German Chocolate Bars

If you love German Chocolate cake and you love brownies...you are sure to love these! I made 2 pans of these when I made them. One for home of course and one to take to Young Women's. Two of our leaders had birthdays so we celebrated! This is part of my September 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. My teammate is Dreamgoddess from Alabama, USA.

German Chocolate Bars
1 (17 5/8 oz) box brownie mix
1 large egg
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp coconut extract
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Frosting:
3/4 cup sugar
5 TBSP butter, cut up
5 oz evaporated milk
2 egg yolks
1 cup sweetened coconut
3/4 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Brownies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 pan with veggie spray. Combine the brownie mix, egg, water, oil and coconut extract in large bowl. Mix just until blended. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut and 1/2 cup nuts. Pour into prepared pan and spread around. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.

Frosting:
Combine 3/4 cup sugar, butter, milk and egg yolks in a saucepan. Cook on medium high heat, stirring, until thickened - approximately 13-15 minutes. Add in remaining coconut, nuts and vanilla. Cook 2 more minutes. When brownies are done, pour on frosting and spread to edges of brownies. Cool and enjoy!

I dare you to eat just one! :)

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cake

There are no pictures. By the time I remembered I needed to take one....The men folk around here had devoured the entire pan! This is from morgainegeiser my August 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap partner. She hails from Ypsi, Michigan. This tastes a lot like a coffee cake!

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cake
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream - (I used homemade yogurt in place - made for a very runny batter - tasted great though!)
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients from the flour to the eggs in a mixing bowl. Pour half the batter into a greased 9x13 baking pan.
Combine the cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar. Pour half over batter in the pan. Add half the chocolate chips. Pour remaining batter on top. Add remaining half of cinnamon sugar and remaining half of chocolate chips.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick check comes out clean. Cool and enjoy!

Aussie Style Chocolate Chip Biscuits

This recipe comes from my July Aussie/NZ recipe swap team member mummamills from Maryborough, Queensland, Australia. These cookies are not anything like the American chocolate chip cookies. There is a distinct flavor with these. Not to mention - these are eggless! The kids really like these with a tall glass of cold milk. I also learned "biscuits" are cookies in Australia!

Aussie Style Chocolate Chip Biscuits

2 cups butter or margarine, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

5 cups flour

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips - I prefer mini ones

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts - optional

Cream butter and sugar. Add condensed milk and keep beating for 2 minutes. Fold in flour and chocolate chips and nuts. The mixture will be tacky. Drop by teaspoons onto cookie sheets and flatten slightly with a floured fork. Bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

Homemade Hot Pockets

The idea goes to Mom2Rose - my teammate for the June 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. She is from Michigan. Her original recipe I believe uses these as an appetizer. She uses 3 inch circles which I found to be hard to work with. So....I made my circles bigger - but I have an even better idea. Read on....

Homemade Hot Pockets
pie crusts - either homemade or store bought
your favorite fillings such as but not limited to.....
black forest ham, honey ham, pepperoni, chopped chicken, broccoli, etc
your favorite cheeses such as but not limited to...
sharp cheddar, cheddar, pepper jack, monterey jack, muenster, mozzarella, etc.
If you go the pepperoni route you may want pizza sauce as well.
1 large egg, beaten

Roll out your pie crust or lay out the store bought one. Put your fillings and cheese on half of the crust. Pull the other gently over. Brush inside edges of pie crust with beaten egg. Carefully seal edge. Brush top with beaten egg. Bake at 425 until light golden brown. I don't remember how long it took. Maybe 20 minutes? Let cool and cut into 3 wedges.

Granola

I am always on the lookout for good granola recipes. This would be one of many I've come to really like. This recipe was part of the June 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap and my teammate is gailanng from the Deep South.

Granola
3 cups regular oats, uncooked
1 (2 1/8 oz) sesame seeds
1 (3 3/4 oz) salted sunflower seeds (I believe I only had unsalted.)
1 (2 1/4 oz) sliced almonds
1/2 cup coconut (I left this out.)
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped dates (I omitted these and used 1 cup craisins instead.)

Preheat oven to 325. Combine first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Combine maple syrup with next 5 ingredients. Pour over oat mixture and mix very well. Spread evenly on a 15x10 baking sheet. Bake 3o minutes or until golden stirring every 10 minutes.
Turn oven off and leave for an additional 5 minutes. Remove. Stir in fruit. Let cool and store in airtight container.

Savory Pita Chips

You will have to excuse the plate in the second picture. Michael and I were eating these gems just as dinner was over and I thought I should get a picture before I forgot. This recipe is part of the June 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. My teammate is gailnng from the Deep South. She suggests hummus as a great side for these chips. Michael suggests salsa so that's what we did! If you find your are sensitive to spicy foods - don't use all the spice mixture.

