Tweed Squares

LOVE these squares! I remember my mom making them every Christmas. We'd help her by grating the chocolate.

I had to go searching for a recipe as I couldn't find my mom's. I've adapted one from HERE.

When I make mine, I usually split the bottom layer and make two pans, as I find it's almost too much "cake" for a square.

TWEED SQUARES

Bottom Layer:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 squares semi-sweet chocolate (grated)

Mix all ingredients well. In small bowl, beat 3 egg whites beaten stiff with 1/2 cup sugar. Add to mixture. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool thoroughly.

Middle Layer:
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
3 egg yolks

Mix and spread over cooled bottom layer.

Top Layer:
2 squares melted semi-sweet chocolate
1 tbsp butter

Melt in double boiler and spread over middle layer.

Refrigerate.

It's easier to cut these squares if you use a knife that is dipped in hot water, otherwise the top chocolate layer may crack.

"Make It" Monday!

Welcome to my newest feature on my blog -- a recipe blog carnival! I don't know about you, but I often get into a cooking "rut" and get tired of serving the same meals/snacks all the time :-) I'm sure my family gets tired of it too. LOL!

Click HERE to read about "Make It Monday", and get the code.

The first theme for my carnival is COOKIES!

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ROCKY ROAD Marshmallow Cookies

3 Tbsp peanut butter
3 Tbsp margarine or butter
1 package chocolate chips
1 package mini-marshmallows

Melt first 3 ingredients in saucepan. Let cool a minute. Stir in marshmallows and spread in a greased 8x8 pan. Let harden in refrigerator.

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Post your recipe on your blog and play along with us :-) Add your link using MckLinky, and I'll drop by for a visit.

Nanaimo Squares

These are probably our most favorite cookies. I usually only make them at Christmas time.
NANAIMO SQUARES

BOTTOM LAYER:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
5 Tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 cup coconut
1 egg (beaten)
1 3/4 cup graham wafer crumbs
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Melt butter in saucepan. Mix in cocoa and sugar. Add egg and stir until egg is cooked and mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Press firmly into ungreased 9x9 pan. I usually like the pan with foil wrap to make them easier to remove from the pan. Set in refrigerator to cool.

MIDDLE LAYER:
1/2 cup butter
3 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp vanilla custard powder
2 cups icing sugar

Mix and beat until light. Spread over cooled bottom layer.

TOP LAYER:
4 semisweet chocolate squares
2 Tbsp butter

Melt and let cool slightly. Spoon over middle layer. Chill

The best way to cut these squares with cracking the chocolate layer is to first run a knife around the edges of the pan. Turn out unto cutting board. Heat a big knife with hot water, then cut into squares. The heat from the knife should slice the chocolate nicely.

Ginger Sparkles

GINGER SPARKLES

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1 TBSP ginger
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg and beat well. Add molasses. Sift together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Fold into the creamed mixture. You may have to use your hands to blend this.

Roll cookies dough into 1-inch balls, then roll into additional white sugar. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 deg for 10-12 minutes.

NOTE: they will look like they're not cooked, but they're done! They'll finish cooking on the pan when you take them out.

Enjoy alone or with a nice cup of tea :-)

Snowballs in summer!!!

I got this recipe from my Aunt Millie. They are delicious :-) Nice and chocolatey and soft!

SNOWBALLS

1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
5 Tbsp cocoa powder
3 cups rolled oats
coconut to roll the balls in

Melt butter in medium sized saucepan. Add sugar, milk and cocoa. Bring to boil and then remove from heat. Add rolled oats. Let cool completely. Form into balls and roll in coconut.

Lassie Buns

For anyone who is from Newfoundland, you will know what I mean when I say "lassie buns" :-) They are yummy! Every time my youngest sister comes for a visit, I make her some molasses buns. She always says she gains 5 lbs when she comes here :-) Oh well!

Molasses Buns

1 cup molasses
1 cup melted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
4 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

Add melted butter to molasses and stir. Add milk and egg. Stir. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl, then add to molasses mixture. Roll out on a floured board to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutter (I use a 2-inch round) and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes at 300 deg.

We love them with butter though I know some people who eat them with a slice of cheddar cheese.

easy squares

This recipe is handed down from my late mother-in-law, though I didn't get it directly from her. Devin and I were talking about his mom's cooking one day, and he said he remembered these lemony squares that she used to make. Well, a few months later, his Aunt Barb and Uncle Gerald came to visit us all the way from Ontario :-) Aunt Barb and MIL were very close. I metioned the lemony squares to her and she knew the recipe!! So, I had her write it out for me. We made them that day and surprised dh with them. YUM! He loved them -- actually we all love them!!

They are so easy to make and don't use very many ingredients.

LONNA'S LEMON SQUARES

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
Graham Wafer biscuits
icing sugar/water

Mix together condensed milk and lemon juice. Layer graham biscuits on a cookie tray (with raised edges). Make sure the whole pan is filled in. You may need to cut some biscuits to make them fit.

 Spread the milk mixture over the biscuits.

Top with another layer of biscuits -- make sure they are arranged in the same pattern as the bottom layer. Mix about 1 cup icing sugar with a small about of water. Drizzle over the biscuits and chill for a few hours before cutting.

You can use more/less icing -- as desired.

Chocolate chip cookies

I found this recipe in a "Top Secret Recipes" book. Apparently it's the recipe for Keebler Soft Batch chocolate chip cookies. Whatever it is, they are lovely! Nice and chewy -- just the way we like them.

This recipe makes 4 dozen cookies. I will often make a full batch of dough and freeze half of it. Then, whenever you feel like some home-made cookies, but have little time to make them, pull out the dough and you can have cookies in a few minutes! They don't taste quite the same after the dough is frozen, but are still good :-) You can also half this recipe.

Keebler Soft-Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 lb butter (2 cups)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp molasses
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
5 cups flour
1 1/2 packages semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter, eggs, molasses, vanilla, water and sugars. In separate bowl, mix the remainder of dry ingredients (except chocolate chips). Add gradually to creamed mixture.

Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Set aside in refrigerator for 1/2 hour. Shape and roll dough into 1" balls. Place about 1" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. You can also drop by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet, but the cookies don't look as nice as when you roll them.

Bake for 8 minutes at 375 deg. They may look like they're too soft and not completely cooked, but they will finish cooking on the sheet as they cool.

WARNING: These cookies are very addictive and won't last long!

Peanut Butter Cookies

These are my favorite peanut butter cookies ever! They are nice and chewy :-)

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and sugars. Add egg. Mix remaining ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to creamed mixture.

If dough is too soft to roll, leave covered in refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Roll in 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet. They will flatten, so leave space between cookies. Bake at 350 deg for 8 minutes.

NOTE: You might think they are NOT baked enough, but they will finish baking on the cookie sheet when you take them out! Just place the sheet on a wire rack to cool before removing the cookies.

ENJOY!