Cake Fridays

Goulash and cake to celebrate a milestone birthday

Today, March 4, 2016, my grandmother and dear friend Dorothy Johnson would've turned 100 years old. My dad reminded me of this at our most recent Sunday supper.  I knew I wanted to honor her memory and what better way than to bake her signature dish, goulash and sing, "Happy birthday, dear Dodie!"  With all of my grandparents gone, I am reminded of the importance of celebrating their legacy with each passing year.  I wish with my whole heart and soul that Grandma Dodie made it to her 100th birthday but since she is in Heaven, I will offer up a plate of comforting goulash, along with a delectable piece of cake.  

This chocolate cake is perfect for any celebration, especially a milestone birthday like today.  It's the kind of dessert you can't wait to sink your teeth into again.  I'm already thinking about having it for breakfast tomorrow!  It's the darkest, most irresistible cake I've ever made with a mildly fruity, bittersweet chocolate frosting.  It is unforgettable, just like my Grandma Dodie.    

So to my lifelong pen pal...

In your words, "Let me end this scribbling and get this letter in the mail."  

But in this case, "Let me end this typing and publish this post so all can try this spectacular cake."             

Chocolate Dream Loaf and Double Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk Blondies

It was a snowy, icy day here in Apex, NC.  We were all home so that meant baking time.  It started with the first act: chocolate dream loaf.  My next door neighbor came over and we baked two loaves.  Talk about the perfect recipe to make with a friend.  Both loaves turned out beautifully after an hour in the oven.  Like a loaf cake, this oh so dreamy bread starts with a base of one cup milk, one cup coca powder, and half a cup yogurt.  Talk about the perfect dip for sun ripened strawberries.  The flour mixture comes next and the butter, sugar mixture is whipped up in the stand mixer.  Follow the steps of this recipe to yield the lightest, dreamiest loaf cake you'll ever have.  So glad my neighbor came over and encouraged me to make this bread ideal for two hungry families :)

Here is the link.

Lunch was intermission and then it was onto the second act: double peanut butter dark chocolate chunk blondies.  I know the idea sounds crazy but I can't have peanut butter at work since it is a peanut free school so when I am home for lunch I gorge on peanut butter.  My body craves it and I dream about it so I had to make these blondies even more peanut buttery.  The original recipe does not include peanut butter chips and dark chocolate chunks but only chocolate chips.  I am sad to say these were not peanut buttery enough for me!  The texture was great and they baked up perfectly after twenty minutes in the oven but they did not satisfy my strongest of cravings.  Next time I might add all peanut butter chips instead of the eight Dove dark chocolate promises I had hanging out in the bottom of the bag.  Overall, these were loved by all so I will be making them again real soon.    

    
Here is the link.

Pumpkin Cookies

Here is the recipe I used to make the pumpkin cookies on day 9.  The ice cream I stuffed them with is store bought: Turkey Hill Pumpkin Pie.  It's my favorite ice cream this time of year and is seriously delicious!  

My sister-in-law's recipe:

In large mixing bowl, cream 1 C soft butter, 1/2 C sugar, and 1/2 C brown sugar.
Add 1 egg and 1 t vanilla extract.  Mix and scrape down bowl.  Mix in 1 C pumpkin.

In another bowl, combine 2 C flour, 1 t baking soda, 1/2 t nutmeg, 1/2 t cloves, 1/2 t ginger, 1/2 t salt, and 1 T cinnamon.  Pour dry into wet and mix completely.  Lightly grease baking sheets.  Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!  

12 Days of Cookies

We finally have internet in our new house!  I am so excited to be writing this post :)  It's been a hectic four months but we are settled in now and I am getting back into blogging.

To celebrate the season, I decided to bake every even numbered day (the 2nd through the 24th) in December, thus creating my 12 days of cookies.  I make the dough the night before and bake the cookies off the morning of each post.  It's hard squeezing in baking when you have a full time job and a family to take care of but it's my passion so I am going to deliver on my promise.

Here's the breakdown of days and types of cookies with links included.

Merry Christmas!

Day 1: Ginger Sandwich Cookies with Biscoff Filling
http://cookiesonfriday.blogspot.com/2013/10/ginger-sandwich-cookies-with-apple.html

Day 2: Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies
http://www.sprinklesomesugar.com/perfect-peanut-butter-cookies/

Day 3: Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies
http://www.oceanspray.com/Recipes/Corporate/Desserts-Snacks/Oatmeal-Cranberry-White-Chocolate-Chunk-Cookies.aspx

Day 4: Chocolate Chip Cookies
http://diethood.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-sandwiches-with-nutella-cream-cheese-filling/

Day 5: Pecan Peanut Butter Cookies
http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/2007/02/09/166/

Day 6: Chocolate Oatmeal Chippers
https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/30113/chocolate-oatmeal-chippers/

Day 7: Maple Syrup Cookies
http://hugsandcookiesxoxo.com/2014/04/french-toast-cookies-maple-syrup.html

Day 8: Ginger Molasses Cookies
http://www.wellplated.com/ginger-molasses-maple-cream-sandwich-cookies/

Day 9: Pumpkin Cookies Stuffed with Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
Not online: my sister-in-law's recipe posted on 12-20-2015

Day 10: White Chocolate Cashew Cookies
http://www.lemonsforlulu.com/white-chocolate-butterscotch-cashew-cookies/

Day 11: Almond Cheesecake Pudding Cookies
http://www.chef-in-training.com/2011/08/almond-cheesecake-pudding-cookies/

Day 12: Chocolate Molasses Cookies
http://www.fromaway.com/cooking/chocolate-molasses-cookies

Oatmeal Mondays

These oatmeal muffins were featured on America's Test Kitchen and they are so worth the effort.  There are some steps to this recipe, along with some tender loving care (toasting the oats, making oat flour, concocting the streusel topping).  The payoff is astronomical though.  These muffins taste like a bowl of cinnamon swirl oatmeal topped with toasted pecans bathed in cinnamon and butter.  I can't wait to make them again!

Here is the recipe.

Date Bars

Vanilla coconut almond date bars...

crunchy, chewy, sweet and tropical.  These are so yummy :)

Here is the recipe.  

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

I didn't even realize this is a copycat recipe for the coveted Great Harvest pumpkin chocolate chip bread.  I have not had the pleasure of tasting it but people rave about it.  This bread is moist, spicy, and FILLED with chocolate chips.

FYI: I used 2 C sugar total instead of 3 C.  My bread baked for 45 minutes uncovered, 5 minutes covered with foil.  This kept the top of the two loaves from burning.    

Here is the recipe.