New book on the way from Maida Heatter!

A commenter brought my attention to an article that appeared in yesterday's New York Times. It discusses Maida Heatter's rise to fame and features her recipe for 62nd St. Lemon Cake. At 101, she still resides in Miami Beach and is currently working on a compilation of her fan's favorite recipes with her niece. The book is to be published in the summer of 2019!

Chocolate Chunk Coconut Peant Butter Cookies

Chocolate Chunk Coconut Peanut Butter Cookies

Source: Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies (Random House, 1995 ed.), pg. 136.

Lots of raves for these cookies. I shared them with a committee group and the remainder with some friends. The cookies are crisp and I normally prefer a soft cookie. These are actually a mixture of crisp and soft. I used chocolate chips that I had left over in the cabinet. Maida Heatter says that they are fine but if you use higher quality chocolate, they are even better. I will have to try that next time.

I have no idea what the 1 tablespoon of sour cream does. I thought that was odd but I guess it keeps them from being too dry?

No need to question the ingredients though because these are the bomb!

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (chopped) (Chips are fine)

1 cup salted peanuts

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups sifted unbleached flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter (softened)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter

1 TBS. sour cream

1/2 cup packed dark or light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 packed cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 325. Line cookie sheets with either parchment or foil.

Pulse the peanuts and the sugar in a food processor about 5 or 6 times until the nuts are in large pieces.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda.

In a mixer, beat the butter and add the vanilla, peanut butter and sour cream. Add the brown sugar and the egg. Add the sifted flour mixture and beat on low speed.

Remove from the mixer and add the peanut mixture, chocolate and coconut. Mix well.

Form the dough into balls. I use a scoop to make it easier. You can use your hands but you will need to wet them often. After forming the balls and placing them about 2" apart on the cookie sheet, use a fork to press them into 1/2" thickness (the fork will need to be wet to avoid sticking).

Bake about 12 minutes (reverse the pans about half-way during baking if you are using two). The cookies are done when they are lightly browned  but the tops will still be soft. They will crisp up when they have cooled. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Loaf Cake

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Loaf Cake 

Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 94.

I spent part of this blustery, snow-showered Sunday baking this for my neighbor who has a birthday tomorrow. This is very similar to a pound cake and is very fine grained. Like most loaf cakes I have tried, it is easy to make and there is nothing unusual about it.

About the baking time - Maida says that it is very long - about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Knowing about her baking times in advance, I questioned this and started checking the cake after one hour. Sure enough, it was done in about 1 hour and 10 minutes. The cake will crack along the top (she says that is expected) so don't be alarmed by that. The cake slices beautifully (not crumbly at all) and tastes wonderful. It is great with milk, tea or coffee.

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

8 oz. unsalted butter

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup sugar

5 large eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Butter an 8-cup capacity loaf pan and dust with fine bread crumbs.

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

Melt both chocolates together in a double boiler over barely simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly.

Cream the butter. Add the vanilla extract and then 1 cup of the sugar (reserving 1/4 cup). Mix thoroughly. Add the egg yolks one at at a time, mixing well. Add the melted chocolate and blend well. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, beating until well mixed (scraping the sides of the bowl to make sure it is all incorporated).

In a separate mixer bowl, whip the egg whites until they hold a soft peak. Continue to mix, adding the 1/4 cup of sugar, until a firm peaks are achieved.

Now fold the egg whites into the batter. The batter is very thick so this is a bit awkward at first. Use a wooden spoon to begin and add about 1/3 of the egg whites. When this portion is folded in, add another third and continue. The batter will begin to get lighter. You can use a plastic spatula to add the last of the egg whites. Fold in until the egg whites disappear.

Place the batter into the pan and smooth the top.

Bake until a cake tester comes out dry. Baking times depend on the size of the pan you are using. (The cake baked in 1 hour and 12 minutes for me). Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before carefully removing it. Place it on a cooling rack to cool thoroughly.

After completely cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and let it sit overnight before serving.

Apricot and Walnut Applesauce Cake

Apricot and Walnut Applesauce Cake 

Source: Maida Heatter's Best Dessert Book Ever (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 100.

I have been wanting to make an applesauce cake for some time now because I had a huge, unopened jar in the refrigerator. Applesauce is something I usually keep on hand because I often use it to replace oil in baking recipes. It is also good for snacking.

