For some reason, I did not bring a chocoate chip cookie recipe when we moved to Slovakia. My friend, Joan Britton, gave me this recipe and told me the dough was really thick (her recipe called for one egg), but was the best recipe. I could not find chocolate chips there, so I just cut up chocolate bars.
We took them to work to share and I often left out the chocolate for our friend who was allergic to it. The cookies are still very good without chocolate!
When we moved overseas again, the eggs were smaller and we discovered two eggs worked very well. We also could not find brown sugar, so we started using molasses instead. Even though we can get brown sugar here, we prefer being able to adjust the molasses to our own personal tastes.
This is a moist, light chocolate cake. It is simple to make and tastes great plain or with whipped cream on top. While we usually serve it for dessert, the kids often ask for it for breakfast also.
The zucchini is well hidden in the cake and is a great way to use up some extra zucchini from your garden. We have been enjoying this recipe since Mom M. discovered it 2012.
Audrey learned how to first make these when she was eleven. She continues to make them, usually with chocolate chips and occasionally with pecans.
Meringues are not super hard to make, but they will not set up on a humid day or if there is any yolk in the egg whites. Sometimes it feels as if you have to beat the whites “forever”. But these are well worth it
Grandma Bea gave me this recipe many years ago. I was in Boston at the time and must have asked how to use up some sour milk we had.
For some reason, these cupcakes stick to cupcake liners. You can use them if prefer, but it is better to bake these in unlined muffin pans that have been greased and floured with cocoa powder.
Aunt Bonnie made this cake for Dad McGuire’s birthday in 2011. It is simple, but very good. It also made a great cake for Adrian’s 14th birthday. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream or a glass of milk!
The recipes calls for a 9×13 pan. If you prefer use two round cake pans. Be sure to grease and flour the pans well.
This is our favorite sugar cookie recipe. It is a flat, crisp cookie that is great for decorating. We usually use lemon extract (or 1/2 tsp lemon peel), but almond extract is good in these cookies also.
When we were overseas, we could not find graham crackers. We found a lot of other really good cookies and crackers, but sometimes I just wanted a graham cracker to dunk in milk or a good base for a s’more.
Cutting into long thin rectangles, and then baking the crackers until crisp, we often used these for when the children were teething. As they grew older, we cut them into small animal shapes for “animal crackers”. They also enjoyed these cut into large hearts and stars with shaped cut out from the middle.
The recipe makes a lot, but if stored in a cool dry place, they last for weeks. Unless your family enjoys them as much as mine, then the crackers only last a short while.
Our friend Mike is from New Mexico. He thought this would be a good cookie to add to the girls’ baking portfolio. They are super easy to make and great with tea.
Kahlua is a coffee flavored liqueur that is used in tiramisu. I am sure that it is used in many other recipes, but tiramisu is our favorite way to use it.
I discovered some date sugar at a discount store and really wanted to try it. I had read that you could interchange it with brown sugar, but it did not mix in as well as regular sugar did.
We decided to start with our favorite cookies and experiment. The cookies are soft and cake like, but very good! I thought they were a little to sweet, so next time I will reduce the sugars. But everyone else thought they were perfect.
These cookies work well with regular flour if you do not want them gluten free.
