Desserts

Apple Crisp – More with Less

Serves 6

To make the perfect apple crisp, you have to double the toppings and add more apples. It is best warm from the oven with ice cream.

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine and put in greased casserole:

3 cup sliced or chopped apples 1 tbsp. flour ¼ cup sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/8 tsp salt 1 tbsp. water

Cut together with pastry blender:

½ cup rolled oats ¼ tsp salt ¼ cup margarine 1/3 cup brown sugar

Sprinkle on top of casserole mixture. Bake 35 minutes.

On-the-Fence Brownies – The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion

Anne’s go-to brownie recipe when having a bad day, the fudgy brownie always makes the day seem better. It is important to use Dutch cocoa in order to get the best flavor.

1 cup unsalted butter 2 ¼ cups sugar 1 1/3 - ¼ cups Dutch cocoa 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 4 large eggs

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional) 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch pan. In a medium saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat briefly, just until it’s hot (110° -120°), but not bubbling; it will become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies. Stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth, then add the flour and nuts and chips, again stirring until smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the brownies for 28 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The brownies should feel set on the edges and in the center. Remove them for the oven and cool on a rack before cutting.

“Cake-Pan” Cake – King Arthur Cookbook

The only chocolate cake my sister Sarah likes. This recipe is also known as Depression Cake, since it was originally made during food shortages.

1 ½ cups all-purpose flower 1 cup sugar ¼ cup cocoa ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 tablespoon vinegar 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 cup cold water, coffee, or milk

Preheat oven to 350° Measure all the dry ingredients into an 8- or 9-inch square or round cake pan. Then blend these together thoroughly with a fork and scoop out 3 holes or indentations.

Pour the vanilla into the first hole, the vinegar into the second, and the vegetable oil into the third.

Take the cup of cold liquid (water, coffee, or milk) and pour it directly over everything in the pan. Stir all the ingredients together with our fork until they are well blended. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies – Mary Pommer

This is my Aunt Mary’s recipe but Grandma Meuzelaar would make them all the time during her retirement and kids would knock on her back door and she would give them cookies

2 cups Crisco 2 cups sugar 1 cup brown sugar 4 eggs 4 tsp vanilla 5 cups flour 2 tsp salt 2 tsp soda Goodly amount of chocolate chips

Mix together in order given. Bake at 325 degrees until done.

Double Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies – King Arthur Cookie Companion

6 dozen cookies

This was a delicious discovery during my sisters' teen years, but you need to make sure the peppermint extract is food safe. Tastes like thin-mints.

1 ½ cups unsalted butter 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 teaspoons peppermint extract, or ⅛- ¼ teaspoon peppermint oil to taste 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour ½ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°, line two baking sheets with parchment In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla and peppermint extract. Add flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, beating to combine. Stir in chocolate chips. Form cookies. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until they are slightly darker around the edges. Transfer to rack to cool.

Dora VanderVeen’s Quick Coffee Cake – 1974 Prairie Homemaker’s E.H.U. Cookbook

My mom says that this was my grandpa, Ike Meuzelaar’s, favorite; he made it every time he had to bring coffee cake somewhere.

2 cups flour 1 egg 3 tsp baking powder 2 tbsp. oleo melted

2/3 cup sugar ¼ tsp. salt 1 cup milk

Cinnamon Mixture

2 generous tbsp. butter (soft) 1 tsp. cinnamon 4 Tbsp. brown sugar

Mix all ingredients and pour into shallow well-greased pan. Cover with cinnamon mixture. Bake in moderate oven.

Elephant Tracks – Bertha Kuipers

Makes about 20 elephant tracks

These are big and gooey cookies, that are still a bit crunchy. They are best eaten the same day you made them.

Combine

½ cup scalded milk 2 tablespoons shortening ¼ cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt

Cool to lukewarm. Soften one package (1 tablespoon) yeast in ¼ cup lukewarm water. Add to first mixture. Stir in 2 beaten egg yolks or 1 whole egg. Add 2 ½ cups flour all at once. The dough will be stiff and should be worked until smooth.

Mix together 1 ¾ cups sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Roll out dough in a rectangular shape, brush with margarine, sprinkle with some of the sugar mixture and seal edges. Cut in one-inch slices. Work one slice at a time. Put some sugar mixture on a table and lay slice on it. Flatten with a rolling pin to a 5- or 6-inch circle. Turn to cinnamon sugar coat both sides. Place on greased cookie sheets. Let rise 30 minutes. Bake 15 to 18 minutes.