Maida has several applesauce cake recipes (I was very tempted by the Chocolate Applesauce Cake in her chocolate book and may try that one next). I chose this one because I had walnuts and apricots that I also needed to use.

This is a very simple cake to make. I love making loaf cakes! Be sure to use a large loaf pan. She recommended one that measures 10.5" x 4.5" x 3". The closest I had was 9" x 5" x 2" and it was fine. The cake is very moist and packed with crisp walnuts and apricots. The cloves give it a holiday-ish flavor and I think this would be a nice Christmas dessert but I would make this anytime.

Keep an eye on it while baking. As with many of her recipes, her baking time of 1 hr., 25-35 minutes would have been too much. Mine was done in 1 hr., 15 minutes.

6 oz. dried apricots

6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) chopped walnuts

2 cups sifted unbleached flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/4 baking powder

1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

4 oz. unsalted butter (softened)

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups unsweetened applesauce

Preheat oven to 350.

Butter a loaf pan with a 9-cup capacity. Dust with fine bread crumbs.

Cut the apricots into small pieces (about 1/4 inch wide).

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

Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the flour mixture to the apricots and mix with your fingers. Add the walnuts and toss again to coat all the nuts and fruit.

Beat the butter until soft. Add the vanilla and sugar, beating until mixed. Beat in the eggs one at a time. On low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture. Add all of the applesauce and then the remaining flour mixture. Beat only until completely mixed. Stir in the apricot and walnut mixture.

Turn into the pan and smooth the top.

Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or longer, until a tester comes out smooth. (Maida says 1 hour, 25-30 minutes but this would have been way too much in my oven)

Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove carefully and let the cake completely cool before wrapping in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight before slicing. The cake can be served at room temperature or cold.

Moravian Wafers

Moravian Wafers

Source: Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies (Random House, 1995 ed.), pg. 163.

I remember as a child, I was never enthused with Moravian Wafer cookies but after I would have one (I would not pass up anything related to dessert), I could not stop eating them. I only remember the round ones that came in small tins or cellophane. You don't have to worry about these wafers being perfectly shaped. I was concerned about getting them thin enough. Maida Heatter suggests using a ruler and cutting at every 1/8 inch mark. I just used a long, thin-blade knife and estimated the cuts. Some turned out too thick (although that certainly does not affect the taste of the cookies) but most of them were just right.

The wafers are supposed to be hard and crisp. My first batch were a little soft, even after cooling, so I baked the second batch a few minutes longer. That did make them firmer but they were still somewhat soft. Nevertheless, they are very good and excellent with a cup of coffee!

The dominant ingredient for these is the molasses. Have you noticed that molasses is difficult to find in stores? I did finally locate it in a large local grocery store but a lot of places simply do not carry it. I used Brer Rabbit Molasses.

2 cups sifted unbleached flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. finely ground white pepper

1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder

1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter (softened)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup mild molasses

1 egg yolk

Preheat oven to 350.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper and mustard. Set aside.

Beat the butter until soft. Gradually beat in the sugar. Beat in the molasses and the egg yolk.

On low speed, add the flour mixture and beat until mixed. The dough will be very thick.

Cut a piece of plastic wrap about 18 inches long. Spread it on a work surface and spoon the dough down the middle in a strip about 12 inches long. Lift the two long pieces of the wrap, bring the sides together on top of the dough. Press the dough into a strip 12 inches long, 2 3/4 inches wide and 1 1/4 inch high with squared ends (you don't have to be that precise but just get close to those measurements).

I always keep a ruler in the kitchen for matters like this!

Place the wrapped dough on a cookie sheet or long plate and place it in the freezer. Let it freeze for at least 2 hours or you can leave it and bake the cookies later. I actually waited until the following day to make mine.

When ready to bake, remove the dough from the freezer, unwrap and place it on a large cutting board. Use a long knife with a thin blade and carefully cut into slices about 1/8 inch wide. She recommends using a ruler and cut at every 1/8 inch mark. Place the cookies 1 inch apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or foil.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies are lightly colored. If you baking them all at once and using two cookie sheets, rotate them middle ways through baking.

Remove from the oven and let stand for a few minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack with a spatula. Store in an airtight container. These cookies make wonderful Christmas gifts!