Our Wedding Favor They made such an impression on us that I decided to include them in our wedding. Since I love to bake, I thought it would be so cute to give each of my guests a heart shaped cookie cutter. I also included the jamwich cookie recipe inside the card.

Sweetheart Jamwiches
recipe from a Southern Living magazine years ago (I think it was Feb. 2003, but not really sure)


1 (15 oz.) pkg. refrigerated pie crusts
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 T. granulated sugar
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 C. powdered sugar
2 T. butter, softened
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 jar seedless raspberry jam (you could use strawberry too!)
1/2 C. white chocolate chips
1 T. butter
Red sparkling sugar


Preheat oven to 400 and line baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.

Unfold pie crusts on a lightly floured surface and roll out to press out the fold lines. With a 2" heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out pieces of dough and keep re-rolling and cutting out the remaining dough until you have around 40-42 hearts. Brush 1 side of each heart with the egg white and sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Place each heart on prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 7-8 minutes or until the hearts are lightly browned. Remove the hearts to wire racks to cool.

While the hearts are cooling, In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar, 2 T. butter and almond extract until combined. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the un-sugared sides of the hearts, then spread about 1/2 tsp of the jam over the mixture. Top with another heart, un-sugared side down.

In a microwave safe bowl, combine the white chocolate chips and 1 T. butter and microwave on HIGH 1 minute or until melted. Stir it until it becomes smooth. Put the white chocolate mixture into a zip-loc bag and seal. Snip a tiny hole in one of the corners of the bag and drizzle over the heart shaped jamwich cookies. Sprinkle red sparkling sugar or what ever your heart desires and then let the cookies cool completely.

When I make this recipe, I usually get around 20-22 jamwich cookies.

 

For the Butter Pecan Buttercream:
1 C. + 2 T unsalted butter, room temperature
1 C. roughly chopped pecans
Pinch salt
3 C. powdered sugar
1 T. + 1 tsp. vanilla extract

First prepare the butter pecans. Melt two tablespoons of butter in a small skillet over medium low heat, then add the pecans and salt to the pan.  Cook for six to eight minutes (I ended up only needing 5 minutes as I felt like my pecans were going to burn), stirring periodically, until almost all of the butter is absorbed. Remove from heat, but leave in the skillet.

For the buttercream, in a medium-sized mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix remaining one cup of butter on medium-low speed for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Slowly mix in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and mix until fully combined. Add the vanilla extract and mix until incorporated. Scrape the cooled pecans and any butter left in the skillet into the frosting and fold in.

Spread or pipe with a large open tip onto cooled cupcakes.

This recipe made 18 cupcakes for me. They also seem to last several days in a covered container, if you have any left over.

1/4 lb.Grated cheese
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Freshly ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 C. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour
Turn the dough onto your work surface and knead briefly to bring it together. Divide in half, shape each half into a log, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. (I chilled the dough overnight).
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the crackers are firm and golden. I let the crackers cool on the cookie sheet for around 3-5 minutes then used a spatula to transfer the crackers to a wire rack to cool further.

The crackers are good warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container. They should be good for at least four days, if they last that long.