I first had these at a gathering hosted by my husband's Aunt Sally. She very kindly sent along the recipe at my very enthusiastic request. Over the years the recipe has changed some, both in the preparation process, and also ingredients. These brownies keep very well, and have been mailed successfully to quite a variety of locales. Also, with the processor method, they take about 15 minutes to prepare, and 22, or so, minutes to bake.
Try this recipe when your bananas are beyond ripe. Last night a "last ditch" effort to use our blackened bananas turned into a delicious dessert topping. I have also used this preparation method with peaches and strawberries successfully. I was very pleasantly surprised that the banana version is as tasty as can be. This topping would also be delicious with pancakes or waffles. The recipe ingredient amounts can be easily increased, as fits your need.
This is one of our favorite pies. The ingredients are very simple, nothing to interfere with the fruit itself. One of my husband's sisters would not make a blueberry pie without the wild blueberries available here during July. If you can find the wild variety, use them. But, if not, the cultivated berries make an excellent pie as well.
I've taken some liberties with a recipe found in our local paper. Less sugar is often better as we've found in this version of brownies. They really have an excellent balance of cakiness and fudginess. They're delicious as is, and ALSO as a base for brownie sundaes.
These brownies are based on a recipe, handwritten in pencil on a very yellowed well-used piece of paper, that I found after my mother passed on. I was going through a manila envelope from her kitchen full of such prized manuscripts. Truly, these brownies are to be prized. They're just the right balance between cakey and fudgy. Do try them with walnuts, a quintessential combination.
These are almost like little mounds of cake. We have had them with strawberries and whipped cream as an alternative to biscuits for shortcake. These would also make delicious "Reverse Whoopie Pies" stacking two together with chocolate ganache. Another excellent combination would be to make a "sandwich" with hazelnut mousseline buttercream.
I offer this recipe with great enthusiasm. It's definitely the best example of this flavor cake I've ever tasted. I prepare this without nuts, raisins, or other such additions, because that's my family's preference. However, feel free to make your preferred additions, a cup or so of whatever you choose. Use the white chocolate/cream cheese frosting for a truly great treat!
Finding the tart cherries needed for this pie may be the most difficult part of preparing it. I normally use three 14-ounce cans of tart cherries. This pie is a great favorite of many family members.
These wonderful cookies have both an outer crisp and inner chewiness. What could be better? This is a BIG recipe and, depending on how much dough is used for each cookie, makes between 35 to 45 or so cookies.
The simplest and most wonderful recipe for chocolate frosting.
This gingerbread has a more bready consistency than most. It may have something to do with one of its ingredients, cooked potato. The recipe came about yesterday, trying to find just the right proportion of ingredients that would result in a gingerbread as tasty as my mother once made, and which had included potato. I remember feeling disappointed that she had not kept the recipe. No need for disappointment; the following is just as delicious as I remember.
Hot Fudge Sauce is a fairly frequent favorite treat. This version takes less than five minutes to make, has a lovely consistency with an uncomplicated, deep chocolate flavor. We use this sauce with certain other desserts, such as cheesecake or poundcake. One time we had a wonderful dessert consisting of this sauce, a fresh raspberry sauce, and fresh whipped cream. People could use these in the proportions they preferred. It was a fairly simple dessert and totally yummy.
This filling works very well between cake layers, and also as a somewhat substantial sauce. It is reminiscent of the lemon part of lemon meringue pie. The flavor is somewhat tart, not overly sweet. You may alter the sweetness to your preference.
2003 was the first Christmas I'd baked these. I had been hoping to include in the cookie repertoire a lemon flavored cookie with a star theme. I've combined a cookie recipe with a lemon curd filling. The results are wonderful, a not-too-sweet shortbread cookie with a tart lemon curd filling. Of course you can shape them as you wish. I just love the star theme.
These are a delicious version of a very popular brownie.
Though I'll give the basic recipe, please remember there is room for virtually endless variety. Every year I look forward to preparing this recipe with its uniquely delicious aroma. I also encourage you to peek into your cupboards and clear out packages that have just a little dried fruit, or perhaps even some preserves not favored for use on toast. I've found such additions to our mincemeat only seem to add to its flavor.
