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Easy Chocolate Sauce

Chocolate Sauce

1/2 cup unsweetened Cocoa Powder, sifted
1 cup Sugar
Pinch of Salt
1/2 cup Cold Water
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla

Instructions:
In cold saucepan whisk together the cocoa and sugar.
Add the salt and water, bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Reduceto a simmer; stirring constantly.
Simmer for about 30 seconds, remove from heat.
Let cool for a few minutes then stir in the Vanilla.
Pour into a clean glass jar with a tight fitting lid.
Refrigerate.

Note: the sauce will be quite thin but will thicken as it cools.
This sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
If it becomes to thick to pour or easily spoon over desserts simply give it a quick reheat.

Caramel Sauce

Easy Peasy Caramel Sauce

1 cup Granulate Sugar
1/4 cup Water, cold
3 oz Butter, cubed
1/2 cup Heavy Cream*
1 tsp Vanilla
pinch of Salt

Instructions:
Add sugar and water to a heavy bottomed pot; stir just until combined
Cook over medium heat, cook until sugar dissolves, turns from cloudy to clear and starts to bubble – this can take a few minutes.
Do not stir – allow to bubble and cook
Continue cooking, without stirring, until the mixture thickens and turns a deep gold colour like honey (8-15 minutes)
Carefully add bits of butter and stir until completely melted – be careful as the mixture will bubble up like crazy when you add in the butter
Remove pot from the heat.
Slowly add in the heavy cream, stirring continuously until all of the cream has been incorporated.
Stir in vanilla and salt.
Set aside to cool in the pot for 10 minutes.
Pour into a clean glass jar with tight fitting lid

Store in refrigerator.
It will get super thick when in the fridge. Warm in microwave or bring cold water in a pot to med hot temperature with the cold jar warming up along with the water. Do NOT put the cold jar into boiling water.

*Heavy Cream substitute
3/4 cup Milk
1/4 cup melted Butter, cooled to room temp

Stir cooled melted butter into the milk
Note, this cannot be used to make whipped cream but will suffice for sauces calling for heavy cream.

CornBread

1 1/2 cups Cornmeal
1/2 cup Flour
1 1/2 cups Buttermilk
1/4 cup Butter, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
2 large Eggs

Preheat oven to 425F
Spray with Veg Oil Spray one of the following:
9″ Round Pan
8″ Square Pan
Individual Loaf Pan-8 wells
8″ Round Cast Iron Skillet
Set aside.

In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.

In a small mixing bowl combine buttermilk, butter and eggs.

Stir liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and stir just until combined.

Spoon mixture into prepared pan(s)

Bake for 20 – 30 minutes depending on which pan you are baking in.

Let rest in pan for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Serve warm with butter.

Copy Cat Lofthouse Sugar Cookies

Another Hayley and Michael fave! Gotta admit, I love ’em too!

Copy Cat Lofthouse Cookies

1/2 c (1 c) Butter, softened
1/2 c (1c) Sour Cream
12 oz (6 oz) Granulated Sugar
     [1 3/4 c  is 12 oz , I just don’t like messing around halving it, 6 oz is                easier)
1 (2) Eggs
1 (2) teaspoons Vanilla
1/4 (1/2) teaspoon Almond extract
3 c (6 c) Flour
3/4 (1 1/2)  teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 (1 ) teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 (1/2) teaspoon Salt

Frosting
1/2c (1c) Butter
1/2 (1) teaspoon Vanilla
2c (4c) Powdered Sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp (5 TBSP) Milk
Food Colouring and Sprinkles, if desired

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F.
Line baking trays with parchment paper, set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt; set aside.
In stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sour cream until smooth and light in colour.
Add in the sugar, egg(s), vanilla and almond extract. Mix until just combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring well after each addition.
To form drop cookies: using damp hands, roll dough into 2″ balls and place 2″ apart  on the prepared cookie sheet. Using a flat-bottomed glass dipped in sugar, press the cookie balls flat.
If preferred, you can roll out the dough after chilling the dough for 30 minutes.. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface until 1/4″ thick. