Apple Cinnamon Roll Cobbler

There are changes coming in the next few months and this blog will be moving. I don't know if I have shared this before, I apologize if this is a repeat, but I recently re-opened my business. Years ago, I started making soaps and home made bath products. I eventually turned it into a business I called Sara's Soaks. Life constantly changes and soon Sara's Soaks was gone. This year I decided to bring it back from the dead. I opened an Etsy store and started doing some promotions. My life has often felt pulled in so many directions. I didn't feel like I had focus or a real dream to work towards. The reason I felt this way is because I didn't really believe that my big dream was something I could do. It was too big, too unrealistic, too expensive and so on. So I broke it up into little easy bits. I think it made it harder because I felt like I was being divided and I couldn't focus on anything. I had no clear goal any more. This blog shows that more than anything because every few months I announce how I am changing my focus on the blog. It's not because I am wishy washy (okay maybe I am, just a little) but because I can't seem to figure out how to make this blog work. It goes back to my being divided. I'm in the learning stages of my dream but the real focus has always stayed there in the back of my mind. This week, a friend of mine asked for a few volunteers because she wanted to experiment with helping artists with branding (marketing sort of branding not hot iron branding). I jumped up and said "pick me, pick me" because I am struggling. She sent me a questionnaire which asked me what I wanted in the big picture, what I wanted from her and where do I want to go. My first response was "I don't know" and then I proceeded to tell her exactly what I wanted. I didn't know I had a clear picture, it wasn't until she wrote back to say that starting with "I don't know" holds me back because what she saw was someone with a clear picture of what she wanted. I was shocked, I cried. I was the one holding my self back - I'm the one who didn't feel like my dream was feasible so I sabotaged my dream. She said she gave me permission to dream but what she did was allow me to accept what I want as something I allowed to want. I can't say for certain that I will live my dream but I won't know until I try. As part of the work she is doing for me, she is going to help me build a website that allows me to consolidate all the parts of my dream which will include this blog. I love this blog and now that I have a clearer picture of where I want to go, I should be able to be more clear with this blog. Not much will change but the blogs location. I will still share recipes and my foraging experiments. I will still work on offering natural, inexpensive alternatives. However, I will change from trying to come up with a plan for where this blog is going to knowing where this blog is going. My ultimate goal in life is to have a small sustainable farm, to live off of the food I grow or find in nature and to teach others how to do that. I'm going to go back to herbology and maybe even work towards some certifications but I will share that with you. I will share more failed experiments (there are so many that I keep to myself but could be a good lesson for others). More importantly, I will share more of me with you and my dreams. You'll discover that I am absolutely nuts about highland cattle and had a heartbreaking affair with two beautiful nubian goats (and I can't wait to do it again). I currently live in an apartment but I keep trying to figure out how to convince our manager that chickens can be pets or at least beneficial to our complex. I'm a terrible gardener with dreams of having acres of gardens (I think I have some sort of disorder). With all that said, I did have a recipe and some experiments I want to share. I've been working on making my own chocolate chips. They are not working. I found a recipe which made me so happy but the chips are too soft and when I made cookies all the chocolate melted. The cookies looked severely burnt and there were puddles of unsweetened chocolate left behind. My first batch I tried making with sugar to have the sugar sink to the bottom of the pan leaving really bitter chips. I loved them but my family was not impressed. I made a second batch with corn syrup but they are still not very sweet and too soft for chocolate chip cookies. I don't really like the idea of corn syrup and I think I need to add some wax. I will share the recipe once I get it to where my family will eat them. I have been dehydrating fruit. I saw a blog post about dehydrating fruit and the woman dehydrated beautiful slices of orange. I wasn't sure about that but we had some oranges that no one was eating so I dried them. They are amazing. I cut the oranges in half because I didn't think anyone wanted to eat through the rind before getting to the dried pulp. They are really tasty. I figure they would make a fun treat but also would be great for cooking with. I also made a batch of granny smith apples (half sprinkled with cinnamon). My remaining granny smiths went into this cobbler. I saw a peach cobbler that was covered in cinnamon rolls made from biscuit mix. Since we already make our own biscuit mix and have made cinnamon rolls from it before, this seemed like a no brainer. It's so good and we have no whipped cream (or Cool Whip). Apple Cinnamon Roll Cobbler 5 granny smith apples, cored and sliced (because I used the leftovers from the apples I put in the dehydrator this is just a guess, the apple parts filled a 9x13 pan) lemon juice 1 cup sugar 2 Tablespoons flour 2 cups baking mix (with shortening like Bisquick, if none add 1/4 cup shortening) 3/4 cup milk 1/2 cup butter 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon 1-2 teaspoons sugar After cutting apples soak in water with lemon juice while prepping the dough. Mix together the flour and sugar in a small bowl and set aside. In a larger bowl dump the baking mix (cut in shortening if needed). Pour in the milk about 1/4 cup at a time until you have a stiff rollable dough. If the dough gets too wet sprinkle in a little extra baking mix. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle (about 9 x 13). You want it as rectangular as possible and it no more than 1/4 inch thick. Melt the butter. Brush butter on rolled dough until it has a nice smooth layer. Sprinkle on cinnamon and sugar until a nice thin crust forms. Roll the dough along the long edge until cinnamon roll like. Cut into 1/2 inch disks. Drain apples and layer in a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle over sugar and flour mix. Pour over remaining butter. Top with cinnamon rolls. Bake at 350 for up to an hour, checking every 15-20 minutes. The cobbler is done with the cinnamon rolls are fully cooked and the apples are soft.

