Mad About Maida

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.) , pg. 144. These were not what I ex pected but they are delicious. The chocolate oatmeal cookies I remember were the ones my mother made and the ones in our school cafeteria. They were very moist and chewy. These are very crisp. They should be stored in an airtight container or they can be frozen (thaw before unwrapping) to keep them crisp. 2/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/ 4 cup plus 1 TBS. unsweetened coca powder (preferably Dutch process0 2 2/3 oz. (5 1/3 TBS.) sweet butter 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 1 large egg 1/3 cup milk 2 1/2 cups quick-cooking (not instant) oatmeal Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with aluminum foil. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa an d set aside. Cream the butter in large mixer bowl. Add th...

Georgia Pecan Bread Source:  Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.) , pg. 261 . This rem inded me of banana bread. It is very easy and quick - chopping the nuts was the only time consuming part. This is something nice to have in the freezer for company. 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1 egg 1 cup buttermilk 3 1/2 T BS. unsalted butter, melted 3/4 cup light brown sugar, f irmly packed 6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) pecans, cut or broken into large pieces Adjust rack 1/3 up from the bottom and preheat the oven to 350. Butter or spray an 8-inch loaf pan (or any pan with a 4-cup capacity) and dust with fine dry bread crumbs. Sift together t he flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside. Beat the egg slightly (you can use a hand mixer for this or do it by hand). Mix in the buttermilk... the melted butter... an...

Penni's Mocha Nut Loaf Source:  Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.) , pg. 65 . Th is recipe came from Penni Linck, a food and wine editor for House & Garden . It is not too sweet and has a wonderful mocha flavor. Maida says to serve it cold or at room temperature. I've tried it both ways and both Michael and I agree that it is best at room tem perature. Even better is warming it a little in the microwave and serving it with ice cream. Quite delicious! 1 1/2 cups sifte d all-purpose flour 1 tsp. salt 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process) 1/ 4 cup powdered (not granular) instant expresso or coffee 1 egg 1 1/4 cups sour cream 1 cup sugar 2 2/3 oz. (5 1/3 tbs.) unsal ted butter, melted 5 oz. (1 1/4 cups) pecans, cut or broken into medium-size pieces   Adjust oven rack 1/3 from the bottom and preheat to 350. You will need a loaf pan with a 7 cup capacity. Butter or s...

The King's Pound Cake with Strawberry Topping T he King's Poun d Cake Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.) , pg. 1 5 5 . This was Elvis Pres ley's favorite pound cake according to a 1997 TV Guide article. I was curious and did some Internet searches for this and all of them are identical except for the addition of mace. I'm not sure if the mace was a Maida Heatter addition but apparently it is opti onal. Mace is similar to nutmeg but much stronger. Maida goes into elaborate detail on measuring 1/8 of mace (apparently 1/8 measures must not have be en around when she wrote her book.  I overbaked the cake a bit and the crust was a little too dark. She recommends using a light metal pan and I did that and it still overbaked. Baking time calls for 75-80 minutes. I baked for 60 minutes which was still too much. Be careful! 1/2 lb. ( 2 sticks) unsalted butter (softened) 1/8 tsp. mace 1/2 tsp. salt 1...

Strawberry Topping (shown here with The King's Pound Cake ) Strawberry Topping Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.) , pg. 493 . This is the exact recipe that we had been using for years except we often subs titute Splenda for sugar. It is great either way. We use Grand Mariner - it is terrific with strawberries! 1 pint strawberries 1/ 4 cup sugar 2 to 3 TBS. curacao, irsch, Cointreau, or Grand Mariner   R inse and clean the strawberries and slice them len gthwise in about 3 slices. Place in a bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar. Turn gently with a rubber spatula. Add the liqu eur to taste and mix gently.  Cover and let stand at room temperature for a bout an hour, stirring occasionally. Re frigerate at least one hour. Serve over cake, ice cream, custard or pudding.  

Creole Pecan Praline Bars Source:  Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies (Random House, 1995 ed.) , pg. 5 7 . This is an old New O rlean s recipe and it is a breeze. A shortbread -like base is covered with pecans a nd a praline/caramel topping. For the Crust: 4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter (softened) 1/4 tsp. salt 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed 2 cups sifted unbleached flour 9 oz. (2 1/2 cups) large pecan halves Adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350. Run water into a 9x13 inch pan and s wirl it around until the pan is wet. Pour out all but a table spoon of the water and l ine the pan with foil. The water will help keep the foil in place. Beat the butter to soften it . Add the s alt. Add the sugar and the flour. Beat for a minute or two until the mixture forms tiny crumbs that hold together when you press them between your fingers. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and with your fingertip...