Doo-Doo Bombs

Doo Doo Bombs

(a.k.a. Granny Geisinger Cookies)

This is a recipe that Mom passed down to us. She originally got it from "Granny Geisinger", a family friend from church. But they became known as Doo Doo Bombs...

When Mom was in college at UC Santa Barbara, she cooked up a pan of the cookies with her best friend Betty Ann. The cookies needed to sit and cool when they came out of the oven, but they didn't want any of the other college students stealing some of the cookies. So they put a note on the pan:

"Do Not Eat the Doo Doo Bombs!!"

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbs milk

Topping:

12 oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 egg whites

1 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream butter and sugars, then add egg yolks and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Then add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and stir until crumbly. Add up to 3 tablespoons of milk, as needed, to hold the dough together. Press into the bottom of an oblong pan lined with parchment paper.

Now comes the unusual step! Take the chocolate chips, and press them pointy side down into the dough, until it is dotted with chocolate but flat on the top. You won't use the entire bag. 

To make the meringue topping, beat the egg whites until firm but not dry. Gently fold in the brown sugar, 1/3 at a time. Spread over the top of the cookies. Bake for 25 minutes.

Let cool before eating. A warning sign to ward off college students is optional, but can be a wise idea. These are delicious!

Pecan Pie

My dear husband had his birthday last month, and he had one request: Pecan Pie. Partly, this was the pragmatist in him: the pecans were going to go bad, and he hates to waste anything. But also, the man just loves my pecan pie.

In truth, this is my sister Miriam's recipe. She is the one in the family who is famous for her pies. But I do my best. For one thing, I make my pie crust from scratch:

(Quick style note - please forgive the awkward font formatting. For some reason, when cutting and pasting from some Word documents, blogger doesn't let me change the font style. It is deeply annoying, but I haven't got the time to re-write the whole recipe just to make the fonts match.)

Basic Pie Crust

For a covered pie. Make a half-recipe if you are doing an uncovered pie, like this pecan pie recipe.

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour   

1 tsp. white sugar 

½ cup solid vegetable shortening

8 Tbs (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter

1 tsp. Salt 1/3 cup plus 1 tbs. cold water

1 to 2 tbs. cold water, if needed)

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the flour, sugar, and salt.

Break the shortening and the butter into large chunks then add the shortening and butter to the flour mixture.  Cut into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or by cutting in opposite directions with 2 knives, one held in each hand. 

Cut the pastry until some pea-size chunks remain in the mixture and the rest is reduced to the consistency of coarse crumbs. 

Drizzle the water over the mixture and work the mixture together with your fingers.  If needed add 1 to 2 tbsp. of water until the pastry forms a ball (do not overdo the water in order to have a flaky crust, but make sure you add enough so that you are able to handle the dough)

Split pastry into two equal balls and roll out on a floured surface. Fill with your favorite pie filling.



Milo was so excited about my pie, he wanted to take a picture with his own camera:

Pecan Pie

9 inch unbaked pie crust     
1/3 cup butter, melted 

1 cup light corn syrup 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup dark brown sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 heaping cup pecan halves

Heat oven to 350(F.  In large bowl, combine corn syrup, sugar, eggs, butter, salt and vanilla; mix well.  Pour filling into unbaked pie crust.  Sprinkle with pecan halves.  Bake at 350(F for 45 to 50 minutes or until center is set.  (Toothpick inserted in center will come out clean when pie is done.)  Cool before serving. 

Recipe contributed by Miriam; from a Dear Abby column

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Chocolate and zucchini? Together?

Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Just trust me on this one.

My dad is a talented gardener, and every summer our garden was overflowing with fresh fruits and vegetable to be eaten up and canned. Zucchini, in particular, seemed to do very well in the Seattle soil, and each year we would be inundated by huge, dark green, monsters of zucchini. For mom, it was a challenge to figure out what to do with it all. Then she discovered this recipe (and dad discovered the Continental Vegetable recipe), and voila! Problem solved.

This is a lovely, moist, but not-too-sweet loaf cake that is perfect for a tea-time snack. It's a big recipe, and makes three loaves - if you want just one loaf, divide the amounts by three (which is what I usually do). It's a fairly forgiving recipe, so if you don't get the coversions exactly right for the baking powder and soda, it won't make much difference.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

3 Eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 cups brown sugar, packed

3 squares unsweetened chocolate

3 cups grated zucchini (about 3 store-bought zucchini, or one zucchini from Dad’s garden)

4 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cloves

Heat oven to 350 degree F. In a microwave or double boiler, melt the chocolate.