Savory Pita Chips

1 1/2 tsp powdered garlic or granules

1 tsp onion powder

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp paprika

3/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/2 tsp salt

olive oil or vegetable oil

6 pita breads (or more if you want to make these for a party or other gathering)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all the spices together in a smallish bowl. Brush the pita breads with the oil. Cut the pita bread into 6 or 8 wedges - just like you would cut a pie. Arrange wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with spice mix. I had to use 2 baking sheets just so they weren't all crowded onto one. Bake for 7 - 10 minutes. Check after 5. Depending on how hot your oven is....they may be done. You want them crispy and light brown and definitely not burnt.

Applesauce Oatmeal Cake

I've had this recipe in my cookbook for years. I don't know where it came from. It's a great afterschool snack for the kids though. Especially with a cold glass of milk. You can do this either in a bundt pan or a 9x13 cake pan.

Applesauce Oatmeal Cake
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup milk
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
3/4 cup applesauce (I like to use my homecanned sauce - store bought will work well too)
1 cup regular oats

Mix all ingredients well in a mixing bowl. Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt pan or 9x13 cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. If using the bundt pan - cool for 15 minutes then invert onto a plate for serving.

Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

A recipe from my mom - Marie Rogers. She made these for the boys when we lived in Arizona. I was in the hospital in Phoenix and Mom and Dennis graciously came down from Utah to watch the boys for about a week while I was having back surgery. Apparently they inhaled them she said. I like this recipe because I can incorporate my food storage rotation into it.

Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies
1 1/2 cups margarine or butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups applesauce
6 eggs
1/4 tsp allspice
2 tsp vanilla
**6 cups flour, maybe more if dough feels runny still
1 TBSP baking soda
1 TBSP salt
**3 cups oatmeal

**Feel free to change these amounts around if you want more oatmeal in your cookies.
Mix all ingredients well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 11 minutes.

These also taste good with chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts added as well.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe comes from Russell's cousin Laura Jacobson. She sent it to me years ago. We (I mean I) make these a lot during the year. I will triple the ingredients so a quart of homecanned pumpkin can be incorporated. I am always looking for ways to include my food storage in our everyday cooking.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/2 cups shortening
4 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 TBSP baking powder
1 TBSP baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP nutmeg
1 TBSP vanilla
7 1/2 cups flour
1 quart homecanned pumpkin, drained and mashed
2 cups chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until light brown and firm to the touch.

Banana Cake

I don't have a picture to show for this recipe. I made it to take to a church potluck and it was gone lickety split! The recipe comes from a cookbook Russell and I got when we got married. It's called the Farnsworth Family Favorites. It's favorite recipes from my first mission president's family. We love this cookbook.

Banana Cake
1/2 shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour milk (I used plain yogurt)
1 cup mashed bananas
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Combine all ingredients very well. Pour into greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. Let cool and frost with....

Chocolate Frosting
1 cube margarine or butter
5 TBSP baking cocoa
1/2 cup milk
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Melt margarine and cocoa. Add milk and bring to a boil. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Pour over cake. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

This recipe comes from the Mr. Food's Favorite Cookies cookbook. My Grandma Dot sent this book to me and it is well used and loved at my house. This recipe specifically appeals to a certain 7 year old that resides here. He loves his raisins!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cups raisins

Combine all ingredients well in a mixing bowl. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheets and bake for about 11 minutes. Cool. Enjoy with a large glass of milk!

Carrot-Apple Bars or Muffins

This recipe actually comes from Taste of Home. I have had it for many years. The original recipe calls it Teddy Carrot Bars because they use Teddy Grahams. I changed some things in the actual recipe to make it work for our jars and jars of food storage.

Carrot-Apple Bars or Muffins

2 1/2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 pint carrots, drained

1 pint applesauce

4 eggs

4 TBSP vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients well in a large mixing bowl. You have enough batter here to do a couple different things. You can make 2 9x13 pans OR lots of muffins OR 1 9x13 pan and 12 muffins.

Spray your pans and divide the batter evenly. Bake at 350 degrees. About 20 minutes for the muffins and closer to 30-35 minutes for the 9x13 pan. Cool completely. If desired - frost with favorite cream cheese frosting. I like to frost the 9x13 pan but leave the muffins as is.

White Texas Sheet Cake

A few years ago my mom put together a cookbook on my maternal side of the family called Generations of Good Cooks. This is one of the recipes she entered. We really like it and hope you do to.

White Texas Sheet Cake
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup water
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

In a large saucepan, bring butter and water to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir in remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour into a greased 15x10x1 inch pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until cake is golden brown. Cool for 20 minutes and frost.

Frosting:
Combine 1/2 cup butter or margarine and 1/4 cup milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp almond OR vanilla extract. Mix well. Add 1 cup chopped walnuts if desired. Spread over warm cake.

*I didn't add nuts this time - I wanted sprinkles.

The BEST Sugar Cookies ever!

This recipe comes from my first mission president and his wife. It came in a cookbook called The Farnsworth Family Favorites. It was a wedding present 16 years ago! This dough makes the softest, yummiest, easiest dough to work with cookies! I'm all about simplicity and these take the cake!

