Saltine Chocolate Pieces

As promised, Rachael, this is for you!

Growing up, these yummy treats were a staple dessert/snack during the Christmas season. They are so yummy and everyone seems to like them - they're a crowd pleasing treat. And they're incredibly easy, quick and cheap, which makes this a win-win recipe! I keep these in the freezer and eat them cold - so good!! (But I'm also one of those people who likes her Girl Scout cookies frozen ...)

I like them so much that I've decided that they are no longer going to be relegated to just the holiday season ... I'm busting out the traditional barriers and have declared these to be year-round treats!

Saltine Chocolate Pieces
I think the recipe is from Mamie, a dear family friend
1 sleeve saltine crackers
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
12 ounces (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate pieces
3/4 cup chopped nuts (we prefer pecans)

Line a 10x15 cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with foil; spray very lightly with cooking spray. Cover sheet with crackers. Combine the brown sugar and butter in a small saucepan and boil for 3 minutes. Pour over cracker and spread evenly. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let set for 1 minute, then spread the melted chips with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with chopped nuts (if desired) and lightly press down. Cool until firm, then break up. Pieces can be frozen.

Chocolate no-bake cookies

When Patrick and I started dating, I was introduced to one of his favorite cookies, one that was brand new to me. (How I missed out on a cookie for that many years is beyond me.) His aunt traditionally makes them for family gatherings, and the first time I ever ate one was when we all got together for a family reunion in Ocean Isle, North Carolina. They are tasty little treasures, full of chocolate and peanut butter ... two of my favorite things!

I never had the recipe until a sweet lady from our church brought us dinner and dessert after Nora was born. She very thoughtfully included the recipes, and this was one of them. Finally, I can make one of Patrick's favorite cookies!


Chocolate no-bake cookies
1 stick of butter
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups oats

Combine butter, sugar, cocoa and milk in a small saucepan. Bring to a full boil for one minute. Remove from heat and combine with remaining ingredients. Stir together until fully combined. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper.

A Cookie Conundrum

I have a chocolate-chip cookie conundrum, and I'm hoping y'all can help.

I have been making chocolate-chip cookies for as long as I can remember, but have never found that perfect recipe, one that gives me fluffy, chewy cookies. Although they taste good, mine always seem to come out more on the flat, crispy side, no matter what I do. And flat and crispy is fine and dandy if that's what you want ... but I want thick, fluffy, chewy chocolate-chip cookies!

Is it the butter? The softened butter, perhaps? Should I use cold butter instead, even though the recipe clearly calls for softened butter? Or should I use margarine? What about shortening?

I've even tried recipes that say they will turn out the way I want, but they never do. And y'all know how I follow recipes to a tee -- especially when baking.

So what gives? Please share any ideas, inspiration, advice you have.

Until then, I'll keep trying. Patrick - who has never met a chocolate-chip cookie he didn't like - won't complain!

*Photos are now courtesy of Patrick and his new toy, a Canon Rebel DSLR camera - no more iPhone pictures!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love fall. I love spring and summer, too, but I do love fall. I love the crisp air, the cooler weather, baseball playoff games, SEC football, and the delicious food.

(I would also add that I love how the leaves change colors, but sadly, they don't really change here in coastal Georgia. The marsh does change color, though, and it's beautiful, but I do miss seeing the leaves change.)

Now that it's officially fall (although it doesn't feel like it yet, at least not here), I am ready to start cooking and baking with some of my favorite fall foods. I can't wait to make butternut squash/sweet Italian sausage penne pasta (recipe coming soon), apple desserts and pumpkin treats.

So, in honor of the new season (and to satisfy my sweet tooth), I whipped up a batch of my favorite fall cookie. They were inspired by some that my mother-in-law found at her local Kroger a few years ago. I think we ate all of them in a day or two. I just knew that I had to find a way to make them myself.

These cookies are soft and cake-like, and are full of pumpkin and spice flavors, and chocolate chips. What's not to love about that combo?

My house smells delicious right now ...


Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
I think I got this recipe from allrecipes.com
Bake at 375 degrees
1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 (15 oz.) cans pumpkin
4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 pinch nutmeg
2 cups chocolate chips*

In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla and pumpkin until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and nutmeg; stir into pumpkin mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Makes about 7 dozen cookies.

*I use dark chocolate chips because I love dark chocolate and love the contrast between the dark chocolate and the pumpkin.

Note: these cookies will bake pretty much exactly how you drop them on the cookie sheet. They don't really expand or rise too much, so if there are peaks in your cookie batter when they're on the sheet, you'll have crunchy little peaks in your baked cookies.

Beth Moore's Texas Sheet Cake

I went to a Beth Moore simulcast this weekend at my church, and man alive, Beth Moore brought the Word. It was just what I needed. It was an amazing two days of truth, Biblical teaching, worship and fellowship. And it was like a little slice of heaven seeing almost 400 women worshiping together for a weekend. Glory, it was GOOD.

You know what else I got this weekend that was like a little slice of heaven? The recipe to Beth Moore's Texas sheet cake. Oh, girl, it's good. She told a funny story about how she's not necessarily known as the cook of her family, but that she is known for her Texas sheet cake. And, of course, she shared it with the 90,000 or so of us who were taking part in the simulcast. Bless her.

