Pecan Pie

Ingredients ■1 whole Unbaked Pie Crust (I Use "sylvia's Perfect Pie Crust" Recipe ■1 cup White Sugar ■3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar ■1/2 teaspoon Salt ■1 cup Corn Syrup ■3/4 teaspoons Vanilla ■1/3 cup Melted Butter (salted) ■3 whole Eggs, Beaten ■1 cup (heaping) Chopped Pecans Preparation Instructions First, whip up your pie crust. Next, mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl. Pour chopped pecans in the bottom of the unbaked pie shell. Pour syrup mixture over the top. Cover top and crust lightly/gently with foil. Bake pie at 350º for 30 minutes. Remove foil, then continue baking for 20 minutes, being careful not to burn the crust or pecans. NOTE: PIE SHOULD NOT BE OVERLY JIGGLY WHEN YOU REMOVE IT FROM THE OVEN. If it shakes a lot, cover with foil and bake for an additional 20 minute or until set. Required baking time seems to vary widely with this recipe. Sometimes it takes 50 minutes; sometimes it takes 75! Allow to cool for several hours or overnight. Serve in thin slivers.

Thick and Chewy M&M Cookie Bars

2 1/8 cups flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 12 TBSPs butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk 2 tsps vanilla extract 1 12oz bag M&M's, divided 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position. Line a 9X13-inch baking pan with foil, letting the excess hang over the edges of the pan by about 1 inch so you can grab those edges and pull the bars from the pan after they have baked. Spray the foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray. 2. Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in 1 cup of M&M's and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula. Sprinkle remaining M&M's on top and press in slightly. 3. Bake until the top of the bars is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan, 24-28 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Remove the bars from the pan by lifting the foil overhang and transfer them to a cutting board. Cut into squares and serve. Verdict: These were unbelievably soft and I just have to make sure I am patient when waiting for them to cool before attempting to move them out of the pan. I used mini M&Ms which were great. Also this was a super quick recipe which is always a bonus.

Harry Potter Butterbeer Cupcakes

Makes 18 For the cupcakes: 2 cups flour 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed 3 large eggs 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon butter flavoring 1/2 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup cream soda For the ganache: 1 11-oz. package butterscotch chips 1 cup heavy cream For the buttercream frosting: 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1/3 cup butterscotch ganache 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon butter flavoring 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 16-oz. package powdered sugar Splash of milk or cream (as needed) For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine your flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream your butter until light and fluffy. Add your sugars and beat until well-combined. Beat in your eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then beat in your vanilla and butter flavoring. Alternate adding your buttermilk, cream soda, and dry ingredients in batches until all are well incorporated. Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean and cake springs back to the touch. Cool completely on wire racks. For butterscotch filling: In a double boiler (heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water on the stove), combine butterscotch chips and heavy cream and stir until completely combined and smooth. Cool to room temperature. Fill a squeeze bottle with ganache and insert into the center of each cupcake, squeezing until filling begins to overflow. For buttercream frosting: Cream butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Add in ganache, vanilla, butter flavoring, and salt and mix until well combined. Beat in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until reaching desired consistency. Add milk or cream by the Tablespoon as needed. Frost cupcakes and top with a drizzle of butterscotch ganache. Verdict: These are AWESOME! Only thing that needs to change is that I need to really cool down the ganache to make it less runny when putting it on the top of the cupcakes. It was a bit of a mess.

Better Buttercream Frosting

Yield: Enough to frost 12 cupcakes Prep Time: 10 minutes 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2½ cups powdered sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1. Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice. 2. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. You can store any unused buttercream in the refrigerator in an airtight container; let it come to room temperature and then give it a quick whip in the mixer before using.

MIni Apple Pies

Ingredients: 8 cups of apples cut into small 1/2in bits (about 7-8 apples) 12 tbs flour 1 1/2 cup sugar 4 heaping tsp cinnamon 1/4-1/2 tsp nutmeg (depending on how you like nutmeg) 4 tbs chilled butter divided into 24 equal parts 2 boxes of pie crusts (four chilled NOT frozen crusts) Directions: 1. Mix together the first 5 ingredients. Put mixture in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and so the flavors can become great friends. 2. Lay out pie crust and cut circles large enough to fit in the muffin tin. You need to get about 6 circles per crust (4 crusts X 6 circles for 24 mini pies). 3. Spray muffin tin with non stick spray. 4. Put pie crust circle into muffin tin and press sides down to make a mini pie crust bowl. 5. Spoon apple mixture into pie crusts. 6. Put on part of the divided butter on top of each pie. 7. Top with remaining scraps of dough cut out into shapes or make a streusel topping. 8. Brush tops with melted butter if you put dough shapes on top. I wouldn't recommend it with the streusel topping. 9. Bake 20-22 minutes at 400. Let cool and enjoy! NOTE: The taste for these are right on. I didn't initially let the mixture marry in the fridge and noticed while it was good, the mixture from the fridge came out better. I also cut my apples chunks too small so they didn't puff up pretty like the picture I had found with this recipe. Lastly, I made one batch with my own crust and one with store bought. Couldn't taste the difference and since I like things easier, I may just stick to buying the crust for this one.