Sugar Cookies

Mix together thoroughly:

3/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup margarine

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

5 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

I repeat: Mix everything thoroughly. This will make a soft dough. You can use it as is for a nice drop cookie. OR refrigerate at least 1 hour. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake 6-8 minutes or until the edges of the bottoms begin to be a very light brown. Bake at 350 degrees.

Yogurt Berry Muffins

I made these for an afterschool snack today. They went over quite well with the family. This recipe comes from my Canadian teammate ~Leslie~ in the Aussie/NZ recipe swap for February 2010. Her recipe calls for strawberry yogurt and strawberries. I went with blueberries. Peach or raspberry would also work well I think.

Yogurt Berry Muffins
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 TBSP baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup blueberry yogurt (I did notice the yogurt at the store only comes in 6 oz now - it still works.)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Glaze:
1/3 cup powdered sugar
3 TBSP orange juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin tins or use cupcake liners.
Combine all muffin ingredients except glaze. Pour into 18 muffin cups and bake for 25 - 30 minutes. Let cool.
For the glaze:
Combine both ingredients. This makes a runny glaze. Just so you know. Pour over muffins. Wait for a little bit and the glaze will harden.

Peanut Butter Granola

I think this is by far my most favorite granola that I've made! It comes from weekend cooker - my teammate for the January 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. This is a filling granola - which I like. I have a feeling you will love it too. :)

Peanut Butter Granola

3 cups regular oats

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup toasted coconut

1/4 cup sunflower kernels (NOT the shells)

1/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup creamy or crunchy would be good too - peanut butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

Combine first 5 ingredients in a crock pot. Melt final 3 ingredients either in a saucepan or microwave. Pour over oatmeal mixture and mix well. Cover and cook on low for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.

Spread onto a cookie sheet and place in 300 degree oven for 20 minutes - stirring every 5 minutes to dry out granola if you prefer it crunchy.

Parmesan and Sesame Crackers

Oh my lucky stars! Were these ever good! I doubled the batch and it was a good thing. As soon as the boys got home from school and tried them - there went half the batch right away. :) This recipe is from Chef floWer my teammate in the January Aussie/NZ recipe swap. She is from Victoria, Australia. I found these crackers go really well with the zucchini salsa I made. They are also fabulous with some cheese. I think it would be easy enough to mess around with the cheese/seeds combinations and throw in some fresh ground black pepper as well. Son #1 suggested garlic also. I am posting the doubled amount. Believe me. You want to double this recipe!

Parmesan and Sesame Crackers

4 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese (add less if you find the flavor too strong)

6 TBSP sesame seeds, toasted

4 TBSP poppy seeds

1 cup hot water

1 TBSP salt

4 TBSP white sugar

4 TBSP vegetable, olive OR avocado oil

1/2 cup EXTRA water IF needed, hot

Heat oven to 325 degrees with rack in the middle. Measure first 5 ingredients into a large bowl. I just used my bosche. A mixer like a kitchen aide would work too. Measure salt and sugar into a measuring cup and add 1 cup hot water. Mix to dissolve sugar and salt. Add oil. While the mixer is going on low, slowly pour in water/oil mixture. You want to form a soft non-sticky dough. You may or may not need the extra hot water. It's almost like you are making a pie crust.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Put three in a plastic bag and set aside. Roll the left out piece on a lightly floured surface until very thin. Very similar to rolling out a pie crust. Cut into desired shapes. I got about 40 pieces per dough section. No need to trim outside edges. Place cut pieces on ungreased baking sheets and bake 20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Let cool and store in airtight containers. Flavor fully develops after about 12 hours. However - if you live at my house...there may not be any crackers left to see how they taste. They are addicting and I love them with salsa.

Chocolate Chip Cake

This recipe comes from my teammate Chef floWer on recipezaar. She comes from Victoria, Australia. She calls her recipe Ultra Choc-Chip cake because she adds chocolate frosting and chocolate zig zags. I am just sticking with the cake part since it stood so well by itself.

Chocolate Chip Cake
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup dark, semi or milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 cake pan. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Bake for about 50 minutes or until cake tests done.

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

This recipe originally was meant to "hide" such things as zucchini and carrots. Well....I already add such things to cookies/cakes/brownies, etc. so there was no point in "hiding" them. The chef who shared this recipe is Mommy Diva from recipezaar who is also from Oregon! She likes to make these into cupcakes and frost. I liked these brownie style.

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
1 1/4 cups butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup grated carrot

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and watch your kids inhale these with a tall glass of milk!
If they really, truly don't like zucchini or carrots - they won't even notice/taste the veggies in here. Then you really can feel "sneaky."

Breakfast Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

This recipe won a red ribbon at the 2012 Tillamook County Fair!  The only change to the below recipe was the handful of fresh blueberries I threw in.  That's it!
Seasoned Cook from Eastern North Carolina had this in her recipe files in our Aussie/NZ recipe swap this month. We had Mom and Dennis over and this was almost gone before I got a picture. It was that good!

Breakfast Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

Combine all ingredients until mixed well. Pour into greased 9x13 baking pan.
Topping:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over coffee cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.