Here is a great recipe that my family has used for a long time. Tried and True! My daughter Sarah and I had a great time making these and sharing them this week. I thought you might like to try it too! Enjoy!
Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Balls
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 sticks of margarine or butter softened
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
1 lb. milk chocolate melts (chocolate coating)
Directions:
Combine the peanut butter, margarine, powdered sugar, and graham cracker crumbs. Shape into small balls and dip in prepared chocolate and place on waxed paper covered plate and refrigerate until glossy.
Or you may want to use a small peanut butter cup mold and put a small amount of melted chocolate in the bottom of each cup and push a peanut butter ball down into the chocolate and top with a small amount of melted chocolate to cover the ball. Let set in the refrigerator a few minutes until glossy.
Gently remove from mold and place in paper cups or on your tray.
I didn’t really start the day planning to make old fashioned banana bread. Today I was sorting books and got to looking through some old cookbooks. I found a recipe for old fashioned banana bread. We had some overripe bananas that needed to be used so I suggested Esther make banana bread. She got even more creative and made a video of her process. This was her first attempt at banana bread. She said to remind readers to soften the butter which she forgot to do. And she said she poked it a few too many times checking for doneness. The bread turned out to be delicious.
Even though she put the recipe at the end of the video I am including it here at the bottom of the page.
Old Fashioned Banana Bread
3 ripe bananas
1 Tbs water
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 beaten eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1 cup nuts
Mash bananas and water together. Set aside 3 minutes, and then mix remaining ingredients together as listed. Bake in loaf pan at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.
I am really stretching myself today to share this video from the past.
Several years ago I wrote an ebook called Baking for Profit. I also produced my very first traumatizing (for me that is) video on youtube. If you would like to see how I decorate a Valentine Heart Cookie or learn about my Baking for Profit book check out the video below. Through the years I have made hundreds of these cookies if not thousands. You can find the recipe below the video.
You can probably use any Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. Below you will find the recipe that I have used for many years.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks or 1 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cupbrown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla and almond (if desired) I love it!
2 eggs
12 oz. chocolate chips
Directions:
Beat the softened margarine with brown sugar and white granulated sugar. Add eggsand vanilla and beat again. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add the flour, soda, and salt.Beat together. When mixed well add chocolate chips. For party cookies, I spread about 1/2 inch or a little more in my cake pans which have been sprayed with cooking spray. If I am baking a lot of these to sell I weigh the pan and the dough as I fill it. ** I write it down so that all of them will come out the same OR if you just want to remember how much dough you would put in each pan. I want these to come out about 1 inch thick. I never weigh these unless I am baking them to sell. I usually bake until the top is springy and the cookie has pulled slightly away from the sides. It will depend on your oven. I start checking the larger ones at about 30 minutes. It will be a beautiful golden brown, not too dark though. I can tell now by the smell when they are just about ready. With a little practice you will be able to do this. When you take this out of the oven you run a table knife around the edge and let cool for a few minutes. Turn this out on a wire rack to finish cooling. For the really large ones I use two racks one to hold on the front of the pan while I flip it out and one rack to flip the bottom side of the cookieonto to cool. This prevents breakage.
Variation:
You can also bake these in a round pan or 13X9 pan.
Use a small scoop and drop them on a cookie sheet for individual cookies, bake until done.
HINTS:
** I have found that even the same size Wilton pans may vary in weight so I do not give you the weights.
For the large party cookies make sure that you coat your baking pan with cooking spray or shortening.
I usually double the recipe to make my largest heart cookie. I make one small heart and my large heart from a double batch.
For the heart cookies I have 4 sizes of Wilton’s heart cookie pans. 6,9,12,14 inch pans. I have used the same pans for many many years. You may use any size you wish just put about 1/2 in the pan (not more than half full because it will rise and be too thick).
To Decorate the Cookie:
I make a buttercream frosting. I usually do my message in green. I write the message first (It’s easier if you do it first and then I use an open star tip and make a border around the cookie. Make a rose or purchase roses and add to your cookie. Add a few green leaves and you are finished. Or omit the roses if you wish.
Today I made some no bake coconut bonbons. These are gluten-free. I found a recipe at My Incredible Recipes and as many of us do and changed it up a bit to make Tiffany’s birthday bonbons.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Coconut Bonbons
The original recipe for No Bake Coconut Snowballs can be found here:
Use the ingredients for the recipe for No-Bake Coconut Snowballs and add about 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice and a teaspoon of vanilla flavoring to the original recipe. I put everything into the food processor and processed. I then made balls and refrigerated them. I dipped them in white chocolate ( 1 melted about 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips) and put back on my parchment paper and I put it in the freezer for a few minutes. Enjoy!
Gluten-Free Chocolate Coconut Bonbons
Make a second batch and add only vanilla flavoring to the batch. Make the balls and refrigerate until firm. Now dip them in semi-sweet chocolate (melt 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips) and place on the parchment paper and back in the refrigerator until set.
This is a cake that I have made for many years. I have made it for potlucks, church camp, and just company dessert. If you have ever been to our house for a “singing” you may have sampled this cake. I usually keep the ingredients on hand so that I can put together a cake quickly if the need arises. It is not only quick but economical. A big plus is that everyone who likes chocolate will love this cake!
Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups white sugar 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1 cup water 1/2 cup shortening or cooking oil 1/2 cup Hershey’s cocoa unsweetened 1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk that has been soured) 2 eggs 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
6 Tablespoons milk
4-5 Tablespoons cocoa 1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powder sugar
Finely chopped walnuts if desired 1/4-1/2 cup
Directions For 15 Minute Chocolate Sheet Cake:
Mix flour and white sugar and set aside.
In a small saucepan boil 1/2 cup margarine, 1/2 cup shortening, 1 cup water, and 4 Tablespoons cocoa.
Pour cocoa mixture over flour and sugar mixture. Stir in buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well and pour into a greased jelly roll pan (17 in X 11in)
Bake in preheated oven 350°- 400° degrees oven for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Frosting: 5 minutes before cake is done bring to boil 1/2 cup butter, 6 Tablespoons of milk, and 4-5 Tablespoons of cocoa. Remove from heat and immediately stir in 4 cups powdered sugar, vanilla, and beat or stir until smooth. Immediately pour frosting over cake. Sprinkle with nuts. Enjoy warm or cooled. The frosting tastes like chocolate fudge. This is a very yummy cake and it is very hard to eat just one piece.
I believe I received this recipe in 1980 while at Freed-Hardeman College from a cookbook put together by the Preacher’s Wives Club.
While in the Northeast recently I came across a lot of whoopie pies! One of the ladies from church brought some to share AND she was willing to share her recipe with me. Well, actually it was her mom’s recipe. She brought two kinds of whoopie pies to share: these yummy chocolate ones and some zucchini ones.* I got permission to share her recipe. Thanks, Beth!
Mom’s Whoopie Pie
(Boy, these will take you back to the good ole days!)
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
Sift the flour, soda, and salt together. Mix the cocoa and sugar together and combine with the flour mixture. Beat the egg slightly and add the vanilla and milk to it. Combine with other mixtures. Finally, add the oil and mix well. Drop on a baking pan. 2 Tablespoons for each cake. 12 cakes to a pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.
Whoopie Pie Filling
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup Crisco
1 cup confectioner sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tsp. marshmallow fluff
Beat butter, Crisco, sugar, and vanilla with an electric beater. Fold in fluff. Spread between halves of the whoopie pie cakes. Wrap in plastic to store.
Marie Hazelton passed this along to her daughter Bethany Guion and we appreciate that for sure. Keeping passing those recipes down folks! Share your stories!
You can find the Zucchini Whoopie Pies here: https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipes/zucchini-whoopie-pie-cookies
Sometimes good things come unexpectedly. Around 2:30 on Sunday afternoon I remembered that I needed to make cookies for the connect time after church. (Church starts at 5!) I almost sent my kids to the store to get something for me to bake with but decided to use the ingredients I had on hand. This is what I created with what I had on hand. I was really surprised that so many people asked for the recipe. So here it is!
Peanut Butterfinger Bars
Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter crunchy
6 Tablespoons butter softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 oz. Butterfinger Baking Bits
Instructions:
Preheat your oven 350° and spray your 13X9 baking pan with cooking spray.
Cream peanut butter, butter, and sugars, then add extract and stir in eggs until well blended. Stir in the flour. ( IT DOES NOT HAVE BAKING SODA OR POWDER)
Spread batter in pan and sprinkle with the Butterfinger bits. Press them lightly into the batter. Bake 350° for 20-25 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.
I have been making taffy bars so long that I cannot remember where the recipe came from. Probably more than 30 years. One thing I like about this recipe is how fast it is! It mixes and bakes fast and uses just a few ingredients.
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
Topping:
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4-1/2 cup of finely chopped nuts
—————————————————
Directions:
Mix together and pat crust into a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with an edge. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned. As soon as you remove it from the oven, pour 12 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate chips over the crust. Let it set for a few minutes until soft and spread over crust and sprinkle with nuts. Cut into squares. I get at least 32 squares. These are rich and you may wish to cut them smaller. The chocolate needs to set a bit before serving. You may wish to cool 5 minutes in the fridge or freezer to speed this process up.
Update: My favorite pan size is actually 17X11. Here is a picture of it with the taffy bars just made.
My local Publix store is having a clearance sale in their baking section. It is common for them to change items frequently so out with the old and in with the new. I love chocolate so it was very obvious time for me to try new products and stock up instead of sticking with my old favorites! I purchased semi-sweet jumbo chips, Butterfinger crumbles, and mini Hershey’s kisses. So I came up with a new recipe!
My new favorite cookie! (this week)
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1 teaspoon almond flavoring
2 eggs
2 ¼ all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 bag of jumbo semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
I do the one bowl shortcut method of mixing. Cream butter with sugars and then add flavorings and eggs. Mix well. Dump the flour on top and dump the soda and salt on top and slightly stir them into the flour. Mix all together until well blended. Add the chips and walnuts. I use my medium scoop and put about a dozen balls onto my cookie sheets. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Depending on your oven it may require 2-3 minutes more or less. I remove them from the oven and let them stay on the cookie sheet a minute or two before removing them to the cooling rack.
Extra notes:
You may shape these as you wish. I have a very hard time timing baked goods. I can tell by smell and sight when they are done.
I have been making taffy bars so long that I cannot remember where the recipe came from. Probably more than 30 years. One thing I like about this recipe is how fast it is! It mixes and bakes fast and uses just a few ingredients.