Mini Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients: Buns: 1 8-oz tube crescent roll dough 2 tablespoons butter cinnamon brown sugar Glaze: 1 teaspoon maple syrup 1 tablespoon milk 3/4 cup powdered sugar Directions; 1. Preheat oven according to crescent roll dough directions. Layout half of the dough (4 triangles) and pinch all the seams together. Flip over and pinch the seams on the back side together too. 2. Using a rolling pin, smooth the seams and roll the dough into a square about 1/4 inch thick. Brush with half of the butter and sprinkle with as much cinnamon and brown sugar as you want. (Make sure you don't go all the way to the top edge so it sticks together when you roll it.) Roll into a tight log and cut into 8 pieces. 3. Place mini cinnamon rolls into a non-stick sprayed mini muffin tin. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the other half of the cresscent roll dough. Bake according to package directions. 4. In the meantime, whish toether mayple syrup iand milk in a bowl. Add in powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle ofver cinamon rolls. (I found it easier to take the rolls out of the tin and then dirzzle when they cool a bit). Note: This recipe is AWESOME and super quick.

Pancakes

Ingredients: 2 2/3 cup flour 6 tsp baking powder 1 cup sugar 1 tsp salt 4 eggs beaten 2 cups milk 2 tablespoons cooking oil (I used vegetable) Directions: 1. Whisk dry ingredients together 2. Separately mix beaten egg, milk and oil. 3. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir together until just combined. 4. Don't over mix. It is okay if it is lumpy. 5. Bake on the stove top. Depending on your pan, spray or coat with butter so they don't stick. 6. Makes about 16 pancakes. Note: This recipe made A LOT of mini pancakes. I would start by cutting the recipe in half depending on how big your army is that you are feeding.

Caramel Brownies

Ingredients
1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix (I Used Duncan Hines)
1/3 cup Evaporated Milk
1/2 cup Evaporated Milk (additional)
1/2 cup Butter, Melted
60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
1/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.
Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.

In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.
Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.

Verdict: These are amazing. I did a lasagna pan and not a 9 X 9 pan. The recipe also had pecans added in the batter but I opted not to put nuts in. Also I didn't put any powder sugar on top. I should try that too!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
6 to 8 drops green food color
1 egg
1 cup creme de menthe baking chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, extract, food color and egg until soft dough forms. Stir in creme de menthe baking chips and chocolate chunks.
2. Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

Pumpkin Ravioli

Ingredients:
8 Tbs unsalted butter
1 can pumpkin puree
2 cups heavy cream
1 bay leaf
2 Tbs fresh sage, minced plus extra leaves for sauce
2 tsp fresh thyme
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper
6 sheets of fresh pasta or wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten for egg was
1/4 cup flour for dusting
2 cups Vegetable stock
2 shallots or 1 small onion.

Directions:
1. Heat a medium saucepan over low heat and add 4 tbsp of butter. When butter is foamy, add pumpkin and add half of heavy cream and half the herbs, cook over low heat for approximately 30 minutes , or until puree is thick and the liquid has evaporated. Stir occasionally.
2. Whisk in the beaten eggs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool. (I put it in the fridge)
3. Lay out 3 sheets of pasta. Using a pastry bag or teaspoon, place 8 equal mounds of pumpkin puree on each sheet dough, about 2 inches apart. Brush around each mound with egg wash. Cover mounded dough sheets with second of pasta and press around mounds to seal the dough. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut out the ravioli. Dust a with flour and place the ravioli on it.
4. If you don't have time or not brave enough for fresh pasta, like me, purchase some wonton wrappers. Place a small dollop of the pumpkin mixture, wet edges and seal with a fork.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil while you make the sauce.
6. To prepare the sauce, in a medium saucepan, add in the stock and shallots/onions and bring to a boil to reduce to 1/2 cup. Add remaining heavy cream and reduce by half.
7. Over low heat, whisk in remaining 4 tbsp butter, a little at a time. Strain the sauce into a clean saucepan and add remaining sage and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Add ravioli to rapidly boiling water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes for fresh pasta or 2-3 minutes for wonton ravioli. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add ravioli to the sauce and bring just to a boil. Correct the seasonings.

