Chocolate Date Cake

Chocolate Date Cake 
Source: Maida Heatter's Best Dessert Book Ever (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg.  77.

I had a large bag of dates, well sealed, that I thought would have to be discarded. Well, apparently, they don't expire. Maida uses dates in a lot of her recipes. This cake is easy to make, very dense with a subtle flavor. The icing is quite good to have only two ingredients.

After making this, I realized that her Chocolate Date Nut Cake is the exact recipe, except with nuts.

4 oz. (1/2 packed cup) pitted dates

1/3 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup boiling water

1 oz. unsweetened chocolate

1 oz. semisweet chocolate

3/4 cup unsifted unbleached flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/3 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350. Use the lower third rack. Line an 8x8x2 pan with foil allowing the foil to extend over the edges of the pan. Butter the foil and set aside.

Add the dates to a small bowl and add the baking soda and the boiling water. Stir to mix and then transfer the dates to a food processor. Process for 10 seconds. Set aside.

Place both chocolates in top of a double boiler and melt. Set aside.

Sift together the flour and salt and set aside.

In a mixer bowl, beat the butter until it is soft. Add the vanilla and sugar and mix. Beat in the egg, the melted chocolate and the pureed dates.

On low speed, beat in half of the sifted flour mixture. Add the sour cream and then the remaining flour. Beat only until incorporated.

Transfer to the pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top bounces back slightly when pressed.

Cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes. Carefully remove from the pan and the foil. Let the cake stand while you make the icing.

ICING

4 oz. semisweet chocolate

4 tablespoons whipping cream

Chop the chocolate finely and place in top of a double boiler. After the chocolate has melted, add the whipping cream and mix until smooth. Let it sit for a few minutes, occasionally mixing. Pour the icing on top of the cake and spread it with a spatula, covering just the top of the cake.  Let the cake stand at room temperature.

 

Coconut Cookies

Coconut Cookies (Source: Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982, pg. 307 and Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 191.).

An easy recipe for a delicious cookie. The dough needs to refrigerate overnight so plan accordingly. The cookies are very crisp. They are addictive!

3 1/2 ounces (1 to 1 1/3 cups) shredded coconut
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 oz. ( 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg

Makes about 36 cookies

Heat the oven to 325. Spread the coconut evenly on a shallow baking pan. Bake for 3-4 minutes. Stir. Return to oven and bake an additional 3-4 minutes or until the coconut is lightly toasted. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter in a mixer bowl. Add the vanilla and almond extracts. Add the sugar and the egg and mix.

On low speed, gradually add the sifted flour mixture only to mix. Stir in the coconut.

Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, press it together and shape into a cylinder about 6-8 inches long and 2 - 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

When ready to bake, adjust two racks in the highest position in the oven. Preheat the oven to 325.

Use a sharp knife to cut thin cookies, about 1/4 inches thick. Place cookies 1 inch apart on unbuttered cookie sheets. Bake for about 15-16 minutes, reversing the sheets halfway through baking time. Bake until lightly browned. Do not underbake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and store in an airtight container.

Buckeye Balls

This is not a Maida Heatter recipe but I was sharing it on my garden blog and thought, why not share it here as well? I usually make these around the holidays but they would also be good for Valentine's Day, especially if you are snowed in like we are!

Why are they called buckeye balls? Because they look just like the nuts of the Ohio Buckeye Tree (Aesculus glabra). Some people just call them "peanut butter balls" which is basically what they are.

All you need to make them are these 4 ingredients:

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 cups sifted confectioners sugar (If you prefer them less sweet, use 3 cups)






Line a baking sheet with wax paper (you may need two depending on the size).

In a stand mixer, mix all the ingredients until the mixture is creamy. (You can also do this with your hands).  

Shape into balls using 2 teaspoons of dough for each ball. (You can experiment with the size you want - some people like them larger, some like them smaller.) Place on prepared pan, and refrigerate for several hours or you can freeze them for 30 minutes. (If you are freezing them, it will be helpful to stick a toothpick in them now)





Hint: I use a small ice-cream scooper to make uniform balls.



