Chocolate Chess Pie

Knowing my continuing effort to find the recipe for that perfect chocolate pie I enjoyed this summer at the farmer’s market – my sister sent me this recipe.

At first glance, I was pretty sure that it would not be the recipe I was drooling for – but since it was chocolate, we made it anyway.

Whoa baby! Was I wrong! This was a fabulous recipe! It’s thick chocolate filling was rich and creamy!

Is this the allusive chocolate pie recipe I’m seeking? It just might be. But why end the search so soon – there are still so many recipes to try!

Chocolate Chess Pie

Beat 2 eggs slightly

Mix in:

1 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. cocoa
1/2 c. melted oleo
1 tsp. vanilla

Pour in unbaked 9 inch crust. Bake 30 minutes or more at 325 degrees.

Serve with whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Pie

At the latest Farmer’s Market there was a new vendor – a 14 year old girl who was selling pie by the slice.

When I heard she had chocolate pie – I immediately found some money and sent Dagmar over to buy one.

Then I started to worry – what if I just spent that money for a store bought crust and Jello- pudding filling?

No worries.

That pie was fabulous! The crust was light and flaky and definitely homemade!

But the filling was the star of the show – it was rich, creamy and delicious.

Of course I asked the young lady for the recipe. She just smiled sweetly and said she was so glad we liked it.

But she didn’t share the recipe.

I was bummed.

The memory of that pie still lingers in my mind. It was fabulous. Unbelievable. Delectable.

I had to find a recipe to match it. I scoured my recipe files and cookbooks and made a pile of all my chocolate pie recipes.

I intend to try them – one at a time – until I find the perfect one.

I began over the weekend.

Obviously – by the picture – the first recipe didn’t work so well. The filling never did set up and seeped right through a crack in the crust leaving a mess on the bottom of the pie.

But it did taste great!

Chocolate Pie #1

1 -9 inch baked pie shell
2 cups of chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate – but I think I would prefer semisweet)
1/3 cup of powdered sugar
1 cup of milk
1/4 cup of butter
1 tsp almond flavoring
1/2 cup almonds

Place chocolate chips and powdered sugar in your blender, process until it is coarsely chopped.

In a saucepan, place the milk and butter. Bring to a boil. Pour into the blender and process until smooth and creamy. Add almond flavoring.

Pour it into a pie shell and refrigerate. Serve with cool whip and almonds.

In a perfect world it would set up beautifully – in my world it remained a runny mess.

But it did taste good!

And so the search continues….

Chocolate Butterflies

My oldest daughter has inherited her Nana Shirley’s love of peanut butter and chocolate and has borrowed one of Nana’s signature cookies – chocolate butterflies.

These were my favorite cookies when I was growing up and the first cookie I made for the fair! (I got a blue ribbon- by the way!)

My daughter now makes these occasionally for the Farmers Market – where they have found a niche with other chocolate and peanut butter lovers.

I’m not sure where the “butterfly” part of the name comes from – maybe from the design on the top? But I do know why people love them – they are soft, gooey and good.

Chocolate Butterflies

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
2 cup flour
2/3 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder

Cream together the peanut butter, margarine, and sugar.

Add the 2 eggs, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients, flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Add to the peanut mixture alternately with the milk.

Drop by teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheets. Press both horizontally and vertically on the top of the cookie with a fork dipped in sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes. The middle of the cookie should be dull, not shiny when done.

This is a soft, cake like cookie.

To speed things up, my daughter uses a potato masher dipped in sugar to mark the tops of the cookies.

To store, let them cool completely and place waxed paper between the layers of cookies.

Enjoy!

Ginger Snaps

As you know, I am the Chocolate Lady, yet there are certain non-chocolate recipes that really tempt me. This soft and rich Gingersnap is one of them!

Every Monday morning Dagmar makes a double batch of these delectable cookies and their spicy goodness permeates the house!

She sells them at the Farmer’s Market – where they have quite a following.

Both Matt and Pedro have brought them to the fair and received Outstanding Exhibit Ribbons for them.

Sigh. Just writing this makes me really hungry!

Gingersnaps

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup shortening (we use margarine)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses (we love black strap – but you can use light)
1 egg

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add molasses and egg.

Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the molasses mixture.

Shape dough into balls and dip in sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

When done the cookie will have beautiful cracks across the surface.

Remove to a rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Apple Butter Bars

The final count after our amazing apple butter marathon was 64 pints. Wow!

So now you’re asking what in the world am I going to do with all of it?

Eat it of course! I’ll use some in this apple butter bar recipe that my sister Teresa was kind enough to share with me.

She makes these to sell at the farmer’s market and believe me- they are good!

These delicious bars are fast and easy to make, and always remind me of apple crisp- but with lots of topping!

Apple Butter Bars

Mix 1 1/4 cup flour and 1 cup brown sugar.

Cut in 1 stick oleo.

Stir in 1 1/4 cups of oatmeal.

Press 1/2 the mixture firmly in a greased 8″ square pan.

Spread 3/4 c. (1/2 pint) apple butter to within 1/2″ of edges.

Sprinkle with remaining mixture and press firmly.

Bake 350 degrees 40 minutes.

These are a hot item at her farmer’s market booth and with the family. We’ve learned to get them while they are hot because there are rarely any left!

First Ever Farmer’s Market

I was a pretty proud Mama yesterday as I helped my 13 year old daughter prepare for her first table at a Farmer’s Market.

This is a dream come true for Dagmar. She enjoys baking and would love to get paid for it. When she saw the notice in the paper that a Farmer’s Market was being organized, she was thrilled!

This is the first time our small community has had an organized Farmer’s Market in the ten years we’ve been here, so we really didn’t know what to expect.

Dagmar baked for 2 days to get prepared. We weren’t sure how to organize the baking since we only have one oven, but it went surprising well. Everything was baked by noon and had time to cool before we packaged it up. (I will say that other than taking the rolls off of a tray or two, she did all of the baking herself.)

She named her business “Farm Girl’s Kitchen” and made little tags on the computer to label her items. She also made up business cards so if people wanted to order, they could contact her.

The Market it self went very well. There were steady crowds fall evening and just a few other vendors. Her table was nicely put together and looked neat. The food looked fresh (because it was!) and she even gave out free samples. It worked! She sold out quickly on cinnamon rolls, gingersnaps, and peanut butter cookies.

Actually she didn’t have much of anything left to bring home!

We were both pretty tired last night, but excited to bake again for next week!