Note: I didn't have unsalted butter so the salted butter did make this a little saucy. Also, I could have used a fresh pumpkin if I had the time. Also this made a lot more filling than I anticipated and ended up freezing some of it so I did not have 300 raviolis. The wontons were good but had the consistency of, well, wontons and not really pasta ravioli. With that being said, it was delicious. I ended up putting some extra leaves of whole sage in the sauce and that also was a nice touch. I am going to see if I can make it with fresh pasta next time...in my free time.

Curry Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
1 butternut squash, halved and seeded (3-4 lbs)
2 large onions, peeled and quartered
1 medium head garlic
2 cans vegetable broth or more depending on the consistency you want
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon mild curry powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup plain yogurt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. Place squash halves and onion onto the prepared baking sheet. Wrap garlic in foil and set with other vegetables. Brush with olive oil and dash of salt and pepper.
3. Roast in the center of the oven for about 60 minutes, until the squash is tender. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
4. Squeeze garlic cloves out of their skin like paste into a food processor. Scrape the flesh from the squash and place into the food processor along with the roasted onion. Puree until smooth. Add vegetable broth as necessary.
5. Transfer the pureed mixture to a stockpot and stir in any additional vegetable broth depending on how thick/thin you would like the soup. Season with the bay leaf, brown sugar, curry powder, oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt.
8. Remove bay leaf and serve hot.

Note: I didn't have a whole head of garlic so I just added some minced garlic to the food processor with the squash and onions. I also was having trouble making it smooth in the food processor so I used a blender and added cream instead of yogurt. I think I will try yogurt next time. What I did find with the cream is that it dulled the spices so I had to add more spices. Of course if you don't like curry, you don't have to add it in the first place.

Whipped Cream Frosting

1 Cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

Whip all ingredients together in the mixture until stiff.

Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting:

Add to the above 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder plus an additional 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated white sugar.

Raspberry Whipped Cream Frosting:

Add to the above 1/2 cup lightly sweetened raspberry puree or seedless raspberry jam.

This was FABULOUS! I was out of butter for my butter cream frosting and made this instead. It was incredibly light. The chocolate was absolutely amazing but didn't overpower the chocolate cupcakes I made. I will have to try the raspberry sometime and I am sure I could make any flavor with all the jams available to make other berry frosting flavors.

Hamentashen

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
variety of fillings

Directions
1. Beat eggs, add oil and mix. Add the sugar, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Add the flour gradually and mix well. Don't overwork it though!
2. Refrigerate a few hours or overnight in a sealed container.
3. Kneed dough until it becomes soft enough to roll. Cut dough with three inch cup or three inch round cookie cutters. Put about 1 tablespoon of pie filling into the middle of each circle. Fold up the edges of the circle into the middle and pinch together.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 20 minutes.

NOTE: This was very tasty. Just make sure you roll the dough fairly thin and don't overstuff them. I had a few turn inside out and the filling on the sheet pan.

Pie Crust

Ingredients
1-½ cup Crisco (vegetable Shortening)
3 cups All-purpose Flour
1 whole Egg
5 Tablespoons Cold Water
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
1 teaspoon Salt

Preparation Instructions
In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
Separate the dough into thirds. Form 3 evenly sized balls of dough and place each dough into a large Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½ inch thick) to make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. (If you will be using it immediately it’s still a good idea to put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.)

When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) If the dough is sticking to the countertop use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up and flip it over and continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.

With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup vegetable broth, chicken broth, or a packet of chicken seasoning
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 3/4 pounds ground beef
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
6 tablespoons stick margarine (so you can divide it easily)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef stock or broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire, eyeball it
1/2 cup frozen peas, a couple of handfuls
1 teaspoon paprika

1 pie crust (optional)

Directions
Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Add 2-3 tablespoons of margarine and a splash of broth or chicken seasoning to potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth. Taste potatoes and add more broth/seasoning as necessary.

While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef or lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the dripping. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worchester sauce. Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.
Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole or pie dish with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. Top casserole dish with chopped parsley and serve.

