Mad About Maida

Big Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cookies Source:  Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.) , pg. 40 (page 38 of 2011 edition). These are big, soft cookies (no nuts) that practically melt in your mouth. They have a very sandy texture. An interesting sidenote: I baked these on 2 cookie sheets, one with a silicone mat and the other with parchment paper. B oth cookies baked correctly at the same time but their appearance was different. The cookies on the silicone mat (left) were p erfectly smooth and the one s on the parchment paper (right) ha d a cr atere d look. I think the cratered ones looked the best - both tasted the same .    2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda Pinch of salt 4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter 2 oz. (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate 1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed 1 egg 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 cup milk  Preheat ove n to 375. Line cookie sheets with parchment (see my note ...

Joan's Pumpkin Loaf Source:  Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.) , pg. 25 3 . This is insanely good! I always make a pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling every year but I decided to try something different . Maida raved about this in her intro duction and she was right - it is fantastic. One note about the dates : I bought a package of pitted dates and sliced them cross- wise two or three times depending on the size of the dates. The dates were hollow in the middle which caused flour to accumulate and not incorporate into the mix. I would suggest that you slice the dates vert ically and then horizontally to avoid having air pockets where the flour can accumulate. You still want the dates to be siz eable chunks. 2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ground cloves 2 eggs 2 cups granulated sugar or light brown sugar, firmly packed (I used 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup of b...

Buttermilk Spice Cake Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.) , pg. 124. After I made this last week and tasted it, I knew it was familiar. It brought back memories of cakes that my grandmother and aunts would make for family get-togethers and holidays. It is a perfect blend of spices and glazed with a caramel-like icing. Delicious! 3 cups sifted cake flour 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 3/4 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 tsp. powdered cloves 6 oz. (1 1/2 sticks) butter (softened) 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 3 eggs 1 1/2 cups buttermilk Finely grated rind of 1 lemon Adjust rack 1/3 from the bottom of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13x9x2 inch pan and dust it lightly with fine, dry bread crumbs. (Note: I used a Baking spray and it came out fine) Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nu...

David's Cookies Source:  Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.) , pg. 24 and  (S ource:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great American Desserts  (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982, pg. 283). It's that time of year when baking becomes a frequent activity. Starting with T hanksgiving and continuing through Christmas and up to Valentine's Day, there are also numerous birthdays on our schedule as well as parties and get-to gethers. Since I've started this blog, I've been baking all year . I' m now looking at recipes t hat are appropriate for the holidays and wi nter mo nt hs and I'm getting my nerve up to tackle some of Maida Heatter's more intimidating desserts. I made these cookies last week for our annual birthday party at work. I'm not sure who David is but his cookies were very popular in New York in the mid-80s.  They are made with chocolate chunks and have a very sandy texture. I finally located a teaspoon-sized scooper ...