In a metal bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water, melt the following (stir occasionally until smooth, and remove from heat):

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening

(You may find that you will need more chocolate. If so, just add more chocolate chips and shortening accordingly).




Remove balls from refrigerator, insert a wooden toothpick into a ball, and dip into melted chocolate. Leave part of the ball uncovered for the buckeye effect. Return to wax paper, chocolate side down, and remove toothpick. The toothpick will leave a hole, use your finger to lightly smooth it over. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set. They can also be frozen.

Chocolate Aggies

Chocolate Aggies (Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 239.

After I made these cookies, I knew I had made them before. After some searching, I was thinking about Chocolate Cracks. After comparing the recipes, they are indeed very similar. I have also made this particular recipe (with the powdered sugar on top) from a different recipe (not Maida's). I wasn't going to search for it but I think this is a fairly common cookie recipe and a popular one.  

These are so good and easy to make, despite the mess that the powdered sugar makes. 

This recipe will make 40 to 45 cookies.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped medium fine
1 cup confectioners sugar

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a heavy, 3-quart saucepan, over low heat, melt the chocolate and the butter. Stir occasionally until smooth.

Stir in the sugar, using a wooden spoon.

Stir in the eggs, one at a time.

Add the sifted flour mixture, stirring until smooth.

Stir in the nuts.

Cover and refrigerate the dough for 1 1/2 hours or longer (overnight is fine).

Adjust the oven racks to divide into thirds and preheat to 300 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment or foil.

Sift the confectioners sugar onto a large piece of wax paper. Sugar the palms of your hands and roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the confectioners sugar and place them 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. (It may be necessary to roll the dough balls again if the dough is wet).

Bake for 20-22 minutes, until the tops are barely semi-firm to the touch. If using more than one cookie sheet, reverse them halfway through baking. If using only one sheet, use the top rack. Do not overbake.  The cookies should be soft in the middle.

Transfer to a rack to cool.

Pennsylvania Squares

Pennsylvania Squares (Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 107.

This is a recipe that I had marked long ago as one to try. I was intrigued by Maida's introduction to the recipe when she stated that a taste tester at the Hershey company told her that it was her personal favorite. That is quite some recommendation!

After making these, I was certain that I had tasted them before. I don't know if it was the same recipe or just something similar. The cookies (or bars) have a thick, shortbread-like taste and consistency. There is an overall strong toffee flavor. 

I used plain old milk chocolate Hershey bars but you can use any brand you desire. I was thinking that a dark chocolate might be good. 

These are very easy to make. Getting them out of the pan might be the trickiest part although if you are very careful, there should not be any problems. I think lining the pan with a parchment sling or foil might work better.

This recipe makes 32 squares.

8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg yolk
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
8 1.45 oz. bars of Hershey's milk chocolate
5 oz. (1 1/4 cups) walnuts, chopped into small pieces

Adjust the oven rack one third from the bottom and preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 9x13" baking pan.

Beat the butter until soft. Add the sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the egg yolk and beat well. Add the flour on low speed, scraping the bowl as necessary. 

Transfer the dough to the pan in a thin layer. An easy way to do this is to spoon small pieces of the dough over the pan, then cover with a layer of wax paper. Using your fingers and palm, press down to form the dough into an even layer.

Bake for 23 minutes. The dough will rise and fall.

As soon as the pan comes out of the oven, place the chocolate over the dough allowing 1/4" to 1/2" space around the sides of the pan. After a minute, use a spoon to spread the melted chocolate over the top.

Sprinkle the nuts over the top. Cover with a piece of wax paper and press down to assure that they are embedded into the chocolate.

Use a small sharp knife to cut around the edges of the pan. Let stand until cool. Refrigerate until the chocolate has set.

Cut the cookies into 32 rectangles. Use a butter knife or a small spatula to gently ease the cookies out of the pan.

The cookies can be wrapped individually in cellophane or wax paper or place in an airtight container.