(The Girls refer to these brownies as Milky Way Midnight Brownies)

These light and chewy chocolate almond cookies are reminiscent of the famous French sandwich cookies. They taste more like macaroons than meringues and are the perfect choice for a “dressed-up” ice cream sandwich.

Everyone’s favorite childhood flavor combination has grown up. Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies are the perfect foil for this triple-rich chocolate ice cream. 

There is nothing more sublime than the simple elegance of classic shortbread and strawberries and cream. In this version, it is all wrapped up in a lovely ice cream sandwich, accentuated by lemon zest.

The texture and the pure sweetness of the ingredients have made this our signature pie at Hill Country Chicken. I like to describe it as a “candy bar in a cup,” and because it is so rich, we only make it in the 3-inch “Pie Cup” size. If you chose to make it in a traditional 9-inch, make the slices very thin. The real beauty of this pie is that you can customize it with your favorite combination of flavors!

This dessert is the perfect compromise for a chocolate lover and a fruit lover. The banana and chocolate are wrapped in puff pastry with a touch of cinnamon sugar for a quick and easy dessert that tastes much more impressive that the time it takes to make.

There are basically two ways to top popcorn — wet and dry.

Let’s start with wet toppings, such as melted butter. Melted butter is always a crowd pleaser, but you have to make that version just before serving or else it gets soggy. Plus, buttered popcorn is always best hot. Other wet toppings, such as melted chocolate, should be applied to popcorn spread flat on a baking sheet, then allowed to cool. Otherwise it becomes soggy.

The advantage of dry flavor toppings is that you can make the popcorn a few hours in advance, then serve it room at temperature. Just make sure to add the spices while the popcorn is hot. My three favorites are truffle salt, Parmesan cheese and a sweet and spicy barbecue rub.

To cook the popcorn for use with a dry topping, I use a heavy enameled cast-iron Dutch oven set over medium heat. I heat the empty pot for about 2 minutes over low heat, then pour in the olive oil and the popcorn, increase the heat to medium and immediately place the lid on the pot. The heavy pot helps prevent the popcorn from burning and almost all of the kernels pop. I find that a good olive oil gives the popcorn a great flavor and that you won’t even want to add melted butter.

As soon as the popcorn is popped, I pour it out of the pan into the biggest bowl I have. I toss the popcorn with the seasoning and continue to toss so that the steam doesn’t make the popcorn soggy. When the steam dissipates, I toss it a few more times, taste to make sure that I have enough flavoring, then let it come to room temperature in the bowl. At this point you can place it in serving bowls or baskets or even individual paper bags to give your guests.

And don’t forget to pair your gourmet popcorn with a flute of sparkling wine. The make the perfect high-low party combination!