Simply Cookbooks

Archive for the ‘Desserts’ Category

I am in the mood for Chocolate.  Every woman’s favorite “medicine” for what ails ya!

Ingredients

* 3/4  cup butter
* 6  ounces semisweet chocolate pieces (1 cup)
* 1  recipe Praline Sauce (see below)
* 3  eggs
* 3  egg yolks
* 1/3  cup sugar
* 1 1/2  teaspoons vanilla
* 1/3  cup all-purpose flour
* 3  tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/3  cup pecan halves, toasted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour six 1- to 1 1/4-cup soufflé dishes or six 10-ounce custard cups. Place soufflé dishes or custard cups in a shallow baking pan and set pan aside. In a heavy small saucepan melt butter and semisweet chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool.

2. Meanwhile, prepare Praline Sauce, cover and keep warm until needed.

3. In a large mixing bowl beat eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed about 5 minutes or until thick and lemon colored. Beat in cooled chocolate mixture on medium speed. Sift flour and cocoa over chocolate mixture; beat on low speed just until combined. Divide batter evenly into prepared dishes or cups.

4. Bake 10 minutes. Pull cakes out of oven. Using a small spatula or table knife, puncture top of each partially-baked cake and gently enlarge to make a dime-sized hole. Slowly spoon about 1 tablespoon Praline Sauce into center of each cake. Return cakes to oven. Bake 5 minutes more or until cakes feel firm at the edges.

5. Cool in dishes on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Using a small spatula or knife, loosen cake edges from sides of dish or cup and slip cake out upright onto individual dessert plates. Stir 1/3 cup toasted pecan halves into the remaining Praline Sauce. If necessary, stir 1 to 2 tablespoons hot water into remaining sauce to thin. Spoon warm Praline Sauce on top of cakes. Top with pecan halves and sweetened whipped cream. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

Praline Sauce: In a heavy medium saucepan combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup packed brown sugar and 2 tablespoons dark colored corn syrup. Stir in 1/2 cup whipping cream. Cook over medium-high heat until boiling, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat. Cook, uncovered, 10 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Makes 1 cup sauce

Better Homes and Garden

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Nothing says comfort food as much as Chocolate.  And nothing says chocolate better than Brownies.

It is a scientific fact that women need chocolate to make them feel better.  I don’t really care what all technical jargon is or why it makes us feel better, just happy that it does and I have a very good reason to eat it.

This brownie recipe was sent to me by a friend, not sure where she got it, and really don’t care.  This is wonderful.  I would suggest not sharing these with your kids though, these are for you only.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS
3 sticks butter (softened)
2 cups sugar
6 oz. melted chocolate
4 eggs (1 at a time)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 jar marshmallow cream
5 Tablespoons cream
1 box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Non Stick Spray (such as Pam)

DIRECTIONS
Mix together 2 sticks butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 oz. melted chocolate, and 4 eggs adding the eggs one at a time and beating mixture after each addition.

Add the flour, baking powder, coconut and pecans and mix well.

Spray a 9″ x 13″ pan with non stick spray and pour the batter into the pan.

Bake at 300* for 45 minutes.

While the cake is still warm spread the top with the marshmallow cream, then let the cake cool completely.

To frost the cake, melt 1 stick butter, 3 oz. chocolate, and 5T. cream together in a pan.

Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix together until smooth and spread on top of cake.

Sorry I don’t have a picture of the ones I made…they were gone before I got the camera set to go.

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Several years ago we bought a cookie from some local bakeries that are now out of business.  I will describe them and if anyone has the recipe or knows what they are called, I would greatly appreciate you posting here.

They are three inch logs made up of a chocolate cake with banana flavoring.  Once the cookie is baked it was dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with candied sugar.

I have looked everywhere for either the cookie or the recipe and cannot find it anywhere.  The family remembers these cookies and would like to know either how to make them or where we can purchase them in the Detroit area.

We are going on a hunt today for them, if we find them I will let you know.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

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Two Sundays before Christmas has become somewhat of a tradition in our family for two of our children to come to our house and bake cookies.   Jenn and Pat have done this together for the past 15 years or so.

My husband and I are not allowed to comment, make suggestions, or watch.

This year the results of their afternoon are Swedish Nut Cups, Russian Tea Cakes and of course Thumbprint Cookies.  I am told that our daughter, Jenn, has the perfect size thumb for the Thumbprint cookies.   It is a lot of fun, but the cookies are generally gone within a day or two.

Following are the recipes they used this year.  If you try any of them, try the Swedish Nut Cups, they are delicious!

THUMBPRINT COOKIES

1/2 c. soft shortening
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. sifted flour
1/4 tsp. salt
chopped nuts
1 egg white

Combine shortening, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. Whisk together flour and salt. Stir into batter.

Roll into 1 inch balls and dip into slightly beaten egg white.

Roll the balls in the chopped nuts. Arrange on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 5 minutes at 375°F. Remove cookies from oven and press a thumb into the center of each cookie. Return and bake for 8 more minutes. Spoon jelly or icing into the impression made by your thumbprint.

Russian Tea Cakes (also called Snowball cookies in this house)

Ingredients

* 1 cup butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup chopped walnuts
* 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar for decoration

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners’ sugar. I also like to roll mine in the sugar a second time.

Swedish Nut Cups
These are really cute and yummy, plus they’re a nice change from typical Christmas cookies.

Dough: Filling:
1 Cup butter,softened(2sticks) 2 Cups chopped pecans
2 Cups flour 2 I5p’PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
2 Soz.pkgs.cream cheese,room temperature 2 eggs
2 CuPs brownsugar,tightly Packed
2 tsp. butter

Dough:Combine the butter,flour and cream cheese together. Mix well. Press tablespoon-sized pieces of dough
into the bottom and up the sides of greased mini-muffin tins. chill at least t hour.

Filling: Preheat oven to 375″. Mix together the butter with brown sugar’ Add the eggs, blending after each
addition. stir in the VANILLA. Add the pecans and stir by hand to combine. Fill the muffrn cups with 1 teaspoon
of filling. Bake at 375″ for 24-30 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in pan before removing to completely cool on a
wire rack.

Prep. time: 10 minutes plus chilling time
Baking time: 24-30 minute-s
Yield:4 dozen

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