Icebox Pinwheel Cookies

I remember making these with my bubby and always being upset because the dough had to be refrigerated overnight and I was way too impatient to wait that long! The great part about this recipe though, is that you can make even portions of chocolate and vanilla doughs, or you can make a bit more chocolate, then vanilla, or vice versa, and they still come out great. These cookies are a very good dunking cookie because they are cake-y and dense. This batch turned out just like I remembered them! I can't wait to make them again.

Marble Cake a.k.a., the Coffee Dunking Cake

This cake is very simple to make, the key, however, is to use the right type of cocoa. My bubby always used Droste Cocoa, which I believe is a Dutch cocoa. Using any ol' generic brand won't do, it has to be a higher-end cocoa. The cake comes out very dense and uses very little sugar so it soaks in all of the coffee, or milk, that you dunk it in. It is one of my favorite dunking cakes, next to her Mundel Bread which is like a Jewish version of a biscotti. (I'll be making those in a couple of weeks). When I made this yesterday for Mother's day, I completely forgot to make the chocolate frosting, and boy did I get an earful from my mom! Yes, the frosting made the cake and I will have to make it again with the frosting to get the true flavor. Great recipe though overall and easy to make. The best part is that you can marbelize it as little or as much as you want, and it's fun for kids to be able to make the marble swirls.

Orange Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Well, I am so happy that this recipe was a complete 180 from the Chocolate Rum Cake. These cookies were delicious. I was skeptical because it seemed like there were too many ingredients....bananas, orange, oatmeal, and chocolate chips. These were really really great. I had company over and by the time they left, all but 2 were eaten. This one will definitely go in the book and is one of the most unique cookies I have ever tried. I can't wait until next weekend....I think I'm going to make it a chocolate/vanilla weekend and go for the marble cake and the Pinwheel cookies.

Chocolate Rum Cake - Very Disappointing!

When I read this recipe I was very hesitant to make it. It asked for chocolate pudding mix and cake mix and a bunch of other stuff. I was so surprised that my bubby would have simplified the cake and used a cake mix! I was told by my aunt that cake mix was a new invention at the time so people were trying to incorporate it in their cooking to simplify the recipes.

I made the recipe and it was incredibly watery so I added a bit of flour. I baked it for 10 minutes longer then the recipe called for until the toothpick came out clean. When I was finally able to get it out of the pan, all of the chocolate chips had sunk to the bottom since the batter was still liquid and the cake seemed raw still and tasted disgusting. I am so bummed that this recipe was even in her collection.

I can't remember her ever making it, and now I know why.