In a large bowl mix together the eggs, oil, vanilla and brown sugar.  Stir in the melted chocolate and then the zucchini.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl, and then add them to the zucchini mixture. Stir well.

Bake in 2 or 3 greased and floured loaf pans for 40 - 60 minutes, depending on loaf size.  To test whether the loaves are done, get a piece of spaghetti and stick it into the tallest part of each loaf (my mom's clever technique). If it comes out with wet batter still attached, cook for another 5 minutes then test again.

The cooked loaves freeze well. (This is very useful as gardens generally produce a huge amount of zucchini all at once.)

From: the Zucchini Cookbook, discovered by Mom

Brownies

This is Joy taking a turn on the recipe blog today! Brownies were always one of our favorite quick and easy desserts growing up. Mom used to say that she couldn't understand why anyone ever bought brownie mixes - there are really only five main ingredients in brownies, plus a little salt and vanilla to enhance the flavor.

Officially the recipe (originally from the Joy of Cooking) contains 1 teaspoon of vanilla, but Mom always doubled it.

4 oz unsweetened chocolate

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350°.

Melt chocolate and butter together in a microwave or double boiler, then cool slightly. If you use a microwave, heat for 30 second intervals, stirring in between, to make sure you don't burn the chocolate.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs together in a bowl until well mixed, then add sugar, salt and vanilla and mix well. Stir in the melted chocolate, and then the flour.

Pour into an oblong top, smooth the top, and bake for 25 minutes. Brownies are done when a toothpick comes out with only crumbs.

It's not safe to eat the batter, since it contains a lot of raw egg. However, I don't think that has ever stopped us.

Acorn Cookies

This is a recipe I got from my sister Joy. While I suppose I ought to save it for the fall (It's a great Thanksgiving treat), I thought the blog was due for a good cookie recipe and this is one of my favorites.

Acorn Cookies

Makes about 45 cookies 1 cup Butter, melted

3/4 cup Brown sugar, firmly packed

1¾ cups Pecans, chopped fine

1 teaspoon vanilla

2½ cups All-purpose flour, sifted

½ teaspoon Baking powder

2 cups Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375(F.

In a large bowl, stir together butter, brown sugar, 3/4 cup chopped pecans and vanilla until well blended. Add flour and baking powder and mix well.

Shape dough into slightly elongated 1-inch balls. Stand the cookies on ungreased cookie sheets; pinch the tops into a point to resemble acorns.

Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375(F. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks.

In top of a double boiler over simmering water, melt chocolate chips, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat; keep double boiler over water. Dip large ends of cooled cookies into melted chocolate, then roll in chopped pecans. Chill to set chocolate.

Enjoy!

Recipe from www.yumyum.com

Chocolate Chip Cookies (!!!)

I think this is perhaps the most classic recipe in my family's cookbook, although I think we could easily have a good long debate over it at dinner some day - that is, if we ever all managed to be in the same place for dinner.

My mom was a nurturer. It was just built into her nature. And one of the ways she showed love and care to people was through baking. when we were growing up, and friends came over, my mom would chat with them for a little while, learn about the things going on in their lives, and then she would disappear off into the kitchen for twenty minutes, then come back out as if nothing had happened.

And then 10-20 minutes later, a magical scent would come wafting out of the kitchen, usually brownies or these chocoloate chip cookies.

I probably had this recipe memorized not long after I had grade school, I spent so many afternoons cooking them with my mom. When I feel the need to feel a little closer to my family, this is the recipe I pull out. I have my own technique, and I'm sure each of my sisters does as well. I am not jeopardizing future bake-off winnings by sharing my secrets, so instead I will just post it the way our mom made it.

(OK, I will share one tip - I mix everything by hand, I never use a blender. I find this turns out soft, dense cookies, rather than cake-like ones.)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips



Preheat oven to 375F. In a small bowl, mix together flour, salt, and baking soda. In a blender, mix shortening, sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes until light and creamy. Mix in flour mixture on low speed until just combined.

