Category: COOKIES, BARS & CANDY

1 pound (4 sticks) butter
PURE
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup Parrot Bay coconut rum
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• With a mixer, cream butter.
• Add sugar, a little at a time.
• Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
• Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl and add to mixer alternately with milk, starting with the flour and ending with the flour.
• Mix in vanilla.
• Drain any remaining rum from the raisins.
• Fold in raisins and nuts.
• Pour into a greased and floured tube pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Even the SIL’s dog liked it. Thank goodness we’d already cut our pieces out!

Another wonderful use for my new brownie pan! Individual cakes for the BBQ.




We had a casualty that the dogs loved!

I think grams got this recipe originally from the side of a Swan’s Down cake flour bag.
ANGEL FOOD CAKE
1 1/4 cups sifted Swans Down cake flour
1/2 cup + 1 1/3 cups sugar sifted sugar
1 1/2 cups +/- 12 room temperature egg whites,
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon PURE vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

NOTE:For chocolate angel food, substitute 1/4 cup cocoa for 1/4 cup cake flour and omit for chocolate angel food

• Sift flour* once, measure and add 1/2 cup sugar and sift together several more times.
• Combine egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, and flavorings in large mixing bowl. Whisk continuously until the whites form soft peaks that are moist and glossy.
• Then add the rest of the sugar very gradually over the whites and beating until sugar is blended, about 25 beating strokes per time.
• Add flour and sugar mixture very gradually, sifting it over the egg whites. Fold in each addition turning bowl gradually. Use 15 complete fold over strokes each time. After last addition. use 10 to 12 additional fold over strokes.
• Gently pour into a 10″ ungreased tube pan.
  
• Bake at 375 degrees for about 35 to 40 minutes.
• Frost and sprinkle with toasted coconut.

*and cocoa when making chocolate angel food

LEMON SPONGE CAKE
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice + rind of 1 lemon
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Beat yolks of eggs until thick and lemon colored.
  
• Whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
  
• Gradually beat in the sugar, grated lemon rind, and juice.
  
• Fold in half of the stiffly beaten egg whites.
• Cut in sifted flour and salt, add nuts if desired, and remaining egg whites.
• Bake in a slow oven for about one hour or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out nearly clean.
• Frost and sprinkle with toasted coconut.
  
• Chill overnight or several hours.
  

ITALIAN BUTTERCREAM
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup water
3 egg whites
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• In a saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water.
  
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring just enough to dissolve the sugar. Heat to between 223 and 234 degrees F., or until a small amount of syrup dripped from a spoon forms a soft thread. It should take 1 or 2 minutes.
• When the sugar mixture has reached the thread stage, remove it from the heat and set aside to cool.
  
• Whip the egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer. When the whites can hold a stiff peak, pour in the sugar syrup in a thin stream while continuing to whip at medium speed. Be careful not to pour too quickly, or it will all just end up at the bottom of the bowl. When the syrup is incorporated, continue to mix for 10 more minutes to allow it to cool. The egg whites will be fluffy and glossy.
• Add pieces of cold butter one at a time to the egg whites and continue to whip at medium or low speed.
  

TOASTED COCONUT
1 16 ounce bag coconut
4 tablespoons butter melted

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Toss coconut in melted butter until well coated.
• Spread evenly on a jelly roll pan.
• Bake for fifteen minutes and then flip coconut and bake another 15 minutes until golden brown.

Chocolate chip cookies were one of the earliest recipes I began making on my own. There was always the great nut debate between my grandfather and uncle who both believed they didn’t like nuts. I LOVE walnuts in my cookies and brownies and even as a child learned that there are two ways to skin a cat as my dad would say. It turns out that what I liked was the flavor, didn’t really care about the actual nut one way or the other. So, I learned to “fake” out my grandfather and uncle who despite their belief in no nuts had no problem devouring a batch of my cookies! I’ve tweaked this recipe for years to make a larger batch and keep everyone happy.

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 1/2 cups white sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple extract
3 3/4 cups flour
1 cup walnut pieces
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup golden raisins

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Using a stand mixer cream the butter and sugar together.
• Add molasses and blend until smooth.
• Add eggs one at a time until well blended.
• Add vanilla and maple extracts and blend until smooth.
• Sift together the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder.
• In a small food processor, chop nut pieces until a fine flour.
• Gradually add the nuts and flour mixture until well blended.
• Gently fold in milk chocolate chips and raisins.
• Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an un-greased cookie sheet.
• Bake 10-12 minutes
• Enjoy

Dave at My Year on The Grill has dared, double dared in fact us KrAzY kitchen ladies to do a recipe. In my case the joke is on him. My niece had told me about this chocolate covered bacon she’d had at a county fair and it intrigued me so much I made it back at Thanksgiving time. It didn’t last long around that house full of bacon lovers. I then took it one step farther and caramelized the bacon first – talk about a taste treat for the tongue!

CARAMELIZED CHOCOLATE COVERED BACON
10 slices thick bacon
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoons cider or balsamic vinegar
1 cup milk chocolate morsels
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons milk

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Whisk together the brown sugar and vinegar.
• Toss bacon slices in the mixture, packing it onto the slices.
• Layer bacon and onions on grilling rack.
• Bake 15-20 minutes or until JUST crisp. DO NOT OVERCOOK!
• Cool completely.
• In a double boiler combine chocolate, butter and milk until creamy.
• Carefully dip bacon slices.
• Cool on wax paper.

Dave at My Year on The Grill has dared, double dared in fact us KrAzY kitchen ladies to do a recipe. In my case the joke is on him. My niece had told me about this chocolate covered bacon she’d had at a county fair and it intrigued me so much I made it back at Thanksgiving time. It didn’t last long around that house full of bacon and chocolate lovers. I then took it one step farther and caramelized the bacon first – talk about a taste treat for the tongue!

CARAMELIZED CHOCOLATE COVERED BACON
10 slices thick bacon
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoons cider or balsamic vinegar
1 cup milk chocolate morsels
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons milk

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Whisk together the brown sugar and vinegar.
• Toss bacon slices in the mixture, packing it onto the slices.
• Layer bacon and onions on grilling rack.
• Bake 15-20 minutes or until JUST crisp. DO NOT OVERCOOK!
• Cool completely.
• In a double boiler combine chocolate, butter and milk until creamy.
• Carefully dip bacon slices.
• Cool on wax paper.

CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL RAISIN PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
aka KITCHEN SINK COOKIES
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Jumbo eggs
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cups minced walnuts
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup golden raisins

• Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and espresso powder.
• Cream butter and peanut butter together.
• Add the sugars and cream again.
• Add the vanilla and eggs and cream until smooth.
• Gradually add flour mixture until well blended.
• Add oatmeal until well blended.
• Add nuts and combine well.
• Add chocolate chips and combine again.
• Add raisins and mix well.
• Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.
• Press down slightly.
• Bake 12-15 minutes.

2/3 cup Hot water
10 ounces Land of Lakes cocoa mix
2 cups JIF creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 cups C&H powdered sugar, divided 2cups + 1 cup
2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
2 cups crushed ginger snaps
72 Hershey Kisses (I like the cherry cordials)

• Whisk together the hot water and cocoa mix until smooth.
• Add peanut butter and corn syrup. Blend until smooth.
• Add 2 cups powdered sugar and stir until well blended.
• Stir in cookie crumbs until well blended.
• Spray wax paper with PURE (these will be sticky so don’t forget this step).
• Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of dough onto the wax paper.
• Place the remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar in a shallow bowl.
• Roll each piece of dough into a ball and dredge in powdered sugar.
• Press your thumb into the center and fill with a Hershey’s kiss.