a mouse, huge bowl capacity and a motor that doesn't even blink at my double batches of dough.

So even though these rolls were the death of my old mixer, they were soooo worth it.  These are now part of our Sunday dinner roll rotation because we love them so much.  Before, the rotation only consisted of Lion House rolls and Oatmeal rolls but these might be our new favorite.  Dense, moist and amazing!  For our bread loving family, I make a double recipe and use a half sheet pan to bake them in.  I also think they are just a bit better after they sit overnight in an airtight container.

Amish Potato Rolls
recipe from King Arthur Flour
(makes 16 rolls)
3/4 C warm water
1 package yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 C unseasoned mashed potatoes (I made mine from dehydrated potato flakes)
1/3 C sugar
4 1/4 C flour

1.  In the bowl of your mixer, combine the warm water, yeast and 1/2 tsp of sugar.  Allow yeast to proof.
2.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix on low until the dough forms and is well kneaded, about 5 minutes.  Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
3.  Divide the dough into 16 equal portions and roll them into tight balls.  Place them on a lightly greased 9x13 inch glass pan, cover and allow them to rise until doubled, about 90 minutes.
4.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until light brown.  Leftover rolls can be stored in an airtight container for several days.

Super Saturday Link Party

Hey, friends! Thanks so much for stopping by. We're really excited to see the projects you've been working on. The linkup is live and ready for you to share your projects, just make sure you follow the guidelines below:

When you link up, you are giving us permission to feature your project on our blogs and social media with a link back to you.

We'll feature our favorite projects from this weekend's party next Thursday! (Click HERE to see features from last week's party.)

Weekly favorites will also be pinned to our Link Party Favorites Board on Pinterest!

In your post on your blog, add a text link back to My Kitchen Escapades.

You can link up any post you've created during this past week.

We're excited about your handmade items, but this link party is limited to blog posts only. Please don't linkup your Etsy shop.

Share the love and comment on two of the other projects that are linked up. We all love comments!

This party starts every Friday at 7 P.M. EST, and keeps going until the following Tuesday evening. Feel free to invite others to join in the fun!