Easy desserts

By: Mike Gashler

Moon cookies

Step 1:	In mixer, stir 1/2 cup softened butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 egg yolks, 2 cups all purpose flour, 2 tsp lemon juice, 2 TBSP water.
Step 2:	Scoop onto cookie sheet. (They don't spread much, so packing them close together is fine.) Press thumb into center of each blob. Fill the cavity with jam.
Step 3:	Bake on 375 for 12 mins.

Cinnamon rolls

Step 1:	Use bread maker to make some sweet bread dough.
Step 2:	Clean counter top. Roll dough very thin. Spread mixture of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon over dough. Roll up.
Step 3:	Cut with dental floss. Place in a thin layer of maple syrup in glass baking pan. Bake.
Step 4:	Top with frosting made from powdered sugar and lemon-juice.

Chocolate chip cookies

Step 1:	In mixer, cream 1/2 cup butter. Mix in 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and a half-egg (just scoop some of a full egg back out and discard). Add 1+1/8 cup whole wheat flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
Step 2:	Stir in chocolate chips. Bake on 300 degrees for 10 minutes.

Vegan health cookies

(These are some kind of weird family joke. Everyone claims to hate them. I keep making them just to annoy the kids. But every time I do, they scarf them up while complaining loudly about how awful they are. I told them I'd stop making them when they'd stop eating them, but it went on for years.)

Step 1:	Mix 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup pineapple juice, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp vanilla.
Step 2:	Scoop into crumbly blobs. Bake on 350 for 11 minutes.

Shortbread sandwich cookies with chocolate filling

Step 1:	Mix 3/8 cups sugar, 1/4 cups vegetable oil, 1/8 cups water, a few drops of vanilla, 1/2 tsp ascorbic acid (maybe lemon juice might work--not sure?), a few shakes of salt.
Step 2:	Add 1 cup all purpose flour. (Optionally, you can replace about 1/4 cup of the flour with cocoa powder to make somewhat Oreo-like chocolate shortbread. Use Dutch (alkaline) Cocoa if you want the dark color and characteristic flavor of Oreos.) Also, add 1/2 tsp baking soda. Spread thin, maybe 1/8 to 1/4 inch, on a cookie sheet. Poke holes. Bake on 225 degrees for about an hour.
Step 3:	Make a thick chocolate filling by mixing cocoa, powdered sugar, and melted butter.

Graham Cracker Eclair Cake

Step 1:	Whip 1 cup heavy creme with 1/4 cup sugar or get some Cool Whip. Make some vanilla pudding. (Use either 1 5-ounce family size box or 2 3-oz boxes of vanilla pudding, and whisk with milk as directed.) Mix with the whipped cream.
Step 2:	Put a layer of graham crackers in a 9x13 inch glass pan. Spread half of pudding on the layer of graham crackers. Add a second layer of graham crackers. Spread remaining pudding on top. Add a third layer of graham crackers.
Step 3:	Melt 1/2 cup (one stick) butter. Mix in 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1 cup powdered sugar. Spread over top layer of graham crackers. Refrigerate.