One Saturday I sat around with a small group of women and sniffed stuff.

Now before you let your imagination run wild….we were sniffing candles.

Some of the scents made me hungry, some smelled like the outdoors, and some made me pull back in horrific agony (seriously one smelled like a funeral home).

If there’s anything women love, it’s product parties. Especially jewelry, candle, and make up parties (yes, I took this occasion to also sell some of my Mary Kay). My mom hosted a Jewelry In Candles party. You burn the candle to retrieve the jewelry from a heat-safe wrapping. Or, in reality, you dig down with tweezers to get the jewelry and burn the candle later.

Anyway, I used this occasion to practice my baking skills because, you know, you can’t have a gathering without food.

And here they are: delicious salted toffee cashew cookies and neapolitan cookies.

Salted Toffee Cashew Cookies (makes about 5 dozen)

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups chopped salted cashews
• 1 cup brickle toffee bits
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• whole salted cashews for garnish

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cream butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually beat this mixture into the creamed mixture.
• Stir in chopped cashews, toffee bits, and butterscotch chips.
• Using a small cookie scoop, drop onto an ungreased baking sheet, placed about 2 inches apart. Press one whole cashew into each cookie.
• Bake for 7-9 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 2 minutes on the pan, then remove to cool.

Neapolitan Cookies (I made these simply because they looked neat.)

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• red food coloring
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

• Line a 9×5 in. loaf pan with waxed paper, extending up the sides.
• Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add this mixture to the creamed mixture.
• Divide the dough into three parts. Mix almond extract and food coloring into one part and spread evenly into the prepared pan. Mix chopped walnuts into another part and spread evenly over the first layer. Mix melted chocolate chips into the last part and spread over the top of the dough layers. Cover and refrigerator dough overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lift the wax paper and remove dough from the pan.
• Cut the dough lengthwise in half. Cut each half crosswise into thin slices, about 1/8-1/4 inch.
• Place slices about 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove and cool.

PS: Candy Corn goes great with cookies.