Saucy Chocolate Pudding Cake

Yes!!!! If you need a chocolate fix, this is for you. I thought I had lost this old recipe, but located it recently in my old recipe box, misfiled. It's super delicious!

Cake instructions:

1/4 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
2 oz. melted chocolate, unsweetened
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup milk

Cream the first 4 ingredients, then add melted chocolate. Mix dry ingredients and add to chocolate mixture alternately with 2/3 cup milk. Set aside.

Sauce instructions:

2/3 cup sugar
2 cups water
1 oz. melted chocolate
1/8 teaspoon salt

In medium saucepan, mix all ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Pour liquid into a greased 1 1/2 or 2 quart casserole. Drop cake batter by tablespoon into hot syrup. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. (or cook on top of stove in a covered saucepan over low heat for 25 minutes.) Makes approximately six servings.

Fudge Frosting

This is my favorite chocolate frosting. It's very easy to make and has such wonderful homemade flavor. If you want it to be even more fudgy, add another square of chocolate.

2 (1oz) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/4 cup butter (not margarine)
3 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk, cream, or half-and-half
1 tsp. vanilla

In a medium mixing bowl, combine melted chocolate and butter, stir to blend. Slowly add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat well.

Blackberry Wine Cake

Everyone comes back for more of this moist, delicious cake.

1 (18.25 oz.) white cake mix
1 (3 oz.) package blackberry gelatin mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup blackberry wine

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup blackberry wine


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt cake pan. In a large mixing bowl, stir together cake ingredients, then mix at medium speed for 4 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in 325 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Spoon half of the glaze over the warm cake. After 10 minutes, remove from pan. Cool cake and spoon remaining glaze over the top. To make the glaze, simply whisk together the wine and the powdered sugar.

Quick White Cake

This is a good, simple Mennonite recipe that makes a very delicious little cake. Quickly. It's rather dense and coarse, which aren't qualities you usually look for in a cake, but everybody loves it.

Combine:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

and the add:

1/3 cup shortening
2/3 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat for two minutes and add one egg, then beat for two more minutes. Bake at 350 for about half an hour, and then frost or ice with your favorite frosting or icing.

Chewy Butterscotch Brownies

The second time that I made these brownies, I accidentally put in all of the butterscotch chips at once, instead of saving 2/3 cup to sprinkle on top. The result was a denser brownie with almost a candy-bar consistency. We liked them so much that I have been making them that way ever since. (But you will need to shorten the baking time by 5 to 10 minutes if you do it my way.)

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 2/3 cup (11 oz. pkg) butterscotch baking chips, divided
1 cup chopped nuts, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in 1 cup of the butterscotch chips. Mix in nuts, if desired. Spread into ungreased 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining butterscotch chips. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes about 4 dozen brownies.

Chocolate Crinkles

An old favorite, and oh-so-good! I think this is my favorite cookie... well, definitely in the top three!






1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup powdered sugar

In a large mixing bowl combine oil, melted chocolate, and sugar. Blend in one egg at a time until well mixed. Add vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt together, then stir into chocolate mixture a little at a time. Chill dough for several hours or overnight. When ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough by heaping teaspoonful into balls; roll in powdered sugar. Place 2" apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 6 dozen.

Glazed Cinnamon-Raisin Biscuits

Remember Hardee's wonderful Cinnamon-Raisin Biscuits? Well, here they are again!


Biscuits:
2 1/2 cups biscuit mix
1/2 cup raisins
2/3 cup milk
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Glaze:
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon water or milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together biscuit mix, raisins, milk, sugar, and cinnamon to form a soft dough. Turn dough out onto cutting board that has been dusted with flour or biscuit mix, gently roll to coat. Shape into a ball; knead 10 times. Roll 1/2 inch thick; cut with 2 1/2 inch cutter that has been dipped in biscuit mix. Bake on greased cookie sheet or in two round cake pans in a 450 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. For glaze, beat together powdered sugar, water or milk, and vanilla. Spread over warm biscuits. Serve immediately. Makes 15 to 20 biscuits.

Amazing Soft Ginger Cookies

I came across this recipe after a particular coworker stole the ones I had from Lindsborg. And in retrospect, I guess it was a good thing. These cookies are unreal.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 generous teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (at least!)
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar (for rolling the balls of dough in)

And now I will reveal the Secret of the Cookie, because I find it amazing: If you want big, soft cookies, use cold butter or margarine (to accomplish this, you'll either need the kind that comes in the tub, or one heck of a good mixer). If you want flat, soft cookies, use room temperature butter. I swear. With that in mind:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture.

At this point you will absolutely want to chill the dough for a while, or it will be too sticky to handle.

When the dough is suitably chilled, shape it into walnut sized balls and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto a greased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly. Or don't flatten. I never do.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container, in the unlikely event that there are any left to store.

Butterscotch Spice Cookies

This is a cake-mix cookie recipe from Duncan Hines. You can vary the flavors of cake mix and chips, but this is my favorite combination. Serve warm or cold with a glass of milk... yum!

1 regular-sized package Spice cake mix
1/2 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
6 ounces butterscotch baking chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix half of cake mix with butter, vanilla, and eggs; stir in remaining cake mix a little at a time. Add a tiny bit of water if dough is too stiff. Stir in baking chips and nuts. Drop dough by teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 - 12 minutes. Allow cookies to rest on cookie sheet for 1 minute before removing to cooling rack. Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies.