My mother-in-law, Kay, passed away in September. She and I used to laugh at everything and anything!  I sat down today with my recipe box (yes, I still have one, filled to the brim with recipes I treasure), thinking about what dessert to make for the holidays. This will be our first Christmas without Kay, so I decided to make one of the desserts she shared with me.

Cake Ingredients:

1 cup of uncooked oatmeal
1 1/4 cups of boiling water
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of white, granulated sugar
1/2 cup of margarine or unsalted butter
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Topping ingredients:

1/4 cup of melted margarine or unsalted butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar
3 tablespoons of light cream or milk
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
3/4 cup shredded coconut

Cake Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with Pam, or line with parchment paper (do not spray). Set it aside.

Put the uncooked oatmeal in a large mixing bowl. Pour the boiling water over the oatmeal, cover, and set it aside to soften (about 15-20 minutes).

Sift the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.

Cream the margarine (or butter) with the white and brown sugar. Add the eggs and the vanilla. Add this creamed mixture to the softened oatmeal and stir to blend. Add the sifted flour mixture to this and stir until well blended.

Pour the cake batter into your prepared 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Leave the cake in the pan. While it cools, prepare the topping. 

Melt the margarine (or butter) in a small saucepan. Add the brown sugar, the light cream (or milk), the chopped pecans and the shredded coconut. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Spread the topping over the top of the cake. Put the cake back in the oven and broil the topping, on low, for 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on the cake so it doesn't burn! 

​Remove the cake from the oven. Cool and Enjoy!

I love these cookies! They’re not overly sweet with a delicious ginger taste. The dough is easy to use and can be rolled out repeatedly. Makes 7 to 8 dozen cookies, depending on your cookie cutter size. A great recipe to encourage the kids to help in the kitchen!



​Ingredients:

1 cup of unsalted butter
1 ¼ cup of molasses
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground, minced, or freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground cloves

Directions: 

Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan. Add molasses and brown sugar. Heat until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool.

Mix remaining ingredients together. Add to the cooled sugar, molasses and butter mixture. Stir until blended. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the cookie dough is easy to handle, using additional flour as needed.

Wrap the cookie dough in wax paper, cling wrap, or in a container with a lid – anything that is moisture-proof. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 days. This allows the cookie dough to “ripen” so the ginger flavor is stronger.

On a floured surface, roll out one-fourth of the dough at a time, to about ¼ thick. Cut with your favourite cookie cutters. Place on ungreased cookie sheets that are lined with parchment paper or foil.

Bake for 10-13 minutes in a pre-heated oven of 350 F degrees.

You can decorate the cookies once they have cooled, but they are just as delicious as is!

/




​This is my favorite time of year. The air is cooling down and it's finally not as hot and humid! Here's an apple blondie recipe that's simple and delicious. Not to mention how good the kitchen smells of baking apples and cinnamon!





Ingredients: 

2 sticks of margarine - at room temperature
1 1/2 cups of white granulated sugar
2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
2 cups of apples - peeled and cut into small pieces.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with Pam. You can also line the pan with foil or parchment paper (do not spray). Set aside.

Peel and dice the apples. Mix them with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a stand-up mixer, or by hand, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, the flour, the baking powder and the baking soda. Add the apples and mix well. 

Spoon the batter into the pre-pared baking pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and set. Cool and enjoy your apple blondies on their own or with a scoop of salted, caramel ice cream!

October is my favourite time of year! Although it’s still warm in Bermuda, there’s a hint of fall in the morning and evening air. With Halloween coming, here’s a cookie to share with your favorite cookie monsters!
 
Recipe:
½ cup unsalted sweet cream butter (or margarine)
½ cup shortening (not the butter flavored)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup of chocolate m&m’s
1 cup of mixed semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup of roughly chopped candy corn
 
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Line your baking pans with parchment paper. I recommend using parchment paper over foil because the candy corn can be sticky when it bakes which means it might stick to the foil. If you prefer foil, lightly spray the foil with a baking spray like Pam. If using parchment paper, no need to spray.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the sugars with the butter, shortening, eggs, and vanilla.

 Add the flour, baking soda and salt.  Stir in the m&m’s, chocolate chips and chopped candy corn.

Place scoops of dough, about a tablespoon, on your prepared baking pans. Place them about 2 inches apart because the cookies may spread while they bake.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet.
​
Oven temperatures vary, check your cookies at the 10-minute mark. If they aren’t done, bake for an additional minute at a time.

​I love chocolate! And these cookies taste like brownies. So delicious freshly baked and still warm from the oven. This recipe makes about 2 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies.

Recipe:
1 cup of granulated sugar
¾ cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine – at room temperature
½ cup shortening
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 eggs
2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 cup of dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Line your pans with either foil or parchment paper and set them aside. You do not need to grease the pans - the foil, or parchment paper, stops the cookies from sticking.

