Baby Shower Baked Goods

Baked goods are a great way to impress your baby shower guests. Here are some tasty treats that will be great for your baby shower party.

Chocolate Walnut Bars

Crust

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

Chocolate Walnut Filling

1-1/2 cups walnut
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla

Chocolate Fudge

1 cup semi-sweet choc chips
2 tbsp corn syrup
3 tbsp rum
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, then grease lightly. Set aside.

Prepare Crust: Cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in flour. Press dough to cover the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Prepare Chocolate Walnut Filling: Combine walnuts, 1/4 cup brown sugar and salt in a blender and process until finely ground. Beat eggs until thick. Beat in the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, cocoa, vanilla, then the walnut mixture. Mix until well combined. Pour filling over pre-baked crust. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes more. Cool.

Prepare Chocolate Fudge: Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a microwave. Stir in the syrup and rum. Spread over filling. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top. Let cool. Cut into bars.

Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
Chopped peanuts
Jam or preserves

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease baking sheets.

In a bowl, cream butter and peanut butter until smooth. Add sugars and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Combine the dry ingredients. Add this to the creamed mixture. Chill for a few minutes if dough is too soft to handle.

Form dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in finely chopped peanuts. Place balls 1-inch apart on greased baking sheets. Press thumb at the center of each ball to make a hollow indentation. Bake until light brown, about 10 - 12 minutes.

Let cool thoroughly. Fill thumbprints with jam or preserves.