Cocoa Walnut Cookies

 

1 ¾ cups confectioner’s sugar

2/3 cups butter, unsalted

Blend these together first, to the consistency of frosting

Add 2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Blend until smoothly incorporated

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup cocoa

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

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Instructions

Blend all until the consistency is sticky, ingredients fully mixed

Add 1 cup walnut pieces

 

Refrigerate 15 minutes minimum

Roll chilled cookie dough into balls, roll balls in granulated sugar

Space about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet

Bake at 350 degrees, and watch for the tops to turn matte and split open

Remove from oven

 

 

Chocolate Chunk Blondies

 

1/3 cup butter, melted                                                                

1/3 cup sour cream                                                                        

4 eggs                                                                                                  

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup white sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

1 cup walnuts ground into meal

24 pcs Hershey Nuggets

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

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Instructions:

Mix butter, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and sugar. 

Make walnut meal by coarsely grinding English walnuts in the blender.

Add flour, baking powder, salt and walnut meal.

Pulse Hershey nuggets to various size chunks about 4 or 5 times, processing a handful at a time.  Add to batter.

Add white chocolate chips. 

Butter and flour a 13 x 9 baking pan and spread batter into it.

Bake at 350 degrees.  Because ovens vary, begin checking for doneness at about 20 minutes.  When golden brown and when a toothpick comes cleanly out of the center, remove from oven.

 

 

Chocolate Yogurt Pie

Almost Good for You, and Much Lighter than Cheesecake

 

This pie is made with Greek zero-fat yogurt, and does a convincing cheesecake imitation.

You’ll need a 32oz container of yogurt. Make sure it’s the zero-fat kind. I use vanilla, which has some sweetening, and a little extra flavor. Next, get a large mixing bowl, and add two cups of confectioners sugar, plus one-half cup of cocoa. Sift these together well, then add the yogurt. The dry and wet ingredients should blend together smoothly.

Crack five eggs and scramble them; pour them into your bowl and stir thoroughly into the mix.

Use a deep dish pie plate, and pour the filling over any crust you prefer. I use almonds I grind in my blender, but Graham cracker or Oreo would do well too.

I put the oven at 350, and advise checking for the surface to show uniformly matte, as to doneness. This is basically a custard, so if a small part in the center looks shiny, turn off the oven anyway before the sides get over-baked, and the residual heat will finish it.

And that’s it! Cool on the counter, and refrigerate when the pie is close enough to room temperature that it won’t “weep” under plastic wrap.

 

 

Mayonnaise Nuts

 

This is an easy snack, just two cups of raw almonds, one tablespoon of mayonnaise, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Put the nuts in a bowl, stir in the mayonnaise and pepper until they’re all well-coated, then spread them on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees. When they begin to brown, and smell a little like french fries, they’re done.