Remove bowl from blender and stir to make sure there are no pockets of flour. If dough seems too sticky, add a little extra flour. Stir in chocolate chips. (Here's my mom's secret - use a butter knive so that the it doesn't get too stuck in the dough). Drop 1½ - inch balls of dough onto nonstick cookie sheets, at least 2” apart.



Bake cookies. For soft cookies, bake for about 9 minutes and remove cookies from the oven when there are just barely beginning to turn golden. For crunchy cookies, bake for about 12 minutes and remove cookies from the oven when they have turned golden. If you remember, switch the cookie sheets halfway through baking and they will cook better.



Makes about 45 cookies.

Chocolate Crinkles

The last couple of days have been pretty stressful around here. What were meant to be peaceful demonstrations around the country erupted into angry riots, after courts took away the protesters' right to march.The high court eventually over-turned that order, but by then, the damage had been done.

What this meant for us is that for the last two days we have effectively been locked down in our home, discouraged from venturing out into the city for fear of getting caught up in the mayhem.

I don't really like being cooped up. It makes me anxious. And then, add to that worries over a situation that in my childless days I would have probably laughed off, but now, with two vulnerable little ones to look after, I couldn't stop obsessing about....well, let's just say I was a wee bit stressed.

So, true to my genetics, I did what my mother did too, when she had something heavy on her mind...I baked.

And I didn't bake just anything - I baked Chocolate Crinkles, a delicious brownie in a cookie, which I have been making since about the time I was first able to crack open an egg. My sister and I were known, as children, to make these cookies just to eat the raw batter (there was no fear of salmonella in my house, I guess). The cookie dough is even better after it has been rolled in powdered sugar:

After baking, the powdered sugar forms a lovely, cracked coating on top, hence the name.

Chocolate Crinkles

4 sq. unsweetened chocolate (4 oz)
½ cup vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon Salt
about 1 cup of powdered sugar

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a microwave or double boiler.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the sugar and the melted chocolate and butter. Blend in one egg at a time until well mixed. Add vanilla.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and add to the chocolate mixture. Chill several hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350 F. Sift some of the powdered sugar onto a plate. Using 2 spoons, drop teaspoonfuls of dough into the powdered sugar. Roll the dough in the sugar, shape into balls, and shake off the excess sugar.

Place about 2” apart on greased baking sheet. Be careful not to over-bake!

Makes about 50 cookies.

Scones, two ways

I have been obsessed with making scones lately, ever since trying out the recipe for Dreamy Cream Scones I found on the Smitten Kitchen website.

You see, I needed another way to use up buttermilk, and saw this recipe and suddenly developed a hankering for scones. Although the recipe calls for cream, I always have a lot of buttermilk on hand. In fact, I think my husband and I are singlehandedly keeping the industry alive in Malawi. Every weekend it gets mixed into biscuits or pancakes. The leftovers marinate chicken, or add lightness and tang to cakes. Buttermilk seemed a natural substitution in this recipe, and allowed me to save my small stash of cream for whipping and serving on top.

These are so fast and easy to cook, that I make them every weekend. So now, every Sunday afternoon at our house, there are hot baked scones, served with butter and jam, and accompanied by a hot glass of tea. A week ago I was invited for cocktails at a friend's house. she had recently mentioned that she was more of a fan of savory snacks as opposed to sweet, so it occurred to me to bring along a savory scone. I eliminated the sugar, and added minced, cooked bacon, chives, and grated cheese. Heaven.

Here is the recipe for my original version, and the savory variation. I usually just make a half-recipe.

Scones

makes 16 scones

2 cups flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons chilled butter

1/2 cups raisins or other dried fruit (optional)

1 cup buttermilk

Heat the oven to 425 degrees F, and butter two 8-inch round cake pans.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. With a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers (my method), cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse bread crumbs.

Add the raisins to the bowl, if using, then stir in the buttermilk. Turn out the sticky dough and dry bits on to a floured surface, and knead together until just combined. It will be a lumpy, slightly sticky dough.

Cut the dough in half, and then press each half into a cake pan. Using a knife, carefully cut the dough into 8 segments.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. The scones will still be fairly light in color when finished. Serve with butter, jam, and fresh whipped cream.

For the Bacon Cheddar Scones:

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, but omit the sugar. Mix in the butter, then stir in 1 Tablespoon of chopped fresh chives; 4 strips of cooked, minced bacon, and 1/4 to 1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese. Mix in the buttermilk and prepare as in the sweet scone recipe.