Fluffy Tapioca Pudding – The Family Baker

Makes about 8 cups pudding

My sister Anne first made this because she had been told that most people don't like tapioca pudding. However my family enjoyed it, especially my other sister, Sarah. Do not double the recipe unless you have a stand mixer.

4 cups milk, divided (3 ½ cups and ½ cup) 2 large eggs, at room temperature ½ cup granulated sugar, divided (¼ cup and ¼ cup) 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca ¼ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In the saucepan, heat 3 ½ cups of milk until just hot to the touch, but not boiling. Separate the eggs, putting the yolks in a medium bowl and the whites in a bowl for the electric mixer.

Whisk the remaining ½ cup cold milk into the yolks, then add ¼ cup of the sugar, the tapioca, and the salt. Blend well, then pour the mixture into the hot milk in the saucepan. Cook the tapioca on medium heat, whisking on and off, about 5 minutes; then whisk constantly for an additional 5 minutes, or more until the tapioca comes to a full bubbling boil. Whisk constantly while at a full boil for a full minute longer, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Set the pan aside. With the electric mixer, whip the whites on medium speed until they look foamy. Gradually add the remaining ¼ cup sugar while beating continuously. When the whites look thick and foamy, increase speed to high and whip until you begin to see beater tracks on top and the whites look smooth and satiny. Beat a little longer until, when the mixer is turned off and the beater is lifted, the whites at the tip form a peak that droops very slightly. Spoon generous cup of hot tapioca onto the whipped whites and fold them in with a whisk or flexible spatula. Continue adding and folding in the tapioca until it is all incorporated. Set the pudding aside without stirring for at least 20 minutes to allow it to set. Serve warm, or cool completely, then refrigerate and serve cold.

Fudgsicles – More with Less

Makes 8-10 popsicles

My mother would make these for my sisters and I when we were children. They quickly became one of our favorite cold summer treats.

Make Quick Chocolate Pudding, increasing milk to 2 ½ cups, cocoa to 3 tbsp, and sugar to ½ cup. Cool. Freeze in popsicle molds or small waxed paper cups. Insert sticks into paper cup molds when partially frozen. To serve, peel off paper cup Or use 1 box chocolate pudding mix (not instant) prepared with 3 cups milk

Quick Chocolate Pudding – More with Less

Serves 4-6

Although we mainly just used this recipe for the Fudgsicles, it still tasted good on its own. My sisters preferred the tapioca pudding, but this was my favorite pudding.

Combine in heavy saucepan:

1/3 cups sugar or honey 2 Tbsp Cornstarch 2 tbsp cocoa 2 cups milk

Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Add

1 tsp vanilla 1 tbsp margarine (optional)

Serve warm or cold.

Dutch Hustle Cake or Bread – Bertha Kuipers

The canned apples were home canned; Grandma would pick up the windfall apples and can them

Scald 1/3 cup milk. Stir in ¼ cup sugar, ½ tsp salt, 2 tbsp. margarine. Cool to lukewarm. In mixing bowl dissolve 1 pkg dry yeast in ¼ cup warm water. Stir in lukewarm milk mixture. Add 1 egg, well beaten, and 1 1/3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Spread dough evenly in 9-inch square pan. Arrange on top 1 ½ cups canned apple slices, drained. Sprinkle with mixture of 2 tbsp, brown sugar, ¼ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp nutmeg. Dot with 2 tbsp. margarine. Cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 40 minutes). Bake in moderate oven for 25 minutes. Drizzle with confectioners’ sugar icing.

Ollie Bollen – Gwen Meuzelaar

Made around New Years. We always sprinkled them with powdered sugar after. You must make sure they are cooked fully because there is nothing worse than raw dough

1 pkg. dry yeast softened in 4 tbsp warm water.

Add

1 or 2 tbsp sugar.

Let stand. Add

½ cup scalded milk ½ tsp salt 1 egg 1 cup raisins 2 cups flour ½ tsp cinnamon

Grated apple (optional)

Beat until smooth. Cover with towel. Let rise until bubbly. Take 2 tablespoons dip in hot fat, then scoop spoon of dough and drop in fat. Cook until brown.

Rhubarb Crunch – Gwen Meuzelaar

The crunch mixture was often doubled. We make this during the summer months because we always have excessive amounts of rhubarb.

Mix until crumbled

1 cup flour ¾ cup oatmeal 1 cup brown sugar ½ cup melted butter 1 tsp cinnamon

Press half of the crumbs in a greased 9x13 inch pan. Cover with

4 cups rhubarb

Combine

1 cup sugar 1 cup water 2 tbsp cornstarch 1 tsp vanilla

Pour over rhubarb. Top with remaining crumbs. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or an hour. Serve with cream.