Baking

It's a bad habit I know, but when I get stressed, I bake. This week has been a stressful one for me and now, of course, the house is now full of treats.

So I thought I'd share a few of my favorite "cook when you're having a hard day" recipes. Enjoy!

I've already shared my cousin's Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie recipe here.

My aunt's Marshmallow Brownie recipe can be found on my other blog here.

Grandma’s Chocolate Sheet Cake
2 c flour
2 c sugar
1 tsp soda
½ c butter
3 T cocoa
½ c oil
1 c water
½ c buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
A shake of salt

Stir together flour, sugar and soda. In a saucepan mix butter, cocoa, oil and water. Boil completely and pour over flour mixture. Beat and then add buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and salt. Beat well. Pour into an 11x16 pan. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Make the frosting while it bakes.

Frosting:
½ c butter
3 T cocoa
6 T milk
2 ½ c powdered sugar
Chopped nuts

Boil the butter, cocoa and milk and pour over the sugar. Add some vanilla. Ice the cake while hot, about 5 minutes after pulling it out of the oven. Top with chopped nuts.

Oatmeal Brownie Gems
Kind of a cross between oatmeal cookies and brownies.
2 ¾ c oats, uncooked
1 c flour
1 c light brown sugar
1 c coarsely chopped walnuts
1 tsp baking soda
1 c butter, melted
1 ¾ c M&Ms semi-sweet chocolate mini baking bits
1 (19-21 oz) package fudge brownie mix, prepared according to package directions for fudge-like brownies, but not baked.

Preheat oven to 350°. In large bowl combine oats, flour, sugar, nuts and baking soda: mix in butter until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Stir in M&Ms until evenly distributed. Reserve 3 cups mixture. Pat remaining mixture onto bottom of 15x10x1 inch pan to form crust. Pour prepared brownie batter over crust, carefully spreading into a thin layer. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over top of brownies and pat down lightly. Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs. Cook completely. Cut into bars.

Lemon Slice-of-Heaven Cake
This one I got from my sister-in-law, Amy and it is GOOD!

3 lemons
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups flour
4 large eggs
¾ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups sugar

Preheat oven to 325°; grease and flour 12-cup bundt pan. Grate 2 tablespoons lemon peel and squeeze 3 tablespoons juice from the 3 lemons. Mix together flour, salt and baking soda. In bowl, with mixer on low speed, blend sugar and butter. Beat on high for 3 minutes. Turn mixer back to low, beat in eggs, one at a time, add vanilla. Add flour mixture into sugar mixtures, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in lemon peel and juice. Pour into pan and bake for 60-50 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then invert onto rack.

Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
½ cup butter, softened
2 T fresh lemon juice
½ tsp vanilla extract
(4-oz.) cream cheese, softened

In bowl with mixer on low speed, blend sugar, butter and cream cheese. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla. Beat on high until fluffy. Spread on cake.