Wegman's Marble Cookies

This recipe appeared in a western NY newspaper several years ago. It was from the "Dear Ask-it" column with this introduction: "This is for M.F. of Canandaigua. It is a very close substitute for Sibley's original Chinese Marble Cookies. I make them all the time. It was submitted by K. L. from Hilton, NY. These are very crisp and delicious."

For Carol, these are a time-machine back to the "Cookie Club" when she was younger - you know the one where you get a free cookie for a kid each time you come in. Well, imagine the cookie being one that you actually could share with a parent who would eat it! That's these.

The big trick here is to make the dough and then cut in the chocolate, but not so much that you smear the chocolate - you want sharp lines of chocolate and non-chocolate dough. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1.5 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted

Experimental Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp corn starch

1 tsp almond extract

2 oz chocolate, melted

Steps

1. Beat the butter with sugar and egg until light and fluffy.
2. Add dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
3. Add vanilla and mix gently.
4. Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes at least.
5. Add chocolate a little at a time, cutting in with a knife. Do not stir.
6. Form dough into balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Flatten with the bottom of a sugar-coated glass.
8. Chill in freezer for 30 minutes.
9. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
10. Bake 10 minutes until lightly golden - watch them carefully, you may have to pull them early or later, depending on your oven's quirks.

Best Apple Fritters

Perfect for a cold or snowy day as a treat.  For Carol... or Eiley... or whoever :)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp of white sugar
• 1 Tbsp of cinnamon
• 2 tsp of baking powder
• 2/3 cup of milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups of grated Granny Smith apples
• 2 cups of confectionary sugar
• 1/4 cup of cream/milk
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1 Tbsp of butter

Steps:

1. Mix together well flour, sugar, cinnamon and baking powder in a large bowl.
2. Add milk and beaten eggs and mix slightly.  Add apples and mix well, let stand 5 minutes.
3. Drop large spoonfuls into 350 F oil and fry 3 minutes for 1st side, 2 minutes for second side.
4. Place on paper towels for 5 minutes to dry.
5. In a pot on the stove, add sugar, cream, vanilla and butter.  Warm on medium low and stir often until it forms a thin glaze.
6. When fritters are cool, dip each in glaze.

Sunrise Surprise Smoothie

This is a Weathertop original recipe - we came up with this during a long week of cold weather, coughing, and leftover fruits in the fridge. 

Ingredients

• 1 banana, ripe and peeled
• 1 mango, ripe and peeled
• 1 can of mango slices, dump the syrup
• 3 cup of Banilla yogurt
• 1 cup of orange juice

Steps

1. Toss the banana and mango into the blender.
2. Add yogurt and blend on puree for 20 seconds.
3. Add orange juice and puree for 20 more seconds.

Serves 4 with a 1 cup serving.

Ranger Cookies

These are a brilliant cookie - mythically named as an all-around food that you would want to eat as a Ranger, out in the forest with nothing but a swiss army knife and a tin of these to eat.  Lots of yummy crunch on the outside and moistness inside with coconut, raisins and butter.

OK, that part about the forest may be a bit far-fetched, but with just a tin of these and I will brave any classroom!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 cups rice crispies
• 2 cups oats
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 cup raisins

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 375.  
2. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.  
3. Add eggs and vanilla and mix in slowly.  
4. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, rice crispies, oats, coconut, and raisins and beat until mixed thoroughly.  
5. Cook for 10-12 minutes.

Dulce De Leche

This is from Alton Brown's superb recipe. The baking soda really makes a difference for us.

Ingredients

• 1 quart whole milk
• 12 ounces sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Steps

1. Combine the milk, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds in a large, 4-quart saucepan and place over medium heat.
2. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the baking soda and stir to combine.
4. Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered at a bare simmer.
5. Stir occasionally, but do not re-incorporate the foam that appears on the top of the mixture.
6. Continue to cook for 1 hour.
7. Remove the vanilla bean after 1 hour and continue to cook until the mixture is a dark caramel color and has reduced to about 1 cup, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
8. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.
9. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to a month.

Applesauce Muffins

I am almost ashamed to say that these are from... gasp... Martha Stewart. I will say this, she does cuten-up food and can decorate like nobody's business. And, apparently, she can do muffin recipes. Or at least somebody on her staff can.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups store-bought applesauce
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Measure flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves together into a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Put 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, the granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.
4. Mix in eggs, one at a time on medium speed.
5. On low speed, mix in applesauce and then flour mixture.
6. Stir in nuts by hand.
7. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
8. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
9. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 12 big or 15-18 medium size muffins (depending on how high you fill the cups)

Boca Negra Cake: Carol Says Yum

This was Carol's birthday cake this year.

From "Baking with Julia"

"A boca negra, or black mouth, is what you'll have after one bite of this intensely chocolaty cake - you'll also have a smile on your face. A chocolate craver's ideal, this cake calls for 12 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, and you'll taste every ounce, so choose chocolate you love."

"The cake is meant to be served warm or at room temperature, when it is as moist, dense and dark as the chocolate you use to make it. Chilled, it has all the appeal of fudge. The white chocolate cream, which is made a day ahead, is one you can use with other desserts, and neither the cake nor the cream is a challenge for beginner bakers. In fact, if you make it in the food processor; it takes only 5 minutes."

Here is the recipe from What's Cooking America

Ingredients

• 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/3 cups sugar, divided into 1 cup and 1/3 cup
• 1/2 cup bourbon, kirsch, chambord or red wine
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces, room temperature
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Steps

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
   
2. Lightly butter a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment or waxed paper; butter the paper. Put the cake pan in a shallow roasting pan and set aside until needed.
   
3. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl; set aside.
   
4. In a 2-quart saucepan, mix 1 cup of the sugar and the bourbon; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a full boil.
   
5. Immediately pour the hot syrup over the chopped chocolate and stir with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
   
6. Piece by piece, stir the butter into the chocolate mixture, making certain that each piece of butter is melted before you add another.
   
7. Put the eggs and the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a medium bowl; whisk until the eggs thicken slightly.
   
8. Beating with the whisk, add the eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until well-blended. Gently whisk in the flour.
   
9. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan, running your spatula over the top to smooth it. Carefully pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come about 1 inch up the side of the cake pan.
   
10. Bake the cake for exactly 30 minutes, at which point the top will have a thin, dry crust.
    
11. Remove from oven and remove the cake pan from its water bath; wipe the pan dry and cover the top of the cake with a sheet of plastic wrap. Invert over a plate.
    
12. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature with the chilled Whipped Cream.