Peanut Butter Fudge

From the kitchen of: unknown.

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 pint marshmallow creme
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar and milk in sauce pan. Cook to soft ball stage, (238 degrees). This takes approximately 10 minutes after it has reached a full roiling boil. Remove from heat. Combine with rest of ingedients adn whip until thoroughly mixed. Pour out on buttered pan.

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Chocolate “Save a Day” Cake

From the kitchen of: Pat Mineart.

  • 1 white cake mix
  • 1 instant chocolate pudding
  • 2 eggs or 3 egg whites
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat 3 minutes. Bake 350 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes.

For frosting, my mom’s recipe for chocolate cake frosting is very good.

I think the title of “Save a Day” must refer to the time you save in using a cake mix as the basis for this cake. It’s a nice quick recipe that turns out richer than a standard chocolate cake mix, and a recipe my mom uses often.

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Jello Pudding Cake

From the kitchen of: Jello Pudding.

  • 1 cake mix
  • 2 packages instant pudding
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 4 cups cold milk

Prepared cake mix as directed, in 13 x 9 pan. Poke holes in top with handle of wooden spoon at 1 inch intervals Combine pudding with sugar, gradually add milk. Beat in minute at low speed. Pour 1/2 of thin pudding over cake and into holes. Allow remaining pudding to thiken slightly; then spoon over the top. Chill 1 hour.

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Pumpkin Pie Squares

From the kitchen of: Carol Mineart.

Crust:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup quick oats
  • 1/2 cup butter

Combine in mixing bowl. Press into ungreased 13 x 9 pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Filling:

  • 1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin
  • 1 (13 1/2 oz.) can evaporated milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves

Pour over crust at bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Topping:

  • 1/2 cup pecans
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Pour over filling, bake 15 to 20 minutes. Cool and cut.

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Fudgy Raspberry Brownies

From the kitchen of: Lisa.

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 stick butter or margerine
  • 1 12-oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/3 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/3 cup chopped pecans, chopped walnuts, or sliced almonds
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves or jam

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 by 13 pan. in heavy pan on stovetop, gently warm butter until it melts. Add the sugar, stil till all combined, do NOT let this bubble. Keep on low heat. When combined, remove from heat. Add 1 1/4 cups of the chocolate chips; stir til melted. Stir in eggs until all combined. Stir in flour, baking soda, and vanilla until combined. Pour chocolate batter into pan; spread it out flat. Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky.

A few minutes before brownies are done, gently melt the raspberry preserves. As soon as brownies come out of oven, quickly stir nuts and remaining chocolate chips into the raspberry. Then, quickly spread this mixture over hot brownies in the pan. Cover pan with aluminum foil (aluminum should NOT be resting on top of the brownies; leave air space on top of brownies), set ir refrigerator until completely cooled. Enjoy! (They do not need to be stored in the fridge; that is just to set them.)

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Blonde Brownies

Blond Brownies

From the kitchen of: Pat Mineart.

  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon hot water
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 package chocolate chips

Melt shortening, mix in sugars, add hot water. Cool. Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients, spread into a 9 x 9 x2 pan. Sprinkle chips over top. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool in pan.

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Chocolate Brownies

From the kitchen of: Irma Sankey.

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 sticks of margarine
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup flour
  • dash salt
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa
  • nuts

Pour into a 10 x 13 pan, bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Let cool.

Frosting:

  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup margarine
  • 6 tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Boil 20 seconds. Spread over cool brownies.

NOTE: Irma Sankey worked in the office of Sacred Heart School in West Des Moines, Iowa when my mom was a teacher there in the sixties, and this was Irma’s recipe. It’s a family favorite and one of my mom’s “standby” dessert recipes, so I of course have a copy of it and still make it today — and I still call them “Browies by Irma Sankey” even though I didn’t really know who she was. A few months ago, I received an email from Irma’s son Mike, who wondered where we had obtained a copy of his long deceased mom’s favorite brownie recipe.

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Low Fat Double-Chocolate Cookies

From the kitchen of: Lisa.

These are very rich-tasting and chewy cookies, very satisfying. Surprisingly low fat and low calories!

  • 1 2/3 cups flour
  • 2/3 cup sifted powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 * tablespoons light corn syrup (karo)
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3 egg whites
  • cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350. Combine first 5 ingredients; set aside.

Combine 3/4 of the chocolate chips and the oil in a pan; melt over low heat, stirring constantly. When melted, pour into large bowl; allow to cool 5 min. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, water, extract, egg whites; stir well. Stir in flour mixture, and remaining chips. (You can add extra chips, but this will increase the calories)

Drop dough by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheet coated w/cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. (They will not look quite done, but take them out anyway). Allow to cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes. Remove from sheets; cool completely on wire racks.

Note: you may want to experiment with substituting other flavors – such as some amaretto, kahlua or raspberry liquer for the water or vanilla extract.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies: each cookie = 64 calories; 1.6 grams fat; 12 grams carbs; no cholesterol. Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine.

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Neiman Marcus Urban Legend Cookie Recipe

From the kitchen of: Urban Legend

According to Snopes.com, this recipe story is an urban legend, and it goes something like this: A woman is in the Neiman Marcus cafe one day, and she asks for the recipe of a wonderful cookie she’s just eaten. She agrees to pay "two-fifty" for the recipe, thinking they means $2.50, but she gets charged $250.00. So in revenge She sends the recipe to everyone she knows.

I’ve heard the same story about cookies from Neiman Marcus, Mrs. Fields Cookies, L. S. Ayres, and several other businesses. My friend Jen has a Cake recipe with the same story type of that she received from her Grandmother, complete with a newspaper clipping of the story.

  • 2 cups butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 cups flour
  • 5 cups blended oatmeal
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 24 ounces chocolate chips
  • 1 8 ounce hershey bar grated
  • 3 cups chopped nuts – your choice

Cream butter and both sugars, add eggs and vanilla. Mix together flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, hershey bar, and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.

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Mexican Wedding Cookies

From the kitchen of: unknown.

  • 1 pound soft unsalted butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups finely chopped pecans
  • 5 cups sifted pastry flour
  • Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and powdered sugar in mixer until light and fluffy, about 10-15 minutes. Add vanilla, salt and pecans. Remove from mixer and stir in pastry flour by hand being careful not to overmix. Form into football shapes about the size of small walnuts and place on a buttered cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until just beginning to get the slightest bit colored on the bottom. Remove upon the first sign of color and set on a rack to cool. When cool enough to touch place in a bowl with powdered sugar on top and bottom and toss gently. Occasionally toss with sugar while cooling, trying to get as much sugar as possible to stick. When cold, place cookies in airtight container and cover until ready to serve.

Yield: 50 cookies

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