Homemade Vanilla Wafers

Nilla Wafers are one of those snacks that I love but my husband does not so we don't have them that often. It's probably better that way since they are a little pricey and not very good for you. I found this recipe online and thought it was a good time to try them out. They are the easiest cookie I have ever made but the author's directions left something to be desired. Because I followed the directions - my first batch were these tiny buttons of cookies but that didn't prevent them from disappearing before the next batch was out of the oven. I did find that pinching off about a 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of dough, rolling it in a ball and then flattening it, made much better cookies. They actually crisped up. I got nice golden edges but the interiors were still softer than Nilla Wafers so you may want to bake them a little longer. I made sure to use real butter and my own homemade vanilla. My vanilla wasn't as strong as store-bought vanilla because it hasn't been "brewing" long enough but it still had good flavor. This cookie is a great base for flavors and I can't wait to try my homemade orange extract in it. I did use whole white wheat flour and you couldn't tell they were whole wheat. They were so tender and tasty. All 40+ cookies were gone by morning, which made me very sad because I wanted some with lunch. The guys could not get enough of these cookies. Homemade Vanilla Wafer 1 stick butter 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg 1 tablespoon vanilla 1 1/4 cup whole white wheat flour 1 tsp baking powder Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add in egg and vanilla. Mix in baking powder before adding the flour. Pinch the dough off into 1/2 - 1 teaspoon balls, roll firm and then press flat onto baking sheet. Twenty-four cookies will fit on a typical baking sheet - they do not spread so you can set the cookies about 1/2 -1 inch apart. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Slightly overbake for a more 'Nilla Wafer like texture or eat when still tender. *I bake all my cookies on silpats. I highly recommend purchasing a couple. They last for years and eliminate the need for greasing a pan or using parchment.

Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies

I wanted to name these cookies Sunday Morning Breakfast Cookies but my husband didn't like the name. I loved it until I had a cookie the next day. The flavor just didn't stay the way I wanted it to so that whole Sunday morning feel was kind of gone. That's not to say the cookies weren't good because they are great. They are tasty and healthy which is the best combination you could have. I made these rather plain but they would benefit from some nuts and dried fruit (maybe even a chocolate chip or two).
I developed these cookies when my Dad said he needed a dessert for an activity. I made him some mint chocolate chocolate chip cookies so I didn't want to make something with chocolate to go with them. I wanted something different. We've been experimenting with applesauce chocolate chip cookies but why not try applesauce oatmeal cookies. The end result was great. They are sweeter than I expected them to be and, even with all the cinnamon, not overly spicey. They have great texture and are already on their way to being a family favorite. I dipped the cookies in a glaze made from orange juice and powdered sugar. I found that while the glaze added so much flavor when I first dipped, after the glaze dried all the orange flavor went away. I didn't measure the sugar when I made the glaze so I have no recipe to share for that but I don't really think the cookies need the glaze to taste good.

Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies
2 1/2 cups applesauce
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 TB molasses
2 eggs
2 teas vanilla
2 teas cinnamon
1/4 teas nutmeg
1 teas baking soda
1 1/2 cup flour
5 cups oatmeal
In a large bowl, mix together applesauce and sugar. Add the molasses and beat well before adding in the eggs. Add vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda. Mix until all incorporated. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well. Stir in oatmeal. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

Double Chocolate Mint Cookies

It's been a blah week for me and I haven't been cooking. I whipped these up this morning. I have shared this recipe before but I made a few simple changes. What I got was a more natural (I would say all natural but I can't be positive with the chocolate chips). The flavoring is natural and it's really good. I purchased an all natural mint extract from Walmart but it's the Watkins brand. I can't wait to try more all natural flavorings and in the meantime need to come up with ways to use the artifical flavors that are still in my pantry.

Double Chocolate Mint Cookies
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 ¼ cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teas mint extract
1 cup cocoa
½ teas baking soda
1 ½ cup flour
2 cups chocolate chips
Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Add cocoa and baking soda, slowly mix until smooth. Add flour ½ cup at a time. Mix in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Butter Mints

A local candy company makes very pricey butter mints but they are such a treat. That was until I learned to make my own. This is one of the few recipes I would suggest using the highest quality ingredients because they make a huge difference. The candies are slightly labor intensive but I believe you could use a mixer - I just haven't tried. The dough does get warm rather quickly, if it refuses to roll out - stick it in the fridge or freezer for a little bit. The taste is wonderful.
For an even better treat - dip these in chocolate.

Butter Mints
½ cup butter
1 pound confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon cream or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
Food coloring, optional
In mixing bowl, cream the butter. Gradually add sugar, cream and extracts. Knead into balls; add food coloring if desired. Flatten into patties or roll between two sheets of waxed paper to 1/8 in and cut into desired shapes. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Store in refrigerator.

Super Easy Cookies

It's one of those times of the year when baking seems to take over. There's parties and gifts all for one day - this time Valentine's Day. Want a cookie that is so easy and so versatile that it will make baking a joy no matter who many the kids say they need.
I love this recipe - it uses a cake mix. You can pick any variety and play with it. Some you can frost or add candies to, making a completely new cookie.

Easy Cake Mix Rounds
1 package cake mix
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease baking sheets and set aside. In large bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs. Drop dough by teaspoons onto baking sheets. Bake in oven 8 to 10 minutes. Let cookies cool slightly before removing from sheets.

PS - I still haven't forgotten about the baking mix. I just haven't had time but if all goes well I'll have recipes for you tomorrow.

Old Fashioned Ginger Snaps

I had such plans for my evening that involved baking. We ate dinner and watched a movie. By the time it was over, I was falling asleep in my chair (it was barely 8 pm). There would be no baking for me. My husband so kindly made a gingerbread cake for me to take to my ladies night tonight. During the night, I was dreaming that I accidentally ate all the gingerbread - I guess I could smell it in my sleep - so I had to make cookies. Since I was unable to experiment with the baking mix, I decided to share a cookie recipe. Not just any cookie but a gingery snap that reminises of gingerbread and all those wonderful Christmas smells (which make me wonder why I didn't dream of Christmas, I remember going to sleep thinking the house smelled like it).


Old Fashioned Ginger Snaps
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup shortening
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the sugars, molasses, shortening, butter, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. In another large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and beat while adding the water. Continue to mix until ingredients are incorporated. Measure a heaping teaspoon of dough at time. Roll the dough into a sphere between the palms of your hands then press the dough onto the cookie. Flatten to about 1/8-inch thick. Bake cookies for 10-14 minutes or until edges begin to brown and cookies are crispy when cool. Makes 120 (10 dozen) cookies.

Tapioca Pudding

We watched Thoroughly Modern Millie this week and that movie is not complete without a serving of Tapioca pudding. My mom gave me this quick and easy recipe which is so tasty. I can't wait to try it with other flavors aside from vanilla but I like the plain pudding so much I haven't been able to talk myself into making it lemon or orange.

