Oh My Fudge Brownies

These brownies are for those who want to improve on what Betty Crocker has to offer.  A little more work but a lot more bang for your buck!

2 sticks butter/margarine

4 squares unsweetened chocolate (are you smiling yet?)

2 1/2 C. sugar

4 eggs

1 C. flour

1 1/2 t. vanilla

2 Hershey bars with almonds

Melt butter and chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler

Stir in sugar, eggs, flour and vanilla.  Pour into a greased and floured 9X13″ pan.  Break the Hershey bars into small pieces and scatter over the top.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes

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Grandma’s Poppy Seed Cookies

My Dad’s mother immigrated from Russia as a young woman.  She never learned to read or write English, so none of her recipes were written down.  My Aunt Millie took the time as an adult to watch her and measure  the ingredients.  They are both deceased, but the recipes live on.

1 cup oil

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs

3 tsp. baking powder

Pinch salt

1/3 cup poppy seeds

3 cups flour

Beat eggs, sugar and oil.  Mix in all dry ingredients, add vanilla and mix well.  Make 2″ balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten lightly.  Sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon if desired.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

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Old Fashioned Christmas Cookies

This recipe is from Greg’s mother, Anna, a great baker.

1 Cup butter or margarine

1 1/2 Cups sugar

2 eggs

3 1/2 Cups flour

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 1 tsp white vinegar

2 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter and sugar till well mixed.  Add other ingredients and mix well.  Refrigerate dough at least 3 hours, better if overnight.  Roll out dough about 1/2 cup at a time.  I roll them on a cloth pie crust mat.  The thinner the cookies, the crispier they come out.  The trick is to find a happy medium between thin and manageability of the dough.  I use cookie cutters that do not have small extensions to them-just makes it harder to have it all hold together.  Cut with cookie cutters and transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  They can be decorated with colored sprinkles, if desired.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes till lightly browned.  Let cool a couple of minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.

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Coconut Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

• 1  1/2 cups white sugar
• 1  1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree ( NOT pumpkin pie mix)
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 2/3 cup water
• 1  1/4 cup flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.
2. Mix together sugars, oil, and eggs. Mix in pumpkin. Add flour, salt, soda, and spice, and then water. Stir together until just moistened. Stir in coconut and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

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Ultimate Banana Bread

1 1/2 Tbs. milk/soymilk

1 tsp. lemon juice

3 ripe bananas

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup sugar

1 stick butter/ margarine, softened

2 Cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped nuts, dried cranberries or raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour a large loaf pan or bundt pan

Combine milk and lemon to sour

Mash bananas in a large bowl.  Add eggs, sugar and softened butter.  Stir till smooth-can use mixer or food processor.  Add milk/lemon mixture. Combine dry ingrediants and add to batter.  Stir in chopped nuts and/or fruit.  Pour batter into greased and floured pan and bake for 1 hour a@ 350.  Let cool 15 minutes before removing from pan.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

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The Best of Everything Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you want to make me smile, just say the word “chocolate”.  I know I am not alone in this passion, so I am going to share some of the best cookies I have ever made (over and over again that is).

You will need:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon ( know it sounds wierd, but just try it)

2 sticks of butter/margarine

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups dry oatmeal

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Beat butter and both sugars together ( I use a food processor) add egg and vanilla and blend well.  Stir in flour, baking  soda and cinnamon.  I know, this recipe has no salt, but it has worked well for years without it, so who am I to argue.  Fold in chocolate chips and dried cranberries.  Chill in fridge at least 1 hour up to overnight.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease cookie sheets, load it up with 2″ balls of dough and bake 12-14 minutes until light brown.  Let cool five minutes before transferring to cooling rack so they won’t crumble and little fingers won’t get burnt swiping them too soon.

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Frozen Chocolate Bananas

In the movie “Something About Mary”, there is a conversation about how there should be more foods on sticks.  Well I agree, and here is my contribution to the cause.   There are hundreds of varieties of bananas, including the small apple bananas we grew on our land when we lived on Kauai, Hawaii. The apple bananas are in the grocery stores in Hawaii, but do not ship well and are seldom seen on the mainland US. The directions are simple:

Peel bananas and cut in half the wide way. Insert a thin bamboo chopstick to effectively make a banana popsicle. Freeze bananas in a zip lock bag for 3 hours. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave, then dip the frozen banana into the melted chocolate and coat evenly. The bananas can be sprinkled with chopped nuts, coconut or swirled with melted white chocolate chips for variation. Re-freeze. Great snack and perfect for a birthday party treat.

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