Monkey Bread

Ingredients
4 small cans (usually sold as a 4 pack special) Buttermilk Biscuits (the Non-flaky Ones)
1 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons (to 3 Teaspoons) Cinnamon
2 sticks Butter
½ cups Brown Sugar

Preparation Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the white sugar with 2-3 teaspoons of cinnamon. (3 teaspoons of cinnamon gives it a fairly strong cinnamon flavor. If you’re not so hot on cinnamon, cut it back to 2 teaspoons.) Dump these into a flat Tupperware container. Doesn't need to be huge but big enough to roll some dough around.

Open up one can at a time of biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters. Roll the quarters in your hand into a sort of ball and drop into the cinnamon-sugar mix. Roll it around in the cinnamon-sugar mix to coat and drop into a bundt pan. After two cans are in the bundt pan, take a few spoons of your cinnamon-sugar mix and put a layer in the bundt pan. Finish remaining two cans of biscuits and spread another layer of your cinnamon-sugar mix.

At this point, you’re going to want to melt the two sticks of butter together with ½ cup of brown sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. This can be light or dark brown sugar. Cook butter/sugar mixture, stirring for a few minutes until the two become one. Once the brown sugar butter has become one color, you can pour it over the biscuits.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes until the crust is a deep dark brown on top. When its finished cooking, remove it from the oven.

Allow it to cool for about 15-30 minutes before turning it over onto a plate.

Almond Roca

Ingredients:

4 sticks Butter 2 cups Sugar (rounded) 4 Tablespoons Water 2 cups Almonds, Chopped 1 cup Chocolate Chips ½ cups Almonds, Finely Chopped, For Sprinkling

Preparation Instructions: Combine the first 3 ingredients and cook on high, stirring constantly through 3 stages:

1. Runny

2. “Cheesy”—it will look like melted white cheese

3. Runny and smooth, caramel brown color

Make sure you have the fan on your stove going, cause you’ll probably set off the smoke alarm towards the end. When it is runny, smooth and caramel brown in color, remove it from the heat and add the almonds. Stir until combined and pour the mixture onto greased cookie sheets. Spread it into an even layer. It will harden as it cools.

While it is still warm, sprinkle chocolate chips on top and let them melt enough to get soft. Spread the chocolate in an even layer across the candy. While the chocolate is still “wet,” sprinkle the finely chopped almonds on top.

At this point, while it is still warm and soft, you can score the candy with a butter knife to make it break evenly, or just let it harden and break it into rustic pieces.

NOTE: This was fabulous. Just don't use a plastic spatula because it tends to melt. Goodbye plastic spatula.

Rosemary Flatbread

Ingredients: 3-½ cups Flour 1 teaspoon Salt 2 teaspoons Baking Powder 2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Rosemary 1 Tablespoon Coarsely Ground Black Pepper (optional) 1 cup Warm Water ¾ cups Olive Oil 8 pieces Parchment Paper 1 cup Olive Oil For Brushing 8 dashes Medium Coarse Sea Salt Preparation Instructions: Place a large rimless baking sheet or an inverted rimmed baking sheet in the oven and heat to 450 degrees. Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, rosemary and black pepper together in a large bowl. With a wooden spoon, stir in the water and olive oil until a medium stiff dough forms. Knead gently if necessary to combine. Let rest in the bowl covered with a plate or plastic wrap for 30 minutes. Divide dough into 6 to 8 portions, depending on the size of your cookie sheet. One at a time, roll dough out with lots of flour into a paper-thin rustic round; the thinner you roll it, the thinner the cracker will be. Experiment to find just the thickness that suits you. Place on the parchment paper and brush excess flour off the dough, then brush liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with a little sea salt. With another cookie sheet or pizza peel, transfer to the hot baking sheet and bake for 8 to 12 minutes until lightly browned on the edges with specks of brown throughout. Remove from the oven, cool and break into large pieces. Repeat with the remaining dough. NOTE: Make sure you roll the bread very flat and even. Otherwise it is more like bread than a cracker.

Buttercream

1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tbs heavy whipping cream

Mix together well and enjoy!

NOTE: I actually used evaporated milk instead of whipping cream. Still fabulous. I also added some unsweetened cocoa powder

Chocolate Cake/Cupcakes

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

2 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
2 sticks Butter
1 cup Boiling Water
½ cups Buttermilk
2 whole Beaten Eggs
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla

FOR FROSTING:

½ cups Finely Chopped Pecans
1-¾ stick Butter
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
6 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions:

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.
In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.
Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.