Mad About Maida

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cookies Source:  Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies (Random House, 1995 ed.) , pg. 99 . These are big, soft, moist cookies loaded with walnuts, raisins and chocolate chips. I dare you to just eat one! 1 1/2 cups raisins 1 1/2 cups walnuts, broken into small pieces 2 cups sifted unbleached flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 1 stick unsalted butter, softened 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1/2 cup sour cream 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips Preheat the oven to 375. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Steam the raisins in a vegetable steamer or strainer over shallow hot water. Let the water boil for a few minutes until the raisins are moist. Remove the raisins and place them on a sheet of foil to air out. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Beat the butter until softened. Add the vanilla.     Add the sugar and beat well. ...

Pinwheels Source:  Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.) , pg. 184 . These cookies are fun to make but you may find them a bit time consuming. They look extraordinary and you will be proud of yourself when they come out of the oven. I still haven't mastered the art of rolling up a perfectly "round" roll - mine always end up a bit flattened. This will affect the appearance so try to make the dough roll as round as you can. And if you have any tips on doing this, let me know! The cookies are good and actually better after a day or so. I found the almond, pecan and coffee flavors more noticeable than the chocolate, which I could not detect. But now that I think about it, I'm sure the whole purpose of the chocolate is to provide the darker colored dough. I used powdered expresso instead of instant coffee. I don't believe it will make much of a difference. Although the recipe says that it makes 56 cookies, I did not have...

Devil's Food Chocolate Ice Cream Source:  Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.) , pg. 312. Mmmmm, this is sinfully delicious! Extremely creamy and decadent, it is hard to stay out of it. Chocolate ice cream is one of my favorite things in the world and Maida Heatter says it is her favorite dessert. I blundered and deleted my "how-to" photos that I usually include. However, this is very easy and not difficult to make. 11 1/2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate 1 cup milk 3/8 cup honey 7 egg yolks 2/3 cup granulated sugar 2 cups heavy cream Break up the chocolate and place it in a heavy saucepan along with the milk and honey. On moderate heat, scrape the bottom of the pan with a rubber spatula until the mixture has melted. Whisk until smooth. Beat the egg yolks with an electric mixer. Gradually add the sugar and beat until it becomes pale in color. Slowly add the warm chocolate mixture on low speed. The mixture will be thick. T...