Milk Chocolate Ice Milk

 

Milk Chocolate Ice Milk

Source: Maida Heatter's Best Dessert Book Ever (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 330.

 

So simple and so delicious. The hardest part of this recipe is having to stand and stir for thirty minutes. Only two ingredients - milk chocolate and milk. Maida Heatter says in the introduction that she made the recipe up and it is as good as ones made with heavy cream and eggs. She's right. It is very creamy and so good. You will need your ice cream maker for this. For years, I've been using a 1 quart Krups ice cream maker and I love it.

1 lb. milk chocolate (I used Hershey's)

3 cups milk

Cut the chocolate into small pieces and put it in a double boiler over barely simmering water. Add 1/2 cup of the milk and reserve the remaining 2 1/2 cups. Stir until the chocolate has melted.

Gradually add the milk, whisking until it is smooth.

On medium heat, continue to cook the mixture, scraping and stirring frequently. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir occasionally until the mixture has cooled.

Place in a covered container in the refrigerator several hours or overnight.

After bringing it out of the refrigerator, whisk it to remove the heavy layer on top. Transfer to your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Nutmeg Cookies

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Nutmeg Cookies (Source: Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982. pg. 320.

This is an addictive little cookie that is very spicy with cinnamon and nutmeg. They are soft cookies if they are not overbaked. A total baking time of 10 minutes worked well. These might be considered a holiday cookie but I think anytime is good. Trust me, they don't last long. Store them in an airtight container.

2 cups sifted all-purpose whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
4 oz. butter (softened)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup dark or light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 TBS. milk
Finely grated rind of 1 large lemon

Topping:
1 TBS. sugar 
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375. Line two large baking sheets with foil.

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

Cream the butter. Add the vanilla and the brown sugar. Beat to mix.

Add the egg, milk and lemon zest. Gradually add the flour mixture until just mixed.

On a large board dusted with flour, turn the dough out and knead it into a ball. Cut the ball in half.

Work with one half of dough at a time. Form each into a long, narrow strip, about 18 inches wide and 1 inch thick. Cut the strip into 1 inch pieces. Repeat with the other half.

 

Roll the pieces of dough into balls and place them 1.5 inches apart on the baking sheets. Press the cookies with a fork to flatten them slightly.

 

Mix the sugar and cinnamon for the topping and sprinkle some on each cookie. 

 

Bake for 10-12 minutes (10 minutes worked well for me). Do not overbake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Oatmeal Snickerdoodles

 

Oatmeal Snickerdoodles (Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 54.

I missed the memo on snickerdoodles. In fact, it wasn't until I was an adult when I first heard of them. And I grew up with a mother who made lots of cookies. But never snickerdoodles. 

After finally making them a few years ago, I can't say that I felt I had missed much. I thought they were pretty average in the world of cookies. A basic buttery cookie with a sprinkling of cinnamon. 

Maida's recipe brings the addition of oatmeal which is always a good thing. The cookies are like a simple oatmeal cookie without the raisins and nuts. I thought the topping made way too much but maybe I did not put enough of it on top of the cookies. The cinnamon flavor was very light. I liked the bite-sized portions although that doesn't do much to keep your hands from grabbing them. They are addictive!

The recipe makes 54 cookies (more or less depending on the size you make them).

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
8 oz. (2 sticks)unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking oatmeal

Topping:
2 TBS. sugar
2 TSP. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

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

Cream the butter. Add the vanilla and both sugars. Beat well.

Add the eggs one at a time. On low speed, slowly add the sifted dry ingredients. Stir in the oatmeal.

Place teaspoon-sized rounded pieces 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.

Stir the sugar and cinnamon together for the topping and sprinkle over the cookies.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are browned. After removing from the oven, let them sit on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.