Brownie Torte

Words darn near fail me here. Brownie, chocolate and butter, whipped cream. Sigh, it doesn't get a whole lot better than this folks.

Your favorite 9x13 brownie recipe OR a box (9x13 size) brownie mix- fudgy is suggested

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips, melted

1/2 c. softened butter

2 cups whipped topping, or whipped sweetened whipping cream.

Prepare brownies per recipe or box, and bake in a greased and floured 9 inch round pan.

Pour in batter and bake 38-42 minutes or until they test done. Cool for 10 minutes, then perform a magicians act to get it centered on a plate and out of the pan.

Cool completely.

Mix together soft butter and warm melted chips until smooth. Go ahead and taste it. You know you want to.

Spread mixture over brownies to edges, and drip a little over the side to make it purty.

Chill until set. Just before serving mound the whipped topping in the center, but don't bring it quite to the edges. You want that chocolate to wink and flirt with the diners. Or maybe you don't so you can eat it yourself.

I have yet to do so, but I think a bit of mint flavoring, or orange zest, or raspberry jam would fancy this up even more. Let me know if you try any of those and how it turns out.

Serves 9-12.

Cobbler

I'm getting hungry just looking at this picture. I have vague memories of not liking cobbler as a child. I don't know why, because this could easily rank as one of my favorite desserts.

Fruit Cobbler

5-6 cups fresh fruit (I use a mix of fresh, frozen, and canned.  The last 2 times I've mixed together frozen blackberries,frozen blueberries, fresh strawberries, canned SOUR cherries, and canned peaches. As long as it measures 5-6 cups, use what ever single fruit or combination sounds good.)

2 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. cold butter or margarine

1 cup cold milk

Topping:

2/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. cornstarch

1 1/2 c. boiling water

 Preheat oven to 350.

Arrange fruit evenly in 9X13 greased baking pan. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in milk, just until blended. (sometimes, this is runny, and sometimes stiff. Its been fine no matter what the texture.)

Spoon over fruit. Combine sugar and cornstarch; sprinkle over batter. Pour boiling water over all. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes, or until fruit is tender, and the topped nicely and lightly browned.

Serves: 12-16

Oatmeal S'mores Cookies

Yummy. And that pretty much says it all.
Oatmeal S'mores Cookies
1/2 C. butter, softened
1/2 C. shortening (I just use unsalted butter)
1 C. packed brown sugar
1/2 C. sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp.baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. old fashioned oats
1 C. (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 C. mini marshmallows

In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening, and sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in oats, chocolate chips, and marshmallows. Drop by teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350, 11-13 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool 1-2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: about 6 dozen

Toffee

This candy is an easy one to mix up right before the kids go to bed, then pop in the freezer, and its ready within about 45 minutes.

Cutting while hot is CRUCIAL. Otherwise, be prepared for a huge chocolaty mess, and banged up knives.

Toffee

3/4 C. packed brown sugar

1/2 C. butter

1/2 C. chocolate chips (I tend to use a little more. But I like chocolate.)

Butter a 9x9 inch square glass pan and set aside. Heat butter and sugar over medium heat until boiling, stirring constantly.Continue boiling and stirring 7 minutes (it will start smelling like its burning a bit. Fear not, unless you still have 3+ minutes to go, then you may need to turn the heat down.) Pour into buttered pan, and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Cover pan ( lid, foil, plate, another pan, newspaper, what ever is handy)until chips soften, then spread over toffee with a knife. Cut into squares. Pop in the freezer if your are impatient, or the fridge if you've got awhile, and chill until the chocolate is set. Best eaten while watching a movie with your sweetie.