Tapioca Pudding
1/4 cup small tapioca pearls
1/4 cup boiling water
3 cups milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Add tapioca to boiling water and let sit. Heat milk, eggs, and sugar in a saucepan on the stove. Whisk them smooth while heating over med-high heat. Add tapioca when the water is completely soaked up or after you have everything whisked smooth, which ever comes last. Stir constantly with a spoon until warm and thick. Add vanilla and mix well.

We serve right away because we are impatient. We ate this with cool whip and blueberries and it was so tasty.

Lemon Cake

I took some time off yesterday and totally spaced writing any blog posts. I like having home time be home time but I hate forgetting to keep up here. Today I am sharing a lemon cake recipe I created a few weeks back. I love lemon cake - so much so that I asked for it for my wedding. My mom makes an awesome cake with lemon cream cheese frosting but she cheats and uses a cake mix. Her frosting is a homemade cream cheese frosting with lemon extract. This cake is a little drier and denser than a cake mix but comes together just as easily. Note that I use lemon juice and extract. That gave the cake an extra punch of lemon. Lemon extract is finiky. It doesn't always come through. The best way to add lemon extract to a recipe is to stir it in with the eggs. The protein in the eggs helps preserve the flavor so it doesn't bake out.

Lemon Cake
1 cup butter
1 ¾ cup sugar
4 eggs
1 TB lemon extract
1 teas vanilla
¼ cup lemon juice
1 cup milk
1 TB baking powder
3 cups flour
Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, mixing lemon extract into eggs before mixing into butter and sugar. Beat smooth. Add vanilla and lemon juice. Add baking powder. Beat well. Alternate flour and milk as you add them into the batter. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until firm.

Easy and Tasty Bread Pudding

This is my last post of 2011 so I thought I'd share a really good one. This is my mom's recipe for Bread Pudding that she created just a week ago. It won first place in a contest at her work but it has stolen the hearts and stomachs of all who has tried it. This is super simple because most of the ingredients are pre-made. It's super sweet and full of that homey goodness that everyone craves during the holidays. Now - my mother is not one who uses recipes so she was kind enough to attempt to create a recipe. This is what she sent me and what I can't wait to try sometime over the next week.

Three LARGE almond poppy seed muffins. Would have been better if they were a little drier. And maybe not as much muffin
2 1/4 cups eggnog
5 eggs
1 cup sugar (or it might have been half a cup)
a teaspoon of orange zest - fresh
1 T or so of Countreau - or however you spell the orange liquor
1/4 c butter (1/2 stick)
about 1/2 to 1 cup walnuts

Cut up muffins into bite size pieces, set aside
In a large bowl mix (with mixer) eggnog, eggs, sugar and liquor
In a saucepan or frying pan melt butter, add walnuts and orange zest.
Mix egg mixture, muffins and walnuts (but not butter) together, gently to not mush the muffins.
In an ovenproof bowl pour butter and spread all over bowl to keep pudding from sticking
Pour or place in the rest of the ingredients.

Preheat oven to 375, using a roasting type pan (rectangle) fill about 1/3 with water and place
bowl with the pudding into so that it is cooking in a water bath.

Cook until done in center. This is like 30 to 60 minutes. While cooking it will crust but still be jiggly inside until it is done.

Serve warm.

Hard Sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
1/4 cup brandy
2 T butterscotch schnapps (optional)

Cook in saucepan, bring to a boil but be careful not to scorch.
Turn down heat. Cook to slightly thicken but
not so that it hardens. Spoon over pudding in bowls. Also serve warm or hot.


Okay, that is the best I can do.

Krispy Scotcharoos

This is one of those recipes that my mom made when I was growing up. As an adult I looked for the recipe because she had gotten off a box of rice krispies. The recipe had changed over the years so you will notice that there is an alternative to the recipe - that is how my mother made it all those years while the recipe I have is the one rice krispies had during my search. It's been years since I found it so there is the possibility it has changed again. The only problem with this recipe is that it doesn't hold together as nicely as a rice krispie treat but they taste so good it doesn't matter.

Krispy Scotcheroos
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups rice krispies
6 oz chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
Melt sugar in corn syrup over med heat, stirring until begins to boil. Remove. Add peanut butter, mix, add krispies. Stir until well coated, press into greased pan. Melt chips together, stir well. Top cereal mixture, chill until firm.
-alternative: add butterscotch chips to cereal mixture with peanut butter, top with plain chocolate.

