Common Cuisine |

I grew up calling these Texas Sheet Cake. Last year I moved to Texas and discovered they just call them brownies here. Doesn’t matter what they are called, frosted bars of chocolate cake are divine.

• 2 C flour
• 2 C sugar
• 1 stick (½ C) butter or margarine
• 1 C water
• ¼ C cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ cup buttermilk or sour cream
• 1-2 tsp vanilla, to taste

Frosting:

• 1 stick (½ C) butter or margarine
• 6 Tbsp milk
• ¼ C cocoa powder
• 1 lb powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease and flour a 12″ x 18″ (jelly roll) pan, or line with foil and grease foil. Sift together flour and sugar.

In small saucepan, heat ½ cup butter, water and ¼ cup cocoa powder to a boil; add to flour and sugar.

Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk; add to flour mixture. Stir in eggs and vanilla.

Bake 20-30 minutes until done.

Meanwhile, mix frosting: In small saucepan, combine ½ C butter, milk, and ¼ C cocoa powder and bring to a boil. Stir in powdered sugar. Frost cake while still hot.

Makes about 2 dozen 3″ squares.

• 3 cups peanut butter crunch cereal, crushed to 1 ½ cups
• 1 ½ C quick cooking oats
• ¾ C packed brown sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ C (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1/3 C corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 C peanut butter
• 2 T powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 13″ x 9″ baking dish. In large bowl, combine cereal, oats, sugar, salt and margarine. Add corn syrup and vanilla; stir until mixed. Press mixture into prepared dish. Bake 13 to 15 minutes until bubbly. Cook in pan on wire rack.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and powdered sugar in small saucepan, stirring until smooth. Spread over cereal layer. Chill 30 minutes or until set. Cut into bars and store in airtight container. Makes 48 little squares, or 24 generous ones.

Our final MOPS craft project of the semester was to make a gift jar of this mix. Make a label including Bars and Directions info, and include with the jar of yummy stuff. Here is the formula:

Into a 1 quart mason jar, layer the following in order:

• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• 1 ½ cups graham cracker mix, in a closed sandwich bag

Five Layer Bars:

• 1 jar mix
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

Directions: Preheat oven to 350.

Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press into bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish.

Sprinkle remaining ingredients over graham cracker crumbs. Drizzle with sweetened condensed milk.

Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.

• 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
• 12 oz. white chocolate chips
• 1 tsp. peppermint oil
• 1/2 crushed peppermint candy (candy canes)

Line a jellyroll pan or cookie sheet with foil. Have a wooden spoon and a rubber spatula on hand.

In a double boiler, melt semisweet chocolate chips over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. As soon as it is fully melted, remove from heat and stir in peppermint oil. Pour mixture onto lined pan and use spatula to spread to about 1/4″ thickness. Place in refrigerator or freezer to harden.

Wash double boiler pot and utensils, and dry carefully. A drop of water can spoil a batch.

Melt white chocolate chips over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove pan from freezer and pour white chocolate on top. Spread quickly. Sprinkle crushed candy over top. Return to freezer.

When hard, break bark into 1″ x 2″ pieces. Makes 1-1/2 pounds bark.

from the kitchen of Valerie Mace

• ½ C flour
• ½ C butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp cocoa
• ½ C powdered sugar
• ½ C pecans, chopped
• ½ jar fudge topping
• 1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese
• 1 C powdered sugar
• 1 C cool whip
• 2 C milk
• 2 pkgs instant pudding (any chocolate flavor)
• 1 C. cool whip
• Chocolate shavings

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix flour, butter, cocoa, ½ C powdered sugar and pecans in medium bowl. Spread evenly in 9 x 13 dish. Bake 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Mix pudding powder and milk, and set aside.

Spread fudge topping over crust. Combine cream cheese, 1 C powdered sugar, pudding mixture and cool whip, and gently mix. Spread evenly over fudge topping.

Top with final 1 C cool whip and chocolate shavings.

from the kitchen of Gracie Hinton

• 2 ½ C sifted flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice
• ½ C sort shortening
• 1 ¼ C brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 28oz can pumpkin
• 1 C chopped walnuts
• 2 pkgs (12 oz ea) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 ½ C quick cooking oats
• butterscotch morsels (optional)
• Heath Bar crumbs (optional)

Cream shortening. Add sugar and eggs one at a time. Add pumpkin and mix well. Stir in all dry ingredients, then oats. Gradually stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Drop by Tablespoons on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes. Sprinkle butterscotch morsels and Heath Bar crumbs on top.

from the kitchen of Wendy Patranella

• 1 pkg yellow cake mix
• 1 C chunky peanut butter
• 1/2 C butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 C (1 oz) semisweet chocolate morsels
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Beat a medium speed with electric mixer 1-2 minutes. Press half of mixture into bottom of ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes; remove from oven.

Sprinkle with chocolate morsels and drizzle with condensed milk. Sprinkle with remaining cake mixture.

Return to oven for 30 minutes. Let cool, and cut into bars. Makes 24 bars.