Old Soul, Young Heart

Chocolate Mint Sno-Tops Ingredients: 1 ½ cups flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 10 ounce package mint chips 6 tablespoons softened butter 1 cup sugar 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla 2 eggs powdered sugar Directions: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Melt 1 cup mint chips. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add melted chips and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Add flour mixture and remaining chips. Freeze until firm -- about 20 minutes. Shape into 1 inch balls and roll in powdered sugar. Use ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. I've really been falling behind on this assignment of making the recipes from my mom's book, but alas... life. I'm certainly still baking here and there, but I usually do my trusty stand-bys instead of making new things from the recipe book. Chocolate Mint Sno-Tops are a Sandy Scheffert Christmas classic. These and the regular Chocolate Crinkles were popular around this time of year and one of my favorites. I...

Cracker Jack Cookies Recipe from: Mary Dunn Ingredients:  1 cup butter (softened) 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 ½ cups flour 2 cups oatmeal 2 cups Rice Krispies 1 cup coconut Directions: Cream butter and add sugars gradually Add eggs and vanilla Add baking powder, baking soda, and flour Mix well an dadd the remaining ingredients Drop by teaspoon onto well greased cookie sheet Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until light brown The name of these cookies sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't remember ever having them based on the ingredient. Then, when I sunk my teeth into one, I knew right away that I'd had them before and, I'd say, with relative regularity throughout my childhood. I'm not sure if Mom made them at a certain time of year (Christmas?). They are slightly crunchy and definitely chewy with the oatmeal and coconut. The coconut is not overpowering if you're not into that. It...

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies Recipe from: Janice Ferguson Ingredients for cookies: 1 cup butter 1 cup cocoa 2 cups milk 4 cups flour 2 cups sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon baking powder 3 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons vanilla Mix above and chill. Drop by rounded teaspoons on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400° for 7 minutes. Cool and make into sandwiches using the following filling. Ingredients for filling: 1 cup shortening 6-8 tablespoons milk 2 teaspoons vanilla 4 cups powdered sugar 2 cups marshmallow creme Ahh the chocolate sandwich cookies were such a treat as kids. Mom hardly ever made them, so they were special. I knew as a kid that this recipe came from Mom's best friend, Janice. They were probably a rare treat because they are kind of time consuming. The recipe actually makes a lot of cookies and the assembly takes some time. Mom always wrapped them individually in saran wrap and kept them in the fridge, which is the way I like them. They are soft, kind of like a whoopie pie. ...

Three Layer Cookies Recipe from: Norma Collins Ingredients: 1 box Club crackers 1 stick butter 1 cup crushed graham crackers ¾ cup sugar ½ cup brown sugar ¼ cup milk ⅔ cup p eanut butter ½ cup chocolate chips ½ cup butterscotch chips Directions: Line a greased 13 x 9 pan with Club crackers Boil sugars, graham cracker crumbs, milk, and butter for 2 minutes Pour over crackers and add another layer of crackers Melt peanut butter and chips together Spread on top of crackers Cool in fridge Cut into squares This recipe came from my "adopted grandma" -- Norma Collins. She died in 2016 and was the sweetest lady. We would visit Grandma and Grandpa Collins at least once a year at Christmastime when we were kids. I'm surprised we didn't see them more often since they only lived on Jersey Avenue; virtually a few blocks from our house on Irving Street. I always looked forward to and enjoyed our visits with them. Look at how cute Grandpa & Grandma Collins were! Norma was the mo...

Chocolate Chip Cookies Directions: Mix together dry ingredients: 2¼ cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt Combine and beat until creamy: ½ cup softened butter ½ cup Crisco ¾ cup white sugar ¾ cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ teaspoon water 2 eggs Add dry ingredients Stir in 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes I should probably go back to taking photos of my food instead of just using stock photos. Ahh well. As per usual, I added way more chocolate chips -- perhaps double. I did a mixture of semi-sweet and milk chips for funsies. I also went with 10 minutes because then the cookies are softer after they cool. A classic cookie!

  Easy Strawberry Pie Recipe from: Rose Kehoe Directions: Blend: 1 cup flour 1 stick butter 2 tablespoons sugar Put into a 13x9 pan and bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until light brown Mix: 1 cup sugar 3 tablespoons corn starch 1 ½ cups water Cook until clear Add 3 ounce package wild strawberry Jell-O Pour over 3 cups sliced strawberries Mix and pour over baked crust Chill overnight Serve with Cool Whip on top Can use peach Jell-O and peaches, but add ½ teaspoon almond flavoring to fruit. So I had to look up if the butter should be cold, softened, or melted in a pie crust. Softened seemed to be the ticket, so I put it in the micro for 30 seconds. Then to blend it to a sand-like texture, I put in a food processor and that was so much easier than using a stand mixer. Don't judge -- I am new to this! I always feel fancy when I make a pie because it is beyond my capabilities, but this one truly is so easy. Even a novice like me can be successful at it. Be sure to put as much Cool Whip ...