Apple Lasagna

I meant to post this Friday but the holiday messed me up. I injured my wrist yesterday so I am finally getting around to this. I made this Apple Lasagna last weekend using my homemade apple pie filling. I used about 4 cups of filling per 20 oz can. I also only used 3 noodles per layer instead of 4. This was great and everyone loved it.

Apple Lasagna
12 lasagna noodles
2 (21-ounce) cans apple pie filling
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup quick oats
Dash of ground nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles to desired doneness; drain and set aside. Coat a 9- 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Layer 4 noodles on bottom of prepared dish. Spread 1 can of apple pie filling on top, slicing any extra-thick apples. Layer 4 noodles over the apples. In a large bowl, mix together the Cheddar cheese, ricotta cheese, egg and granulated sugar; spread them evenly over the noodles and top with the remaining 4 noodles. Spoon remaining can of apple pie filling over noodles. In a small bowl, crumble together the flour, cinnamon, margarine, brown sugar and quick oats. Sprinkle over the apple filling. Bake 45 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes then slice into serving-sized pieces and serve warm or cold.

Pumpkin Seed Brittle

This has just been one of those weeks so I'm going to keep this short. I discovered this brittle recipe years ago. The brittle was a garnish for a larger dessert but we loved it so much that it became a family favorite. It's quick and easy. The brittle part is more of a candy coating on the pumpkin seeds. I use shelled store bought seeds though you can use ones you roast yourself.

Pumpkin Seed Brittle
In heavy 6-8 inch frying pan over med-high heat, stir 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water until sugar is dissolved. Cook without stirring, shaking pan often, until mixture is a deep amber brown color (5-10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in ½ cup hulled and roasted pumpkin seeds. Pour onto 12x15 piece of buttered foil and spread thin. Let cool until had (6-10 min) break into ½ inch pieces.

Halloween Party Planning Part 2 - Brains

No Halloween party is complete without a dish of brains. Over the years I have experimented with a varity of techniques that are rather tasty and just goulish enough to be fun.
For years I made a lumpy brain dish out of rolls that I stuffed with pepperoni and cheese. I used the rolls to make a monkey bread version of a brain and would paint them with red and blue food coloring. For added gore, I would drizzle pizza sauce over the top (serving with pizza was a must).
Last year, we bought a zombie brain mold for about $4. I used it to make panna cotta and served it with raspberry sauce. If you are not familiar with Panna Cotta, it's a white milky gelatin dish that molded beautifully. It was gruesome.
Here are two more ideas.
Brain cupcakes - this is more a technique than a recipe since you can use any cupcake to make these.
Melon Brain I'm tempted to try this but fruit carving is not my thing.
Purchasing an inexpensive brain mold can open possibilities but you don't have to let that limit you.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta
3 teas gelatin
3 1/2 tbs. cold water
1 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup + 2 tbs. sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
2 cups buttermilk
Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in med bowl. Let stand untouched for 3 minutes. In small saucepan - combine cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and pour over gelatin. Stir well to dissolve gelatin. Let cool to room temp. Remove vanilla bean and add buttermilk, stirring to mix. Strain mixture through fine sieve and pour into grease mold. Cover and chill 6 hours.

Yeast-free Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe was given to me by a friend. During that time, we were on a yeast free diet but this recipe has remained a favorite due to it's simplicity and the speed in which we get a hot cinnamony treat. The recipe calls for a baking mix. It works fine with any baking mix from gluten free to homemade to Bisquick. We've made it dairy free and with butter instead of the shortening. It's a great recipe that holds up to changes easily.
Omit the frosting and it's a not so sweet afterschool snack. You'll notice I didn't include a frosting recipe but mention it. That's because we rarely eat these with anything else. They are great with extra butter or dunked in cocoa.

Cinnamon Rolls
2 cups baking mix
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk
½ cup melted butter
1 cup sugar and ½ cup cinnamon combined
oven to 450. Grease 9x12 baking pan.
Cut shortening into mix. Add milk to make dough. Roll into ½ inch thick rectangle on a dusted surface. Baste with melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roll tightly lengthwise into a long roll. Slice 1" thick and place in pan. Bake 12-15 minutes or until done.
If adding icing - do so while still warm so it melts.