Either in a stand up mixer, or by hand, cream together the butter (or margarine) and shortening. Add the sugars, then the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the flour, the cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Add in the chocolate chips. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons on to the prepared cookie sheets. Make sure they are about 2 inches apart because cookies spread when baking.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookie is set. Cool on the baking sheet for about 2 or 3 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!

My frosting is a little different from traditional cream cheese frosting recipes because I omit the butter. You don't need it. The tangy cream cheese is the star - plus my version saves on a few calories!

Makes about 3 cups of frosting.

Ingredients:
8 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature (regular or reduced fat)
3 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Directions:
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the cream cheese and the vanilla until smooth and thoroughly blended. Keeping your mixer on low, add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Beat until smooth. Once all of the powdered sugar is mixed in, turn the mixture to medium and beat the frosting for an additional minute to lighten the frosting.

To assemble the 'cookie sandwiches': bake your cookies, let them cool then place them in the fridge while you make your frosting. Sandwich cookies together by putting 1 tablespoon of frosting on 1 cookie then topping it with the other. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve! 

Tip - If you feel the frosting is too thick, add extra vanilla, 1 teaspoon at a time. If you feel the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Store frosting in an airtight container, in the fridge until use.

I'm sure we can all agree, it's just too hot to bake! Here's an easy Peach Crumble recipe using canned peaches and baked snickerdoodle cookies (fresh or store bought). Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. Simply sweet and delicious!!

Ingredients:
2 large cans (106 ounces) of sliced peaches, drained.
10 to 12 snickerdoodle cookies that have been baked and cooled - or pre-made/store bought. 
1 9-inch pie plate



Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350F.
Drain the peaches, then place them in the 9-inch pie plate. Top peaches with crumbled home-made, or store bought, snickerdoodle cookies. Cover with foil and bake for 18-20 minutes. Then uncover and bake for a further 8-10 minutes. Let cool. Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream. Enjoy!!!

Summer is all about long days, swimming at the beach, burgers on the BBQ and s’mores. A perfectly toasted marshmallow with melting chocolate sandwiched between 2 graham crackers - yum!! This recipe combines the flavors of summer in a cookie you can enjoy year-round.





Ingredients:
½ cup unsalted sweet cream butter (or margarine)
½ cup shortening (not the butter flavored!)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mini marshmallows (freezing the marshmallows helps them keep their shape while baking)
1 cup chocolate chips (milk, dark or semi-sweet)
1 cup graham cracker cookies – slightly crushed (I like using honey Teddy Grahams)
​
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Line your baking pans with parchment paper. Melted marshmallows are sticky so using parchment paper is better than foil. If you are using foil, spray the foil very lightly with a baking spray like Pam.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the sugars with the butter, eggs and vanilla.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt.
Add the chocolate chips, marshmallows and graham crackers.
Place scoops of dough, about a tablespoon, on your prepared baking pans. Place them about 2 inches apart because the cookies may spread while baking.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet.

Oven temperatures vary, check your cookies at the 10-minute mark. If they aren’t done, bake for an additional minute at a time.

Cookie brittle is delicious - and super easy to make! It starts with a sugar cookie base (minus the eggs), add chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, whatever your favorite cookie mix-in may be. The dough bakes into a giant, crisp cookie that you can break apart and enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 cup of butter at room temperature
1 cup of white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of flour
12 ounces of chocolate chips (I use a mixture of semi-sweet, milk chocolate & dark chocolate chips)
1 cup of chopped walnuts of pecans (optional)
                                                               The zest of 1 orange (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, using either a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt together. Add the flour. Add the chocolate chips, nuts and orange zest if you are using them. Mix until completely combined. If the mixture is too crumbly, add an additional 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.

Place the entire bowl of cookie dough on the pre-pared baking sheet. Using your clean hands, spread the dough out until it is 1/4 inch thick. If you prefer, you can also use a rolling pin to spread the dough. (I suggest first covering the cookie dough with a piece of waxed paper so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin).

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The cookie brittle should be a golden brown with crispy edges! Let it cool on the pan. Once it has completely cooled, break or cut into pieces. Enjoy!! 

If you’ve ever eaten a ‘Morning Glory’ muffin, you’ll know exactly what I mean by ‘delicious’! This recipe, borrowed from ‘Smitten Kitchen’, takes all the hearty goodness of a muffin and turns it into a snack cake. Do yourself a favor and make this cake!!!




Ingredients:
1 cup grated apple (1 medium-large apple)
1 cup grated carrot (1 large carrot)
1/2 cup well-drained crushed pineapple
1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup raisins
The finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups all-purpose (or whole-wheat flour)
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (optional)
 
Directions:
Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray or line with foil or parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the grated apple, carrot, drained pineapple, coconut, raisins, lemon zest, sugar, and oil. Add eggs, and whisk to combine. Add the spices, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir very well to combine. Add flour. Stir until combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds over cake, if you’re using them. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and batter free. Let the cake cool in the pan then enjoy!