Chocolate Miracles

 

Chocolate Miracles (aka Chocolate Fudge Cookies)
(Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 32.

I had to laugh when I saw this recipe. There are a total of 3 ingredients, it only takes a few minutes to make but in true Maida fashion, the printed recipe is 1 1/2 pages long! haha

That's right, only 3 ingredients -

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Preheat the oven to 350. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (the cookies want to stick so don't use foil!).

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate over hot water. (I usually bring about an inch of water to a boil, then turn it off, place the pan of chocolate over it and let it sit. If it is a lot of chocolate, you can cover it which will melt it faster. After a few minutes, stir the melted chocolate.)

Add the sweetened condensed milk. Turn the heat back up and bring the water to a boil. Constantly stir the mixture with a rubber spatula for five minutes.

Remove the pan and whisk the mixture until smooth. It will be slightly thick.

Stir in the pecans.

Use a small scoop and place mounds of the batter on the parchment paper. Place them 2-3 inches apart. The cookies will spread a little during baking but not too much.

Bake for 15 minutes on the upper two racks. Reverse them about halfway through baking.

Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies to a wire rack. This is a bit tricky as the cookies are sticky. I found that two methods worked well and I used both. One - hold the corner of the parchment paper with one hand and carefully slide a thin spatula under them. The other method - use both hands, holding the cookie with one hand while you carefully peel off the paper with your other hand. 

The cookies are soft and chewy. As they sit, they become harder. For best results, serve them after baking or within 24 hours. They should not be stored airtight because they will loose their crispness. They can be covered loosely with wax paper.

German Oatmeal Cookies

 

German Oatmeal Cookies
(Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 94.

One of our favorite cookies are the ones from the Quaker Oats oatmeal box. These are very similar but there are a few differences. They include dates and chocolate chips as well as some additional spices. They are soft and dense cookies and very tasty. The chocolate chips are a great addition and I would almost add more chips, especially if you are a chocolate lover.

1 cup raisins
Boiling Water
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup pitted dates, chopped
2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1/3 cup water
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Makes 48 cookies

Preheat oven to 400. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. 

Boil a cup of water in a small sauce pan and pour the water over the raisins. Let is set for five minutes. Drain the raisins. Save 1/3 of the water to use later.

 Sift the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and allspice together. Set aside.

 Cream the butter -

Add the sugar, beating well -

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well -

Add the dates and the raisins -

Add the oatmeal -

Add the 1/3 cup of water that was used for the raisins (only 1/3 cup!) -

On low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients -

 

Add the chocolate chips and pecans -

 

Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of the dough and place them on the cookie sheets about 2 inches apart

If you want, you can place a whole pecan on top of each cookie (I didn't do this).

Bake for 12-14 minutes, reversing the pans halfway through for even browning. Bake until the cookies are golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed.

Transfer to a cooling rack.