Delicious Cookies Recipe from: Lori Sutton Ingredients: 1 egg 3 ½ cups flour 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 1 cup oil 1 cup softened butter 1 cup oatmeal 1 cup Rice Krispies 6 ounces chocolate chips 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt Directions: Mix and bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Will look light even when done! These are, indeed, delicious. I would describe them as a mix between a sugar cookie and a chocolate chip cookie, with some nice texture from the oatmeal and Rice Krispies. I added more chocolate chips than it called for, because that's what I do. 👍

  Snickerdoodles Recipe from: Lori Leake Directions: Mix together... ½ cup softened butter ½ cup shortening 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 ½ cups sugar 2 eggs Sift together and stir in... 2 ¾ cups flour 2 teaspoons cream of tartar 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt Chill dough Roll into balls and roll into a mixture of... 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon Place on ungreased cookie sheets Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes until lightly brown, but still soft A Christmas classic! I'm always amazed when a recipe is so spot on. This made exactly 3 dozen cookies and the amount of sugar/cinnamon to roll them in was perfect. I baked mine for 8 minutes, but probably could've gone slightly less.

Microwave Fudge Ingredients: ¾ cup butter 3 cups sugar 5 ½ oz evaporated milk 6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips 6 oz milk chocolate chips 7 oz jar marshmallow creme 1 teaspoon vanilla Directions: Microwave the butter, sugar, and evaporated milk on high for 12 minutes, stirring after each 4 minutes Add the chocolate chips, marshmallow creme, and vanilla; stir until melted Pour into a well-greased 13x9 pan Cool and cut Freezes well! A very delicious chocolate fudge. I like mine with nuts, so I put walnuts in some of it. You can also swap the chocolate chips for 2 cups of creamy peanut butter for a pb fudge!

EZ Cinnamon Coffee Cake Recipe from: Pantagraph Ingredients for cake: 1 box yellow cake mix 2 small boxes instant vanilla pudding 2/3 cup oil 1 cup water 4 eggs Ingredients for topping: 1 ½ cup sugar 2 tablespoons cinnamon 1 cup chopped nuts Directions: Mix cake ingredients and pour into a greased 13x9 pan Pour the topping ingredients onto cake mix Swirl with a knife Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until done I've never made this before and I don't think I've ever tried it myself either. It was good! I had a coworker say it was the best cake she's ever had and it melted in her mouth, so it must've been decent. 😂 And very EZ to make, indeed!

Spiced Pecans Recipe from: Karen Robbins Ingredients: 2 egg whites 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon water 1 teaspoon salt 1 lb pecans Mix together egg whites, sugar, cinnamon, water, and salt. Stir in pecans. Spread onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 250° for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Yummo! Christmasy vibes! Super easy! What's not to love?! Could make with almonds or walnuts or any other type of nut. I'm leaving out all my nuts jokes!

Scalloped Corn Recipe from: Grandma Whiteside (my mom's mom) Ingredients: 1 can cream style corn 1 can whole kernel corn and liquid 2 eggs (beaten) 1 cup sour cream 1 stick butter (melted) 1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix a dash of pepper 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup minced onion Directions: Mix above together in a large bowl. Pour into a large glass baking dish sprayed with Pam. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until golden brown. Also known as "corn casserole," this is a super easy side dish to take to any gathering. It's cornbread with a twist! It's a staple for us at Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is something I can't really screw up! Although I was close to screwing it up once when I wasn't paying attention and almost added cream cheese instead of sour cream. *sigh*

Caramel Brownies Recipe from: Brenda Watson Ingredients: 1 package Kraft caramels 1 German chocolate cake mix ⅓ cup evaporated milk ⅓ cup evaporated milk (yes, this is listed twice) ¾ cup melted butter 6 ounces chocolate chips Directions: Melt caramels and ⅓ cup evaporated milk. Set aside. Combine cake mix, butter, and the other ⅓ cup evaporated milk. Mix until doughy. Press half of cake mixture into ungreased 13x9 pan. Bake for 8 minutes at 350°. Sprinkle chocolate chips over dough, then pour caramel mixture, then drop remaining cake mixture over caramel. Bake for 20 minutes at 350°. I can't screw this one up; I've made it so many times! Also, it's just easy and hard to screw up anyway. They aren't the prettiest brownies you've ever seen, but boy, are they delish! I use less butter than is called for above (I use one stick). I also use a lot more chocolate chips than is called for above and usually I like to mix milk chocolate and semi-sweet chips together. Fun fac...

  Pumpkin Cookies Recipe from: Peggy Richard Directions: Combine dry ingredients and set aside: 2 cups flour 1 cup oatmeal 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon salt Cream together: 1 cup softened butter 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 cup white sugar Add 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla; mix well Add 1 cup pumpkin and dry ingredients a little at a time Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips; mix well Bake on lightly greased cookie sheet at 350° for 15 minutes Frost with cream cheese frosting It's pumpkin szn! This is one of the recipes that my aunt Peggy is world famous for. Mine did not turn out like hers did; I think it's because she lets her dough refrigerate. Hers are larger and fluffier and denser. Mine ended up being a little crispy on the bottom, which is fine too. They are yummy, though, even without refrigerated dough! I put in way more chocolate chips than it calls for. Store-bought frosting is both efficient and delicious. The recipe yields 3 dozen cookies. Make these...

