Dessert Tray

on saturday i made these for a dinner dan was going to at ley street. this is a selection of some of my favorite cookies. ...lucious lemon bars, chocolate chip cookies, rice crispy treats, mint brownies...

lucious lemon bars
recipe from Southern Living
2 1/4 cups flour, divided
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
powdered sugar

Combine 2 cups flour and powdered sugar. Cut butter into the flour mixture until crumbly. Firmly press into a greased (or foil lined) 13 x 9 pan. Bake @ 350 for 20-25 minutes. Whisk eggs in a large bowl; whisk in sugar and lemon juice. Combine 1/4 cup flour and baking powder, whisk into egg mixture. Pour batter over crust. Bake @ 350 for 25 minutes. Cool completely. Cut into bars and sprinkle with additional powdered sugar.

mint brownies
i got this idea from my mom. she had brownies with a york peppermint pattie in them at a party. i took the idea and used my own brownie recipe. i can't get york peppermint patties here, so i use an after dinner mint that comes sort of close. the hershey's website does have a recipe for this here, but here is the recipe i used.

1 stick butter, melted
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
peppermint patties

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 9-inch square pan with foil and grease with butter. Whisk the cocoa into the melted butter and add sugar, egg, and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Pour half the mixture into prepared pan. Place peppermint patties on top of the brownie mixture to completely cover. Then spread the rest of the brownie mixture over the top. Bake for about 25 mintes. Cool completely in pan. Remove from pan and peel off foil. Cut into squares or triangles.