Cookies and Milk

Cookies and Milk. Synonymous with After School Snack. This is the first year my boys are going to school having been home schooled until this point in time. They are now 13 and 15 years old and eat like 13 and 15 year old growing boys. I've been trying to keep up with the baking, but now that I work I don't get too much time for casual baking. Needless to say, the variety of cookies baked for the all important after school snack has become rather ho-hum. The boys favorite: chocolate chunk cookies of any variety. Granted, these are the ultimate in comfort food. However, they aren't the most interesting.

I recently had a little extra time. Here are the results of that time. I made an apple-spice cookie based on a recipe in the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook. I used a couple different spices to include juniper berries. These are, as my boys said, "different, but good." I made my own apple butter for the centers, which I mixed with cream cheese as well as spreading a thin layer on the cookie. These taste great, but smell even better!

The other cookie is one that I've been making for years. It is my husband's favorite: almond cookie with raspberry jelly. The original recipe is very basic and utilizes chocolate kisses for the centers. I replaced some of the wheat flour with almond flour, made a firm chocolate ganache for the center and made my own raspberry jelly for the topping. Of course, my boys had to weigh in on these. Their opinion: "Good, but would be better if there was more chocolate and less raspberry." They don't care for fruit too much so that doesn't surprise me at all. What isn't better with more chocolate?

Buttermilk Fudge Cake Recipe

Buttermilk Fudge Cake (Photos in last post)

2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
1 stick butter
1 cup water
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small saucepan bring to a boil, shortening, butter, water and cocoa.

In a large bowl, blend together the buttermilk eggs, baking soda, vanilla and sugar.

After chocolate mixture has boiled gradually pour into sugar mixture and blend well.

Add the flour while continuing to blend.

Pour mixture into a greased 11x13 inch pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Frosting

Boil 1 stick of butter, 4 tablespoons of cocoa, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 6 tablespoons of milk.

Add this mixture to 1 box of powdered sugar (1 pound box). Spread frosting over HOT cake.

Buttermilk Fudge Cake

Many years ago I went to Colorado with a friend....and our kids. My friend hailed from Littleton. We met in Twenty-nine Palms, California, where both our husbands were stationed, both being Marines. It must have been all the "dry" heat of the Mohave Desert for we had this crazy notion that it would be fun to load up our 4 children, all under the age of 4, and take a two day road trip to Colorado, remaining there for 2 weeks! Yes, two whole weeks at my friend's parent's home in Littleton.

What can I say? Four little ones under the age of 4 does not make for a relaxing trip. One of the things I remember most was a chocolate cake made by my friend's very kind, generous mother.(This women let us stay at her home! As I look back on it, I think she should be canonized. Our visit didn't even phase her. I guess after six kids of her own there wasn't much my kids could do to rattle her.)

This miraculous cake was named, simply, "fudge cake" and it quickly became my vicodin. When eating it I didn't hear my 18 month old wailing from his port-o-crib or my friend's son and daughter fighting over a toy. I just remember that this saint of a woman made the most delicious chocolate cake in her broiler pan. It was no nonsense comfort food. It was true, pioneer style, feed as many as you can with no frills type baking.

I ate so much of that cake it was a wonder I was ever asked to visit again! OK, I felt so guilty about being in this woman's home that I spent a lot of time vacuuming and cleaning as my way of saying "thank you for letting me invade your home with my two toddlers even though you've never met me in your life." Maybe the invitation back had something to do with the clean floors.

Back to the cake: I did manage to wrangle the recipe from my friend's mother. OK, she just gave it to me. But, I could never bring myself to make this cake in a broiler pan. I can say that the thinner the cake and the thicker the icing, the better so I do use a large rectangular pan. I soon found out, however, that this was a sturdy cake that could withstand cutting into shapes and baking in any pan imaginable. (Parchment definitely helps to keep it from sticking, though.)

Originally the cake was served strait from the broiler pan. The icing would be poured over the cake while it was still hot. When the cake cooled enough to cut, it was served. When bringing this cake someplace I use a spring form pan and let the cake cool a bit so that the icing doesn't just run down the sides. I even put a yummy filling in between layers when I'm in the mood. No matter what my mood, though, I always enjoy a piece of this simply delicious comfort food.