The lemon cream cheese balls sound like they could be pretty similar to the cheese cake. I would definitely like a lemon choice, but I'd make it a lemon cookie (have a lemon cornmeal slice and bake cookie that is very good if you want the recipe), a madeleine, a meringue or a macron, lemon bars, lemon tart. Biscotti are a maybe in my book -- assuming they are made smaller and not too hard (requiring dunking) they might work. For a party, I'd try to do more variety and choices that seem a little more special. Pllog's suggestions are more in the direction I would be thinking. In addition to the strawberries and orange peel, you could do dried apricots and other dried fruits) Finger foods can easily include cake bites (sheet cake cut into bite sized squares) as well as mini cakes, pies, tart, brownies, etc. made in mini muffin tins, I've made a crumb topped pumpkin spice cake for crowds and served it cut into small squares set into cupcake liners -- easy to pick up and easy to eat. Any snack cake, pound cake or quick bread is a possibility as well as cake bites with a cute dollop of frosting or whipped cream. I would like to see a cookie with a jam center (apricot, strawberry, raspberry) (thumbprints, a strip cookie, sandwiched cookie or a crumb topped bar. etc.) How about a coffee flavor (coffee meringues, mocha macrons, an espresso brownie)? Gale Gand's Just a Bite might give you some inspiration (I keep trying to find an occasion for making her vacherins with raspberries and cream -- tiny meringue shells with whipped cream topped with one perfect raspberry and a mint leaf -- gorgeous!). She also has creme brulee done on a spoon -- just a bite! Works with finger foods and gives a fun presentation. The ruby raspberry jellies are also on my must try list. Flo Braker's Sweet Miniatures is another book you might want to look at. Consider fudge, caramels or marshmallows -- poured into a pan and cut into squares. Put the square in a mini cupcake liner and you just upped the presentation. Or take the spoon cue and serve by the spoonful -- who doesn't like to eat fudge from a spoon? I think you are getting to the time of year when you can add pumpkin, spice, apple, and cranberry flavors and people will be ready for them. The pumpkin pie reminds me of a pumpkin dessert dip (made with cream cheese, in case that's too much like cheese cake) and served with sliced apples, ginger or orange things. Do some of those ideas work?

Thanks...good idea. For future use, I'll also try freezing some cookies and some dough to see if it will work.

sadie..those sound good.... You can tell the ones I bought are rolled and cut in a cresent..but I don't think that would make a difference. It's the flavor I'm after. My son has eaten nearly half the box already. He really likes them....lol patti

CC, I don't know enough of the science to be completely sure—the measures were from different recipes cobbled together. There isn't a distinct rise, but enough of a bubble structure to make them solid but not hard inside. Lars may be right that it increased the perception of salty, but that's a good thing. Chocolate extract is high alcohol like vanilla or orange. I do know for sure enough about baking that with the substitutions you suggest you might get a nice cookie, but it'll be very different. It's the sweetness of the chips and the crunch of the almonds that makes it work. OTOH, increasing the brown sugar will make up for the missing the sweetness of the chips. You could also make some real butterscotch or butterscotch candy (like the chips) if you want butterscotch flavor. Definitely play! I didn't know that my can't be bothered remeasuring ingredients cookies would be so good! Make what you can. With improvisational cakes, remember to put in some baking powder, and if it looks and tastes like cake batter, bake it and you have a cake. The dough for this cookie was crumbly, but moist enough, and tasted great. It made a great cookie. If it looks and tastes like cookie dough, and has the usual ingredients, I guess it's cookies!