Mad About Maida

  Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 45. I've wanted to make this recipe for a long time. I don't know why it has taken me this long to get to it. The recipe is very unusual. Just a few ingredients and it only bakes for 15 minutes.  It is not difficult to make at all but not a fast recipe and it needs to chill before serving. Anyway, who was this Countess Toulouse-Lautrec? Of course, I immediately thought that it must be the artist Toulouse Lautrec's wife but no. She was Marie Pierre "Mapie" de Toulouse-Lautrec (1901-1972), a French journalist and food writer. She was related to Toulouse-Lautrec by marriage. According to Wikipedia, she invented the detachable recipe card that you find in magazines when she was a writer for Elle magazine. She introduced this recipe to American audiences in McCall's magazine in 1959. The cake is dense, somewhat like a cheesecake, but not really. It is ...

  Chocolate Miracles (aka Chocolate Fudge Cookies) (Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 32. I had to laugh when I saw this recipe. There are a total of 3 ingredients, it only takes a few minutes to make but in true Maida fashion, the printed recipe is 1 1/2 pages long! haha That's right, only 3 ingredients - 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk 1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped Preheat the oven to 350. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (the cookies want to stick so don't use foil!). In a double boiler, melt the chocolate over hot water. (I usually bring about an inch of water to a boil, then turn it off, place the pan of chocolate over it and let it sit. If it is a lot of chocolate, you can cover it which will melt it faster. After a few minutes, stir the melted chocolate.) Add the sweetened condensed milk. Turn the heat back up and bring the water to a boil. Constantly stir the mixture wit...

  German Oatmeal Cookies (Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 94. One of our favorite cookies are the ones from the Quaker Oats oatmeal box. These are very similar but there are a few differences. They include dates and chocolate chips as well as some additional spices. They are soft and dense cookies and very tasty. The chocolate chips are a great addition and I would almost add more chips, especially if you are a chocolate lover. 1 cup raisins Boiling Water 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ground cloves 1/2 tsp. allspice 8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter 1 cup granulated sugar 3 eggs 1/2 cup pitted dates, chopped 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal 1/3 cup water 1 cup pecans, chopped 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Makes 48 cookies Preheat oven to 400. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Boil a cup of water in a small sauce pan and pour the water over the raisins. Let is s...