Mocha Brownies

Mocha Brownies

1 Cup butter
3/4 Cup cocoa
2 tbsp. Folger's Instant Coffee Crystals, crushed with a spoon
2 Cups sugar
4 eggs
1 Cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pre-heat oven to 350. Grease 13"x11" pan. Set aside. Melt butter in saucepan. Remove from heat and add sugar, cocoa and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Stir in eggs, one at a time. Add flour and stir until incorporated. Do NOT over beat. Bake in 350 degree for 27 minutes.

YUM!!!

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups oats
3/4 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degree. In a large bowl, combine the sugar brown sugar and butter; mix well to cream together. Add egg and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Add cinnamon, baking soda, salt and flour. Mix well. Fold in the oatmeal, cranberries, and white chocolate chips. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place 3 inches apart onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes, just until the edges are lightly golden.

Best Brownies Ever

There are a few recipes that my family loves and that we prepare regularly. Unfortunately, I keep misplacing the recipes. The similar recipes from cookbooks and the internet are not as good and we are always disappointed. Last summer I made a recipe file on our computer. Problem solved. When our computer crashed last month, we lost many documents including our favorite recipes. To save future problems, I am posting some of these recipes on our blog.

Joe's Fudgy Brownies (from the back of Spartan Cocoa, 16 years ago)

1/2 Cup butter or margarine
1/2 Cup baking cocoa
1 Cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 Cup flour
1/2 Cup chopped nuts (we use pecans or walnuts)

Grease 8 x 8" pan. Melt butter in pan. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa. Beat until smooth. Add sugar and mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Stir in vanilla and flour. Do NOT overbeat. Fold in nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes. If feeling really indulgent frost with Karen's Fudgy Frosting.

Fabulous Fudge Frosting

This Fudge Frosting is the best I have ever made. It is very, very rich. The kids regularly request it on their birthday cakes or on brownies. YUM!

Karen's Fudgy Frosting (from the back of Spartan Cocoa about 16 years ago)

1/3 Cup Butter
1/3 Cup Baking Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk

Melt butter. Remove from heat and add cocoa. Stir until well blended. Add vanilla, powdered sugar and milk. Stir until smooth. Frosting with thicken quickly, so spread immediately. Frosts two 8" or 9" round cake pans.

Recipe for Marshmallow Fondant

I've been wanting to make my own fondant and recently found this recipe. Hopefully, it will taste better than the store bought kind.

Blueberry Scones

Madelyn begged to be allowed to make breakfast this morning. She wanted to make pancakes or waffles, but I didn't want to deal with the sticky mess that invariably ends up on the dining room chairs. The mess is never discovered until I sit down with the children to do school and end up needing to change my slacks. Never a good way to start school on a Monday.

Instead, I searched through Michael's new cookbooks and found a recipe for Bacon Blueberry Scones. We have never had scones before, so I decided to do it without the bacon to keep it a little more familiar. Here's the recipe, including the bacon. We'll probably add it next time, since these were such a big hit with the children. Heroically, I didn't eat any and stayed on my diet.

Bacon Blueberry Scones
from Taste of Home Simple and Delicious Cookbook

2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 ground cinnamon
1/3 cold butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon vegetable
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1 egg
1 Tablespoon milk

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk buttermilk and oil; add to crumb mixture. Stir in blueberries and bacon.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead 10 times. Pat into an 8-inch circle. Cut into eight wedges. Separate wedges and place on a greased baking sheet.

In a small bowl, beat egg and milk; brush over scones. Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Yield: 8 servings.