Coconut Pecan Frosting

I'm feeling lazy today so I'll share the recipe for Bourban Dinner Rolls tomorrow (it's not a complicated recipe but I have to type in the whole thing). Instead I'll share a quick frosting recipe to go with the chocolate cake from yesterday. This is a really easy recipe and will taste like it took forever to make.

Coconut Pecan Frosting
1 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream
3 large egg yolks
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/3 cups flaked sweetened dried coconut
1 1/3 cups chopped pecans
Combine sugar, milk, egg yolks, and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the mixture is thickened and bubbling gently around the edges. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut and pecans. Let cool until spreadable. This keeps, refrigerated, for about 1 week. Soften before using.
Alt ingredients - 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 3 egg yolks, ½ cup butter, 1 t vanilla, 1 1/3 cup coconut, 1 cup chopped pecans.

Devil's Food Cake

After reading Joanne Fluke's Devil's Food Cake Murder, I had my husband copy some recipes before sending it back to the library. Not knowing that there were several pages to each recipe, he copied the pages and away the book went. This weekend when I decided to make her Devil's Food Cake recipe I discovered I had the list of ingredients and the first little bit of instructions. I believe this cake had multiple layers to it but what I got was still a decent chocolate cake. It was denser than I expected and think I will use AP flour instead of cake flour next time.
I had to guess on the cooking time but it came out nicely, I also used a 9x13 pan and I believe the recipe is for round pans so that you can make layers.

Devil's Food Cake
1 cup water
3/4 cups butter (or Nucoa)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 oz unsweetened chocolate (I used 3 TB cocoa powder and 1 TB oil)
1 teas instant coffee or espresso
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 teas baking soda
1/4 teas baking powder
1/2 cup unsweeted cocoa powder
2 eggs at room temp (set in hot water while preparing ingredients if cold)
2 teas vanilla
3 cups cake flour or 2 1/2 cups AP flour
Combine water, butter, 1/2 cup white sugar and brown sugar in saucepan. Break up chocolate into pan. Heat on Med High heat until chocolate and butter melt. Remove from heat and add instant coffee. Let cool.
Prepare 2 9"round pans or 1 9x13 pan by oiling and flouring the pan.
In a large bowl or mixer, mix 1 1/2 cups white sugar, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Alternate liquid from saucepan with flour. Mix until combined. Pour into pan and bake at 350.
For 9x13 pan bake 35 - 45 minutes, 2 9" rounds should be checked at 25 minutes and baked until center is firm (test with toothpick - if it comes out clean, cake is done).
We frosted with peanut butter frosting. When I get the book back I will double check her instructions against the ones I made up and see if there's anything I should change and I will share her frosting recipe for the cake.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Making your own chocolate syrup is almost easier than buying chocolate syrup. One thing I have learned, however, is that this is not a recipe that does well when doubled or tripled. I think the sugar doesn't dissolve enough or something because when I attempted to triple the recipe it turned out gritty and not very good. I love this recipe because it is simple. It comes out just like Hershey's syrup so it's great on ice cream but makes great chocolate milk. You end up with about 1 cup of syrup with this recipe and it stores easily in a glass jar in the fridge.

Chocolate Syrup
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
Boil water. Add cocoa and sugar. Heat until dissolved, stirring constantly.

Caramel-Pecan Sauce

This is a great easy sauce for desserts. I still haven't had time to do much baking this week but I just found an easy cookie recipe that I might be trying tonight to share with you tomorrow. We're changing routines from summer to school and that always requires adjustment.
This sauce is great on ice cream or on warm chocolate cake.

Caramel-Pecan Sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla
In medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients except vanilla, mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Cool about 15 minutes or until thickened.

Hot Buttered Rum Sauce

Things are crazy here in Pullman. WSU started a new year monday which means the tide has turned and we have to adjust. I'm sharing this sauce recipe - it's quick and easy and tastes great on ice cream (try it over chocolate - so good).
I just got a couple of recipes for homemade sweetened condensed milk - one with dairy and the other dairy free. I think I'll try this recipe with them and get back to you.


Hot Buttered Rum Sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup dark rum
2 tsp. vanilla
In medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter and milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir in rum and vanilla.