And I, in turn, am going to share it with you.

The timing of receiving this recipe was quite perfect, actually, because I needed to make a dessert for a lunch meeting at church the day after the simulcast. I tend to try new recipes out on unsuspecting people, and decided that this would be no different. I have made cakes in the past, why would this be any different? Well ... it was easy enough to make, but for some reason the middle part of the cake took a good bit longer to bake than the outer edges. I rigged some foil to try to shield the already-done part from the heat of the oven while the center cooked, but I have no idea whether the edges were overcooked and dry or not ... hopefully the fudgy icing covered up any flaws.

I can tell you that the piece I had was nice and moist and very, very chocolaty and rich. And, it's always a good sign when this is the only picture you can get of what you made.


Beth Moore's Texas Sheet Cake
Grease a 9x13 sheet cake pan. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift together:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar

Bring to a boil:
2 sticks butter
1 cup water
1/4 cup cocoa

Pour over dry mixture and mix in:
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Icing
Heat together:
1 stick butter
1/4 cup cocoa
6 tablespoons (1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp.) milk
(I added 1 tsp. vanilla)

Add anywhere from 1/2 to 1 box of powdered sugar to achieve desired consistency (Beth prefers close to 1 box)* and 1 cup pecans. Spread on cake while it's hot.

*I used 16 oz (1 lb.) of powered sugar

If this icing were on a piece of cardboard, I'd eat it.

I feel slightly dumb posting this recipe here because, well, it comes from the back of a cocoa box and I really should just put a big ole sign on here that says "Y'ALL GO BUY SOME HERSHEY'S COCOA AND MAKE THE BEST CHOCOLATE ICING EVER" and my point would be made. But, brevity is not typically my strong point, so, here we go. (Plus, it's pretty much all we ate here at the Witherow house this past weekend.)

Y'all have probably learned by now how much I like, along with the quick and the easy, desserts. If I had my choice between breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, I would always, always, always choose dessert.

Did I mention that I like dessert?

So, on Friday, I got a craving for some chocolate, and three Little Debbie Fudge Rounds did little to satisfy said craving. (You think I'm kidding? I'm not. And no, I'm not pregnant. Just pathetic.) So, I dug through the pantry and lo and behold, found a box of chocolate cake mix. Now, after making the yummy not-from-a-box chocolate cake (recipe below) a week or so ago, I had vowed to never make a cake from a mix again, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I ripped that box open faster than you could say "Hershey's."

Now, this post is not about the cake. The cake is just an average, run-of-the-mill cake-mix cake. I don't even know what brand it is. It's the icing that is its saving grace. Oh, the icing. Two words - butter (one whole stick) and cocoa. Need I say more? Divine.

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting
Ripped right off the back of the Hershey's Cocoa box
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
2/3 cup cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed of an electric mixer to spreading consistency. Add more milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. Makes about 2 cups.

Seriously. You could just skip the cake and eat this icing. It's that good.

So sweet ...

Patrick and I had dinner last night with our good friends, Kate and Eric, and I decided that it was the perfect opportunity to try a new cake recipe. I love to bake, and am such a sucker for a good dessert recipe. I had never made the cake or the icing before, but Kate and Eric are incredibly gracious, and I knew they'd forgive me if they turned out to be flops. Thankfully, though, both the cake and the icing turned out really well (if I do say so myself)! Again, I can't take credit for either of them. I found the chocolate cake recipe off a high-school friend's blog, and the icing recipe has been the go-to icing recipe in my family for years. It's what we call our "good white" icing. It's to die for!


Chocolate Cake
Recipe courtesy Nina Bucciarelli
Step I:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

STEP II:
1 cup water
½ cup cocoa

STEP III:
¾ cup Mazola Oil (you need to use Mazola Oil or it will change the flavor of the cake)
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk*
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine Step I in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Combine Step II in a small saucepan and boil together at low heat until thick. Cool.

Add Step III (oil, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla) to Step I (flour, sugar, salt and soda). Mix. Add Step II (cooled cocoa mixture) and mix together. Pour into a greased pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. (It took about 40 minutes for my 9x13 to be completely done in the middle. Just watch it and check it with a toothpick.)

This recipe will make one 9" x 13", two 9″ rounds , or cupcakes.

*If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use one cup of milk, add a tablespoon of vinegar to the milk, mix, and let stand. You can also use one cup of plain yogurt as a substitute.

Good White Icing
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons flour (heaping)
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick butter, softened slightly
1/2 cup shortening

First, mix the flour and sugar together in a 10" or 12" skillet. Then, over medium heat, stir in the milk, stirring constantly. Cook mixture until thickened, about 15 minutes. Take off heat and cool. While mixture is cooling (you can even put it in the fridge to cool), beat together the margarine and shortening until fluffy. Then beat in half of the cooled mixture until incorporated, and then the other half. Mix in the vanilla. This recipe will ice a 9" x 13" cake; make 1 1/2 times the recipe if icing two round cakes.

Ahem ... the treadmill is calling my name.