Cranberry and Toasted Almond Sauce

Yield 2 cups sauce.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted almonds -

1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water

In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add almonds; cook and stir until almonds are golden brown. Add cranberries, honey and water; cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until cranberries have popped and released their juice. Cool 10 minutes.

Serve warm or pour into clean glass jars; seal tightly. Store up to 2 weeks in refrigerator. Reheat sauce before serving. Spoon over ice cream, cheesecake or spice cake.

Nutrients Per Serving (2 tablespoons)
Calories: 86, Fat Total: 5 g, Protein: 1 g, Cholesterol: 8 mg, Carbohydrates: 11 g, Sodium: 30 mg, Dietary Fiber: 1 g, Calories from fat: 49%

Almond Fruit Balls 
Servings: 24 balls

Ingredients

1 cup whole natural almonds, toasted * 
1 package (6 ounces) mixed dried fruit bits 
1 1/2 teaspoons honey 
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 
1 1/2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur

Place almonds in bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade; process until finely chopped. Add fruit, honey, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pulse on and off a few times, then process to make a rough paste. Add liqueur and process to make a firm, sticky paste. (Add more liqueur, a few drops at a time, if needed to make a slightly moist dough.) Shape into 1-inch balls, rolling between palms of hands. Pack loosely in airtight container with waxed paper between layers. Serve as confections or as dessert with coffee or tea. These make a nice gift, packed in an attractive tin or box. Recipe can be doubled.

Notes
* To toast almonds, spread in an un-greased baking pan. Place in 350 degree oven and bake 5 to 10 minutes or until almonds are light brown; stir once or twice to assure even browning. Note that almonds will continue to brown slightly after removing from oven.

Almond Thumbprints

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened 
1 cup sugar 
2 egg yolks 
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel (optional) 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/2 teaspoon almond extract 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
1 1/4 cups toasted slivered almonds, chopped, divided 
No-stick cooking spray 
About 1/2 cup apricot or raspberry preserves 
Powdered sugar (optional)

In mixer bowl, beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg yolks, lemon peel (if desired), vanilla, almond extract and salt; beat well. Mix in flour and 1/4 cup of the almonds until blended. Gather into a ball; cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat baking sheet with no-stick cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Shape dough to form 1-inch balls; roll into remaining 1 cup almonds to coat lightly. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Using your thumb or a wooden spoon handle, make a depression in each cookie. Fill each with scant 1/2 teaspoon preserves. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet5 minutes; sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Servings: Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Notes
Note: To toast almonds, bake on baking sheet in 350-degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until light brown, stirring once or twice. Almonds will continue to brown slightly after removing from oven.