Thanks! Ginger - I can't say for sure, but I think they might be OK to freeze before baking - they are very easy to handle. They would be good to have on hand to bake for emergencies :) Ann - I wonder if you could replace the peanut butter with some substitution like maybe cream cheese? Hmmm....I might give that a try sometime! Cindy

At the risk of being tagged a "troll", here's my two cents on this old thread. I've had an empty box of Jules Destrooper's Almond Thins on my computer desk for several months to remind me to look again to see if anyone has developed a recipe and put it online. (I tried it a couple of times myself at first but the results were, well, disappointing.) I found this thread on today's Google search. I don't know anything about Trader Joe's similar cookies, as we don't have that supermarket chain in the New Orleans area, but the list of ingredients in the Destrooper butter almond cookie is clearly different from the "Destrooper" recipe linked above at Yahoo! Answers: INGREDIENTS: WHEAT FLOUR, BROWN SUGAR, BUTTER, ALMONDS, SALT. (Listed in that order.) Of note: no egg, no vanilla. The only sources of moisture in the genuine Destrooper's are the brown sugar and the butter and I'm guessing I could try a dozen more times before I figured out the proportions and baking technique that would work. (I'm an OK cook but not that much of a baker.) Perhaps "WHEAT FLOUR" is how folks in Belgium refer to "whole wheat flour" but I'm not thinking this is the critical difference, at least vis-a-vis Destrooper's (versus Trader Joe's). I'm thinking that adding egg and vanilla and omitting the molasses flavor of the brown sugar would tend to make a very different cookie, regardless of the proportions of other ingredients and the baking technique. I'll let you know if I ever figure it out...

I've got more variations of this recipe too. Here they are: GOOEY BUTTER CAKE & VARIATIONS 1 pkg. yellow cake mix, with butter 4 eggs, divided 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened 1 Tblsp. water 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 16 oz. confectioners sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract Mix cake mix, 2 eggs, butter, and water. Pour into a greased 13x9 pan. Mix cream cheese, confectioners sugar, 2 eggs, and vanilla with mixer and spread over batter in pan. Bake at 350° F. degrees for 45-50 minutes. Dust with confectioners sugar. Variations: Try using lemon or chocolate cake mix instead of the yellow. Also, try using a spice cake mix and adding rum extract to the filling instead of vanilla. CHOCOLATE MARBLE GOOEY BUTTER CAKE Crust: 1 pkg. plain yellow cake mix 8 Tblsp. (1 stick) butter, melted 1 large egg Filling: 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened 2 large eggs 1 tsp. vanilla extract 8 Tblsp. (1 stick) butter, melted 1 lb. box confectioners sugar 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 13- x 9- x 2-inch pan. For the crust, place cake mix, melted butter, and egg in a large mixing bowl. Blend on low speed for 2 minutes. The batter should come together in a ball. With your fingertips, pat the batter evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan, until the top is smooth. Set aside. For the filling, place the cream cheese mixing bowl. Beat on low speed until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, and melted butter and beat until smooth. Add confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Place chocolate chips in small microwaveable bowl. Heat, one minute at a time, until chips are melted and smooth. Measure out 1 cup of the cream cheese mixture and fold it into the chocolate, stirring so the batter becomes well combined and all one color. Set aside. Pour remaining filling on top of crust and spread evenly. Drop spoonfuls of the chocolate batter over the top of the filling, then swirl them with a knife. Bake at 350° F. for 45 to 47 minutes. The center may still jiggle when you shake the pan, this is okay. Cool and cut into squares to serve. Store, covered, at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator up to 1 week. You may freeze this, wrapped in foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight before serving. Source: The Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn.

Posted by Roger_z7 (My Page) on Fri, Nov 15, 02 at 10:21 Here is a recipe that has bounced around in several newspapers before it ended up in our "daily blab". I have never seen anything like it and thought some of you might like to try it during the holidays. Looks pretty decadent. Sweet Potato Bread Pudding w/ Whiskey Sauce Pudding 10 slices white bread, cubed and toasted 2 cups sweet potato, peeled and cubed 4 tbs butter, melted 3/4 cup sugar, granulated 10 eggs, beaten 2 cups heavy cream OR half-and half OR milk 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp nutmeg, ground 2 tsp cinnamon, ground Boil potato cubes in enough water to cover until barely soft. Drain. Place sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix. Add eggs and cream OR milk and stir. In a separate bowl, combine sweet potatoes and butter and mash together. Let cool. In a large mixer bowl, combine potato mixture, sugar mixture and vanilla. Set mixer speed on low and mix for a minute or two. FOLD in the bread cubes and let stand for 5 minutes. Coat a 9 X 13 baking dish with butter and pour mixture into it. Bake on lower rack at 250 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Test for doneness with toothpick. Whiskey Sauce 2 cups sugar, confectioners 1/2 cup sugar, brown, packed 2 cups cream OR half-and-half OR evaporated milk 1/4 cup butter, unsalted, cubed 1/4 tsp vanilla 1/4 tsp nutmeg, ground 2 squares chocolate, white, optional 2 tbs whiskey, or to taste, optional In a heavy saucepan, place cream OR milk, both types of sugar, nutmeg and vanilla. Slowly bring to a boil and simmer until volume is reduced to one half. Remove from heat and whisk in butter. Add white chocolate and stir until it melts. Add whiskey and stir. Pour sauce over pudding or over individual servings. Note: Do not reheat sauce as it will separate. Keep it warm by placing in a stainless steel bowl that is sitting in a container of hot water.