Big Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cookies

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. Both cookies baked correctly at the same time but their appearance was different. The cookies on the silicone mat (left) were perfectly smooth and the ones on the parchment paper (right) had a cratered 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 oven to 375.

Line cookie sheets with parchment (see my note above).

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

Slice the butter into small pieces and place it in a heavy 3-qt. saucepan. Add the chocolate and melt over low heat.

Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar with a wooden spoon.

Add the egg.

Add the vanilla.

Stir until smooth.

Stir in half of the sifted dry ingredients.

Gradually add the milk, a few drops at a time.

Add the remaining dry ingredients.

Stir briskly until smooth.

Use a heaping teaspoon and place in even mounds 2-3 inches apart on the cookie sheet.

 Bake for 10-12 minutes. The cookies are done when the tops spring back when lightly touched. Let stand for a few minutes before transferring to a rack with a wide metal spatula. Prepare the glaze.

Chocolate Glaze

1 oz. (1 square) unsweetened chocolate 
1 TBS. unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp. hot water
2 TBS. heavy cream
1 cup strained confectioners sugar

Melt the chocolate with the butter in a small double boiler over moderate heat. Remove the top of the double boiler and stir in the hot water and the heavy cream.

Add the confectioners sugar and stir until smooth. You may need to add more water or sugar to get the desired consistency (similar to a heavy cream sauce)

Smooth the glaze over the tops of the cookies or use a pastry bag to make designs. Let stand for a few hours to dry.

  

Joan's Pumpkin Loaf

Joan's Pumpkin Loaf
Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.), pg. 253.

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 introduction 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 vertically and then horizontally to avoid having air pockets where the flour can accumulate. You still want the dates to be sizeable 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 brown sugar)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 lb. (2 cups) canned pumpkin (solid packed, not pumpkin pie filling)
8 oz. (1 cup) pitted dates, each date into 2 or 3 pieces
4 oz. (1 cup) walnuts, cut or broken into medium-sized pieces     

Preheat oven to 350 and adjust rack 1/3 up from the bottom. Butter or spray a 10x5x3 inch loaf pan (or a loaf pan with a 10 cup capacity). You can also use two smaller pans and make 2 separate loafs. Dust the pan with fine, dry bread crumbs. 

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves and set aside.

A hand held mixer is perfectly fine or you can even mix it by hand. In a large bowl, slightly beat the eggs.

Add the sugar, beating just to mix.

   

Add the oil, just to mix.

Mix in the pumpkin.

Add the dates.

Add the flour mixture and stir or beat only until it is mixed.

Add the nuts.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan(s) and smooth the top.

If you are using a large pan, bake for 70-80 minutes. If using smaller pans, baking time will be less, about 55-65 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing the cake to cool on a rack.

This can be wrapped in plastic wrap after cooling and refrigerated for several days or it can be frozen.

Buttermilk Spice Cake

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, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.

Beat the butter to soften it.

Add the vanilla.

Add both the sugars and beat for 1-2 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl, and mixing well.

On the lowest speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk.

The bowl can become quite full after adding the flour and buttermilk. A splash guard or towel covering the mixer is advised!

Add the lemon zest.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Smooth the top.

Bake 35-50 minutes, depending on your oven. (I always begin checking early because I find that most of Maida's recipes call for too long of a baking time!) The cake is ready when the top springs back when lightly touched and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let the cake cool on a rack for about 15 minutes. Cover with a cookie sheet or rack and invert. Invert again and let the cake completely cool. Prepare the icing.

 

Brown Sugar Icing

I did not photograph the preparation of this icing but it is quite simple.

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 TBS. butter
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a medium-sized saucepan, over low to medium heat, stir the sugar and cream until the sugar is dissolved. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil and let it boil exactly 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl and add the butter, stirring it until it has melted. Add salt and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until creamy and slightly thickened. The mixture will still be warm. Immediately pour over the cake and spread with a long narrow spatula. Note: Do not freeze this cake after it has been iced - the icing will become wet when thawed.)

David's Cookies

David's Cookies
Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.), pg. 24.

It's that time of year when baking becomes a frequent activity. Starting with Thanksgiving and continuing through Christmas and up to Valentine's Day, there are also numerous birthdays on our schedule as well as parties and get-togethers. Since I've started this blog, I've been baking all year. I'm now looking at recipes that are appropriate for the holidays and winter months 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 so I made them as Maida instructed although she says she sometimes makes them larger. I liked them smaller - they are wonderful bite-sized morsels. Use the best quality chocolate you can find for the best cookie. I just used regular Baker's brand and they turned out quite nice!

8 oz. semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter (softened)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
Optional: 4 oz. pecans or walnuts, broken into large pieces

Preheat oven to 400, adjust racks to divide oven into thirds. Line cookie sheets with parchment. Cut chocolate in large chunks. Set aside.

Beat the butter until it is smooth.

Beat in the salt and vanilla, until well mixed.

Add the sugar, mixing well.

Add the egg and beat until mixed, scraping bowl if necessary.

On low speed, add the flour and beat until incorporated. Remove the mixer bowl from the stand.

Stir in the chocolate (and nuts, if using) with a wooden spoon.

Mix - the mixture will be thick and sticky.

Use a rounded teaspoon for each cookie. Place them 2 inches apart on the lined sheets.

Bake 2 sheets at a time for 6-10 minutes, reversing the sheets halfway through baking. Bake only until the edges of the cookies start to brown. Do not overbake. For softer cookies, slightly underbake them (about 6 minutes). If you like them crisper, bake longer.