Frangelico Frosted Chocolate Cake

3    Eggs

3/4  cup  White sugar

1/2  cup  unsalted butter

1  c  Light brown sugar

2 1/4  c  All-purpose flour

1/2  c  Unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2  tsp  Baking soda

1/2  c  Frangelico Liquor

3/4  c  Strong cold coffee

Frosting:

6  tablespoons  Butter

1  pound  Sifted powdered sugar

3  tablespoons  Unsweetened cocoa powder

3  tablespoons  Frangelico

2  tablespoons  Hot coffee, up to 3 T

Grease two 9" cake pans. Preheat oven to 350F. Separate eggs. Beat egg whites until frothy; then beat in sugar until stiff. Set aside. 

Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in yolks one at a time. 

Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda together. Add to creamed mixture alternately with coffee and Frangelico; blend well. Fold egg whites into batter. Pour into prepared pans. Bake 30-35 min. or until done. Cool 10 min. Invert on wire racks and remove pans. Cool before frosting. Top with toasted hazelnuts if desired.

FROSTING: Cream butter with sugar. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

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• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-1/4 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 ounces chocolate, grated (optional)
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
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• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Measure oats into a blender or food processor, and then mix until fine or at desired texture. Set aside.
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• In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Beat in the egg, then stir in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir dry ingredients into wet mixture. Add chocolate chips, grated chocolate, and nuts.
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• Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven. Let sit on cookie sheet one minute before moving to cooling rack.
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• Note: For crispier more evenly shaped cookies, flatten the balls into circles prior to baking.
• Recipe makes 2 dozen cookies.
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Ginger cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup unsulphured molasses

2 large egg whites

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour 

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Garnish:

1/2 cup granulated white sugar, for covering the cookie balls before baking.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg whites, and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. 
In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until well combined. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about at least an hour, or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Place 1/2 cup of white granulated sugar in a medium sized bowl. 
When the dough has chilled, roll into 1 inch balls. Then roll the balls of dough into the sugar, coating them thoroughly. Place on the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart and with the bottom of a glass, flatten the cookies slightly. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are firm but are still a little soft in the centers. (The longer the cookies bake, the more crisp they will be.) Cool on a wire rack. 

Note: This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies. Simply halve the recipe for 2 dozen.

Grandma's Ricotta Cheese Cake

1.5 lb. Ricotta cheese, well drained.
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons manna groats (farina)
3 eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla or rum extract
pinch of salt


Mix ingredients in mixer and let stand 5 mins.
Add 1/2 cup raisins (make sure you let raisins stand in boiling water for 10-15 mins to soften and plump, then drain and dust with flour).
Grease an 8 or 9 inch round pan and pour in mixture. Cover with foil.
Bake 1 hour in preheated oven at 375'F, removing foil after 40 mins.
Cool.

Tips: A good trick for easily removing the cake from the pan is to cover the pan with parchment paper and pour the batter on top. When the cake is ready, it will be easy to remove the cake from the parchment paper.

Peanut butter filled chocolate cookies

Cookies:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg


Filling:
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper, or use non stick cookie sheets.
In a bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
In another bowl, mix butter with white sugar until fluffy, add brown sugar.
Mix in peanut butter until well incorporated. Then add vanilla and egg. Blend well.
Using a spatula or a wooden spoon, gently mix in flour mixture.
Shape dough into 3/4inch balls and place on cookie sheets.

For peanut butter filling, mix powdered sugar, vanilla, and peanut butter (you can use a mixer)
and shape into 1/4inch balls. 
Flatten each chocolate dough ball and top with a peanut butter ball. Wrap chocolate dough over the peanut butter filling so that it completely covers the filling. Roll into balls again and flatten.
Bake for 8 minutes or until just set and surface is slightly cracked. Cool cookies for 1 minute before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.

Old Fashioned Apple Cake

2 cups apples (peeled, cored and diced)
1 egg
1/4 cup veg oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F. 
Combine apples, egg, oil and sugar. Mix well and set aside.
In another bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.
Mix wet ingredients into the flour mixture, stirring well.
If ingredients seem too dry, add veg. oil by teaspoons.
Pour batter into greased springform pan. Bake 45 min to an hour.

Tips: If using granny smith or tart green apples, you may want to increase the sugar to one cup.
This cake has a very rich gingerbread taste. It is served best warm with vanilla ice cream.

Almond Pear Cake

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup almond meal (finely ground almonds)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 large Bartlett pear
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
extra sugar and cinnamon for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter an 8 or 9 inch springform pan and set aside.
Mix together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well into the mixture.
Add vanilla and almond extracts.
Slowly mix in flour mixture.
Spread batter evenly in pan.
Slice pear as desired and arrange on top of the batter.
Sprinkle with a teaspoon of sugar and dust with cinnamon.
Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Toothpick inserted into center should come out clean.


Tips: Try without almond meal for a less textured cake.