Yes, Virginia, There is Chocolate Cobbler

 The last few days have been busy ones.  I have been working on projects for the Elves' Fair at our grandsons school which is this Saturday.  They attend a Waldorf school and this is their biggest fund raiser of the year.  Each family donates 12 items for each child they have attending.  Our daughter is a free lance writer and mother of 3 young sons and is very, very busy.  (I remember those days all too well).  Therefore, Grandma makes the items and donates them to the fair because we think the school is absolutely amazing!

So today, I thought we would talk about cobblers.  You know, there are pies, crisps, and cobblers.  Most cobblers are made from fruit with some kind of biscuit type topping for the crust.  Pies can have a bottom and top crust, or just a bottom crust.  Crisps, have a topping usually made with oats and flour and butter and other yummy stuff.

This cobbler is a bit different from the norm.  It has no fruit and does not have a biscuit topping.  It is called a chocolate cobbler.  I mean, yum, what could be better?   This is something traditional to the south and I had never had it before moving to Nashville.  The first time I enjoyed this special confection, it was made by a friend of our daughter's and Annie considers is her favorite dessert.  I might second that notion.

Personally, I am not sure I would call it a cobbler because it is more like a lava cake with all kinds of ooey, gooey chocolate under a cake type topping.   But, I didn't name it and if "they" want to call it chocolate cobbler, I'm all in for the name.  I really can't quibble with a name for something this wonderful.

This is all made in one pan and baked in the same pan.  Simple enough right?  It is also FABULOUSLY delicious.  What more can I say?  The recipe comes from a Gooseberry Patch cookbook and is called Granny's Chocolate Cobbler.  (Go Granny!)  Here is what you need;


3/4 cup butter, melted
3 cups sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups self rising flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 + 2 TBSP baking cocoa
2 tsps vanilla
2 1/2 cups boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Place the butter in a 9 x 13 baking dish and let it melt in the oven.  Remove pan from oven when butter is melted and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, flour, milk, 2 TBSP cocoa, and the vanilla.  Pour over the melted butter.

In a small bowl, mix together remaining sugar and cocoa.  Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the pan.

Pour boiling water over the batter and DO NOT STIR!!

BAKE AT 350 FOR 30 MINUTES.  Remove from the oven and try not to eat it all at once!

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.  Look at that!  You know you want to make this!!

Merciful heavens, this is food for the Gods, the angels, and for you and your family.  I cannot adequately describe this dish, other than to say if you like chocolate you must make it as soon as possible.  Dan loves chocolate and he LOVES this cobbler.  (I kind of like it too!)

Give this recipe a try.  Let me know what you think.  (I can hear you drooling from here)

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start.  So far today, I have finished 2 bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake.  I feel better already.  Dave Barry

Chocolate Macadamia And White Morsel Cookies

 Let's talk about cookies.  Who doesn't love a good cookie?  Especially a home made cookie!  Do you have a favorite cookie?  We have many, but this cookie is in the top five.  It may actually be in the top two.  Yes, it's that good.

Let's discuss why this cookie is so very good.  First, it is chocolate.  Need I say more?  Second, it has Macadamia nuts.  (OMG)  Third, it has white morsels in it.  So, let's recap.  It's chocolate, has Macadamia nuts, AND white morsels in it.  How could it be any better than that I ask you?  Seriously?

I found this recipe years ago in some magazine or the other and decided to give it a whirl.  The recipe immediately went into my poor falling apart handwritten recipe book so that it would never be lost because this was many years before the advent of the internet and/or blogging where I put a lot of my recipes for reference.  It's a great place to keep recipes because the recipes don't get all smudged with stuff from your hands while you are cooking and the ink doesn't run when you get liquid on the page AND you can share it with lots of other people.  I have some favorite recipes that are nearly unreadable.  Nuff said.

You are definitely going to want to make these cookies.  Why you ask?   Because they are fabulous and you will not be able to eat just one at a time (don't ask how I know this), and because they are fabulous.

Let's talk about Macadamia nuts for a moment.  LOVE them.  How about you?  They are not the cheapest nut to use in a cookie, but they may be the absolute best!  I find them at Target in small 2 ounce packages and it takes 2 packages for this recipe.  What do you know about Macadamia nuts other than they are sooooooo good?  I did a little research and this is what I found:

Macadamia:

a hard-shelled nut somewhat resembling a filbert and produced by an Australian evergreen tree  

of the protea family that is cultivated extensively in Hawaii —called also macadamia

No wonder they are a little on the pricey side since they only grow in Australia and Hawaii.  Trust me, it's worth the little extra for these wonderful nuts.

Now, here is what you need to make these cookies:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sat
1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups white morsels (1 12 ounce package)
3/4 cup chopped Macadamia nuts (rough chop - you want good sized pieces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

Beat the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy.  Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Gradually beat in the flour mixture.  Stir in morsels and nuts.

Drop by well rounded teaspoon full onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 9 - 11 minutes.  Remove from oven, let cool slightly, remove from baking sheet with a spatula.

YUUUUUUUUUUUM!  Try not to gorge yourself on these beauties.

You are looking at these and drooling aren't you?  I know you are even if you won't admit it.

This recipe makes a lot of cookies.  I got 5 dozen out of the recipe.  If you want them a little bigger, be my guest, just make sure they are completely baked when you remove them from the oven.  They are not soft cookie.

Next week is Halloween and if you are having a party, try this recipe.  Or, try this recipe because it's fall.  Or, just make them because you need to. Share them - if there are any left.  

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

The Macadamia is named after a scientist by the name of John Macadam who first wrote about the tree and it's fruit (nuts) in 1865.