These oatmeal cookies are dependably wonderful. They're quite substantial, sort of chewy rather than cakey. I usually divide the batter about in half, adding chocolate morsels to one part and raisins and walnuts to the other part. Both options are well worth trying and mix in so very well with this consistency of cookie dough. A site visitor asked if it was alright to add coconut. This cookie dough is amenable to most cookie-friendly additions. I recommend adding about two and a half cups of whatever you choose to add.
This is one of our "must" Thanksgiving desserts. It's a wonderful combination of simple good taste with pecans that take on just a hint of roasted flavor. This pie is also quite easy to prepare, especially with the ingredients first brought to room temperature.
There are so many different recipes for a rolled pie crust. So far, though, this is my favorite. This recipe came about as a result of combining some other pie crust recipes used in the past. This recipe is for a two crust pie; however it may be divided or multiplied for however many crusts needed. Also, I use the pyrex deep pie plates, so this crust is pretty generous in its coverage. Notice how often the adverb, "gently," is used in this recipe. Especially in pastry work, gentleness is much needed.
This is a wonderfully flavorful summer treat. We try to have one of these every year, usually in August when the plums are plentiful. There is a little spice added. You can use your imagination with alternatives to the cinnamon, such as nutmeg or clove. Choose one. I think simplicity works best with this recipe.
It took me a while, but when this recipe finally happened, that was it. This is a very deep flavored robust pumpkin pie. If you like your pumpkin pie subtly flavored, this is not for you. The hardest part of this recipe is making sure you have all the ingredients.
This intensely flavored filling can be used in a variety of ways, with cakes, refrigerated desserts, or just as a sauce with fresh raspberries added. Notice, just three ingredients!
This is one of our holiday recipes. These little jewels, tasty for sure, are also a beautiful addition to our holiday cookie trays. Even with the lattice crust, they're also fairly simple to prepare and bake. They are yummy with a cup of tea or, for more bold contrast, with a cup of dark hot chocolate.
This is one of our treasured holiday recipes. It's wonderful just as rolled cookies. However I use it almost exclusively for our filled-cookies for which we have three standard fillings: mince-without-meat, apricot, and prune. These are extra special little tarts.
These wonderful cookies bring me back to my childhood, specifically the weeks just before Christmas. One very special event would be receiving a package from my Aunt Margaret, a native of Switzerland. These "little gifts," the English translation of schenkeli, were perhaps my most enjoyed holiday treat. The cookies are made from a fairly simple dough and then fried. In taste they are somewhat reminiscent of crullers, although, to me, without comparison.
These cookies came about one afternoon, wishing to make a simple cookie, quickly. Preparation does require a food processor. They're fun to make and yummy to eat. My niece, by marriage, was looking for this cookie recipe on the site, and I decided that I'd better make sure it's here! Susanina's Sandies go wonderfully with a cup of tea or dish of ice cream ... how about strawberries and cream, whipped or not... m-m-m-m.
This is truly a wonderful frosting. The chocolate gives it a depth of flavor without making the frosting too sweet. During summer, when the weather is hot and humid, I alter the proportions. I use the full 12 ounces of morsels, but decrease both the butter and cream cheese to eight ounces. This allows the chocolate to contribute more of its stabilizing factor to the finished product. You should use the proportions that work best for you.
This buttercream is made with egg whites instead of the more classic buttercream made with yolks. I have come to prefer it. It's a little lighter in both taste and texture. Buttercream frostings aren't overly sweet, have a rich, creamy consistency, and offer many options for flavoring.
One mid-August day, we ventured to NYC on a birthday visit to our daughter, no cake in tow. Unprecedented. How can one have a birthday without a cake? So on this 98 degree day, without air conditioning, we set about to remedy this mistake. Daughter and Dad were on the shopping detail,to purchase whatever ingredients we needed. I got to work immediately. This recipe is the cake we did that day. I hope you'll be as pleased as we were, both with its simplicity and tastiness. This is a wonderful all-purpose cake.
Christmas preparations in our home begin with cookie tins on our kitchen shelves, and as we get closer to the day, some different preparations that happen just at this time of year. We're always ready to try something new, but there are some that are true standbys that are much anticipated as the season draws near.