Pecan Pie Squares Ingredients for crust: 3 cups flour ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar ¾ cup softened butter ¾ teaspoon salt Ingredients for filling: 4 eggs (slightly beaten) 1½ cups sugar 1½ cups light Karo syrup 1½ teaspoons vanilla 2½ cups chopped pecans 3 tablespoons melted butter Directions: Grease 13x9 pan Beat crust ingredients in a large bowl on medium until crumbly Press firmly into pan Bake until light golden, about 20 minutes Mix filling ingredients, minus pecans, until well-blended Stir in pecans Pour over baked layer and spread evenly Bake until filling is set, about 25 minutes Cool and cut into squares I wasn't going to make these until November which is much more of a pecan pie type of season, but the recipe I was originally going to do calls for milk and I didn't get any milk at the store. Whoopsie poopsie. Change of plans! I am a huge pecan pie fan and I figured that out from my mom making these bars! These were more of a Christmastime treat. I think my mom made ...

Tollhouse Pan Cookies Ingredients 2¼ cups flour 1 cup soft butter ¾ cup brown sugar ¾ cup white sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs 6 ounces chocolate chips optional: nuts Directions Mix above and spread into a greased and floured jelly roll pan Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes Cool and cut into squares I decided on a whim to make these tonight since it's National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. So here is a whole pan of chocolate chip cookies. Can't go wrong! Very easy to throw this together! Use a stand mixer if you can.

  Seven Layer Bars Ingredients: ½ cup melted butter 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 cup shredded coconut (plus a little more) 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips 6 oz butterscotch chips 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts) 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk Directions: Pour butter into a 13x9 pan Sprinkle crumbs over the butter, then coconut, then chocolate chips, then butterscotch chips, then nuts Pour the sweetened condensed milk over it and spread evenly Bake at 350° for 30 minutes Cut into squares while warm They ain't pretty, but boy, are they tasty! Another recipe that is hardly a recipe at all. This took like five minutes to throw together! You must like coconut for this one. I feel like coconut is one of those things that you either really like or really do not like and don't want to eat it at all in anything. I am someone who really likes coconut. Gimme all the Mounds bars, coconut pie/cake, etc. These bars remind me of my mom's goodie trays at Christmas because th...

 Caramel Fudge Chocolate Cake  "Better Than Sex Cake" Recipe from: Quick Cooking May/June 1999 Ingredients: 1 chocolate cake mix 1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 jar caramel ice cream topping (warmed) 1 jar hot fudge ice cream topping (warmed) 1 container Cool Whip (thawed, 8 ounces) 3 chopped Skor or Heath candy bars Directions Prepare cake according to package Stir in 3/4 cup of chocolate chips Pour into a greased 13 x 9 pan Bake at 350° for 35 minutes Immediately poke holes in the cake with a meat fork Spread caramel and fudge toppings over cake Cool on a wire rack Frost with Cool Whip and store in refrigerator Sprinkle with candy bar pieces and remaining chocolate chips before serving I'm not even sure if you can call this a recipe since it's so easy haha. This is my favorite cake that is not Janet's. I used to request it at my birthday. It's very rich and moist and usually I don't like Cool Whip as a topping (too boring), but it goes perfe...

Monkey Bread Ingredients: 2 large tubes refrigerator biscuits (I used Pillsbury Grands Buttermilk) 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 1 stick butter Directions: Cut each biscuit into four pieces Mix white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon Shake pieces in a plastic bag with mixture Grease a bundt cake pan and drop pieces into pan Pour leftover cinnamon/sugar over pieces Mix butter, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon Pour over pieces Bake at 325° for 45 minutes Remove from pan immediately Another recipe I had never made! And, actually, I don't know if I've ever even had monkey bread. Mmm pull-apart cinnamon roll in a bundt pan. I think this would be a good recipe to make with kids because it was fun to cut up the biscuits into pieces and toss them around in the cinnamon sugar and then violently throw them into the pan. Be sure to put aluminum foil under the pan because I almost had another smoke-filled kitchen situation with sugary overflow! This didn't tu...

Apple Pie Recipe from: Susan Scheffert Directions: Stir together: 3 lbs apples (peeled and sliced at ¼ an inch) ½ cup flour Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg  I used about ¾ teaspoon cinnamon and a good pinch of nutmeg Then add: 1 ¼ cups sugar 1 stick melted butter For crust, mix and roll out: 2 cups flour ½ cup oil ¼ cup water or milk 1 teaspoon salt Place apple mixture in a large glass dish and then lay crust over top Cut slits on top and sprinkle lightly with sugar Bake at 350° for 45 minutes This recipe is from my Grandma Scheffert--my dad's mom! Grandma lived upstairs at our house with us, which was a full apartment. We were very close to her, especially my brother. She cared for us when our parents were working (we never had a babysitter), dropped us off at and picked us up from school (we never rode a school bus), and took us on adventures during the summer. She loved reading and gardening and birds. She was a very active grandma and we were lucky to have her. I have lots of...