PW's Texas Sheet Cake

I made this once for a party and it was to die for.

The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever.
Prep Time: 20 Minutes | Cook Time: 20 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 24

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Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
2 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
2 sticks salted Butter
1 cup Boiling Water
1/2 cup Buttermilk
2 whole Beaten Eggs
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla
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FOR FROSTING:
1/2 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
1-3/4 stick salted Butter
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
6 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar
Preparation Instructions

Note: I use an 18x13 sheet cake pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.

Individual Apple Crisp

This is my own creation...not bad.

Individual Apple Crisp

1 apple, cored, peeled and chopped
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 Tbs. flour
1 Tbs melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbs oats

Spray a ramakin with Pam. Add the apples (if you want at this point you can sprinkle on some cinnamon sugar and stir). Combine remaining ingredients. Sprinkle on top of apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Brownies

I want to try these... saw the recipe on two blogs and they were going on and on about them.

Update: Made them. Oh my, they are majorly yummy. And fudgey. I ended up cooking mine for 45 minutes, but I like mine a bit underdone.

Fudge Brownies


from the LA Times' Culinary SOS feature; this is the brownie from the Brownie Hot Fudge Sundae at a restaurant called BLD
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (13 ounces) chocolate chips
1/4 cup cocoa powder
5 eggs, room temperature
3 cups light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground espresso
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a large bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt together the butter, chocolate and cocoa powder, stirring until completely combined.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs and sugar. Whisk in the espresso, vanilla and salt. Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture, then the flour until thoroughly combined. Pour the brownie mix into a greased 13-inch-by-9-inch baking dish.

4. Bake the brownies on the center rack until set on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (it should have moist crumbs stuck to it, but the filling should not be doughy), 45 minutes to an hour and ten minutes (start checking around 35 minutes; the original recipe said they'd be done in 45 minutes, but at 45 minutes mine were still pretty liquid in the center. They were in there for a good hour). Remove the brownies and cool the pan on a rack to room temperature. Cut into squares to serve.

Disappearing Marshmallow Brownies

I thought I had posted this recipe already, as it is one of my most requested ones. Mom used to make these for us growing up and I still love them! I just made them for a bake sale here at work and you know I had to steal a couple for myself. I usually double the recipe, cause they are that good.

Disappearing Marshmallow Brownies (courtesy of Hope's mama)

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8x8 or 9x9 pan with cooking spray.

Stir the butter and butterscotch chips over medium low heat until they are melted. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Beat the egg and add it and the vanilla. Add the chocolate chips and the marshmallows and gently fold them in (no more than 5 strokes).

Spread the mixture into the pan and cook for 20-25 minutes. The center will still be "jiggly". Let cool and then cut and enjoy.

No Bake Cookies

My mother used to make these cookies fairly often while I was growing up. My favorite part was licking the warm yumminess off of the spoon.


No Bake Cookies

In a pan over medium-high heat (you know I am impatient and turn it up to high) add the following ingredients and stir until the mixture comes to a boil:

1 stick butter/marg
2 cups sugar
3 Tbs cocoa
1/2 cup milk

Once boiling reduce the heat a bit and boil for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in the following:

3 cups oats
1/2 cup PB
1 tsp vanilla


Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and let cool.

Mmmmmmmm..... *drool*

Lime Cookies

These are my favorite Christmas cookies. Mmmm. I have no problem sharing the rest of my cookies, but those? I save a bunch of them for myself. They are nice and crisp and limey. Yeah, I just made that word up. Oh and it's from some BH&H cookie recipe book.


Lime Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbs finely shreded lime peel
2 Tbs lime juice
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 recipe Sugar Topping

1. In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally.

2. Beat in shredded lime peel and lime juice until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches aparton an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each to 1/4-inch thickness with the bottom of a glass dipped in Sugar Topping.

4. Bake in a 350 degree oven about 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack until cool. Makes about 48 (yeah right) cookies.

Sugar Topping: In a small bowl stir together 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 Tbs green decorating sugar, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg.

Pecan Tassies

I think the official name is Tea Time Tassies, but that is just too cheesy for me. Mom always made these and I love them, so I called her and got the recipe. I am attempting them for a party tonight, so wish me luck...


Pecan Tassie

Crust:
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sifted flour

Blend cream cheese and butter in mixer. Add flour and mix. Make a ball of dough, chill until moldable (vague, Mom, vague). Roll into 24 one inch balls.

Filling:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs soft butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup broken pecans (Mom uses chopped)

Mix ingrdients. Pour into shells.

Bake at 325 for 20 to 25 minutes.

Secret Pumpkin Pie recipe

The women on my mom's side of the family have always made the best pumpkin pies (well except for my Aunt Darlene, but that's ANOTHER story). They all obviously used the exact same recipe and had always referred to it as the "secret family recipe".

Now pumpkin pie is one of my all-time favorite foods. I will even eat it for breakfast the morning after Thanksgiving, it's best that way, ice cold from the fridge. I'm a pie purist too, while the rest of the family uses Cool Whip, I enjoy it plain the way nature intended. Mmmm...

My first Thanksgiving living on my own, I decide to make my own pie. I called my Aunt Carol and asked for the secret recipe. She said sure, no problem, but that I HAD to make sure I used Libby's pumpkin, no other would do. Luckily I had a can of Libby's so I was ready to go and I told her that. She said really? Right in front of you? Turn it over.

The family's secret family recipe was the one from the back of the can. Oh, but wait, they use pumpkin pie spice instead of the separate spices! My Aunt was still laughing at me when I hung up on her.


The Brammer Family Secret Pumpkin Pie Recipe (thanks Libby's)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (can use more, it's a personal thing)
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin (not the pie mix!)
1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell (I use the Pillsbury ready made pie crust)

Directions:
Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour into pie shell.

Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.