Mad About Maida

Apple Kuchen Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.) , pg. 108. The Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving were mild enough to work outside, getting the leaves blown and taking in the tender plants to the basement. Sunday was a different story as a front brought in rain and colder air. It was a perfect day to be in the kitchen! I did not have anything specifically planned to bake and Michael suggested doing something with apples since we had a large bowl of them on the counter. Apple Kuchen comes from Maida Heatter's first book, " Book of Great Desserts ". "Kuchen" is German for cake and as I started this recipe, I realized that it is a lot like Ina Garten's French Tart that we love so much. The crust for this recipe is quite different though and has a mealy, almost crunchy texture. It is very good and would be perfect for a breakfast dessert with a cup of coffee. 1/3 cup light or dark raisi...

Black and White Coconut Slices Source:  Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel, 1997), page 164. Chocolate and coconut - a favorite combination.  These cookies remind me somewhat of a Mounds candy bar. The soft, chewy coconut and pecan center is surrounded by a chocolate cookie that has a soft, sand-like texture.  You will notice that my cookies have a circular shape. The illustration in the book shows a square-shaped cookie. I'm not sure how this happened but I doubt the shape of the cookie affects the taste. The recipe is comprised of two parts - the filling and the dough. There are many steps but they are not that difficult. The Filling 1 cup packed shredded coconut 3 oz. cream cheese (room temperature) 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. almond extract 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped Chop the coconut into short pieces, either with a sharp knife or in a food processor. Set aside. Cream the cheese in a mixer. Beat ...

Pecan Squares Americana Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.) , pg. 209. Also available in Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts (Random House, 1993), page 332 and Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel, 1997), page 100. I'm guessing that pecan pie is one of the best-loved desserts ever. My mother loves it, Michael loves it, and his aunt Berneice, who lives in Grenada, Mississippi, always requests it every year for Thanksgiving. I've already made the pecan pies, and they are in the freezer. I wanted to do something different, though, and when I saw this recipe, I knew this was it. This is one of Maida Heatter's signature recipes. It originated at the Americana Hotel in Miami Beach. She says that she teaches it in her classes because they are easy and everyone loves them.  When I first read the directions for the pastry shell alone, I questioned whether this recipe was that easy. But, ...

Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.) , pg. 60. At the library where I work, we have a party every semester for the staff members who are having birthdays.  I took this cake to our party a few weeks ago. It is a three-layer cake layered and covered with a fluffy, mocha-flavored whipped cream frosting. (If you don't like the mocha flavor, you can omit the coffee or espresso). Cake Ingredients: 6 oz. (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate morsels 1/4 cup water or prepared coffee 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 6 oz. (1 1/2 sticks) sweet butter 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar 3 eggs (graded large or extra-large) 1 cup buttermilk Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter three 9 inch pans and line the bottom with baking liner paper. Butter the paper and dust with fine bread crumbs or flour. Place the chocolate and water (or ...

Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cookies Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.) , pg. 125. I love icebox cookies. They are easy to make and it is convenient to have them on hand when you need them. You can slice off as many as you want and keep the rest in the freezer. These are very dark cookies that are crisp and not too sweet.  Ingredients: 1 1/2 c. sifted all-purpose flour 3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process) 1/4 tsp. salt Generous pinch of finely ground black pepper Generous pinch of cayene 3/4 tsp. cinnamon 6 oz. (1 1/2 sticks) sweet butter 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 c. granulated sugar 1 egg (graded large or extra-large  Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, pepper, cayenne and cinnamon and set aside. Cream the butter in a mixer bowl and mix in the vanilla and sugar. Beat in the egg. Gradually add the flour mixture; periodically scrap down the bowl with a rubbe...

Buena Vista Loaf Cake Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.) , pg. 94. Maida describes this cake as "almost a fruit cake but not as sweet". Since I can count the number of times I've eaten fruit cake on one hand, I can't reliably comment. I can say that I liked the taste and Michael thought it was great. It is loaded with fruits and nuts. This was another recipe where I kept thinking it could not possibly turn out right but in the end, it did! This is a very heavy and dense cake. Once again, I had to really watch this in our super-fast oven. The top browned more than I would have liked but on the other hand, she states that the top will be crunchy. This was ready in 1 hr. 10 min. (the recipe calls for 1 1/2 hours). As always, ovens vary. Michael sliced this up and arranged it beautifully on a platter. I took this to the monthly Master Gardener meeting/luncheon where there was a ton of d...

New Orleans Chocolate Layer Cake Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.) , pg. 57. Since this recipe is rather lengthy (as most of Maida's recipes are) and I don't want to be accused of copyright infringement, I will occasionally link the recipe elsewhere if it is available. You can find the full-text of this recipe (as well as Maida's introduction) here . If the link doesn't work, let me know. My Notes : What a delicious cake this is! I usually make notes in the book after I complete a recipe and I had jotted down "rave reviews" next to this one. I took it to work a few weeks ago and my co-workers were very complimentary and everyone wanted to know what was in the filling. It is a dark and moist cake with a thick pudding-like filling and covered with a lush but delicate whipped cream frosting. I also noted "filling was a bit complicated". It was, but as with all of Maida...

I recall making Cowboy Cookies in the past and I remember that coconut was involved. There are lots of different versions of this cookie (Maida says that any cookie made in Colorado which contains chocolate and oatmeal is called a "Cowboy Cookie"). They are very crisp and keep well in an airtight container. I would prefer more chocolate in them but they are still very addictive. Excellent with a glass of milk! Colorado Cowboy Cookies (Makes 36 cookies) Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 119 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 pound (1 stick) sweet butter 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed 1 egg (graded large or extra-large) 1 cup quick-cooking or regular (not "instant") rolled oats* 3 ounces (1/2 cup) semisweet chocolate morsels 2 ounces (ge...

Chocolate Raisin Clusters Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews-McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 250 I wanted to start out with something really simple and Maida says in her introduction that these are so easy that a five-year-old can make them. I have made them in the past and they are indeed very easy and very delicious. On our vacation a few weeks ago, I packed some of these to snack on instead of a bag of candy bars. It is important that they be stored airtight because they do dry out quickly. Ingredients: 8 oz. semisweet chocolate 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk 5 ounces (1 cup) raisins Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot water on moderate heat. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove the top of the double boiler. Add the condensed milk and stir until smooth, then stir in the raisins. Use a rounded teaspoon of the mixture for each cluster, forming 24 clusters and placing them on a piece of aluminum foil....

This is my second blog and I will be the first to admit that I already have too many irons in the fire. My partner accuses me having undiagnosed ADD and I will not argue with that. I have often included blog posts on my other blog about my baking endeavors. Why not have a separate blog devoted to baking? And to be more creative, why not a blog dedicated to my favorite cookbook author Maida Heatter? So here I go. What do I hope to accomplish? For one, I'd like to become a better cook and learn techniques that I've been too afraid to attempt in the past. Secondly, I'd like to introduce readers to Maida Heatter, an absolute genius whose books and recipes I've come to love. And, for the record, I've never met the woman. I only know her through her books. Maida Heatter is an excellent teacher. Her recipes, even the simplest ones, can go on for pages and pages. That is not because they are difficult but because she leads you through the recipes step-by-step, showing ...