Mad About Maida

Chocolate Chip Whole Wheat Cookies  (Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts   (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 117.   I have been wanting to make these for a long time but I could never remember to buy powdered skimmed milk. I have never used this in my life. I don't believe the product I purchased was "skimmed" milk but whatever, it worked.  The cookies are delicious, very soft and chewy. I did not have enough nuts on hand and used coconut instead. I plan to make these again soon (since I have powdered milk on hand!) and I will try the nuts next time. 1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter (softened) 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed 3 large eggs 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 1/3 cup dry instant powdered skimmed milk 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 6 oz. walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped (or shredded coconut can be sustituted) 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips Preheat oven to 375. Line cookie shee...

Palm Beach Brownies with Chocolate Covered Mints Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.) , pg. viii. I made these brownies again a few days ago and they were just as good as ever. This time I made half with York Peppermint Patties and the other half with Andes mints. There wasn't a noticeable difference in taste. The ones with the Andes mints were pretty with the mint green color but the ones with Yorks are equally pretty. When Maida Heatter's first book (the above-mentioned title) won the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame Award in 1998, she accepted her award on stage and began to toss out these brownies to the audience. Everybody clamored for one and went wild. The original recipe came from a local deli in her area and did not include the mints (that recipe is available in the first edition of this book). She tinkered with the recipe and added the mints which do not melt during baking. I've been itching to ...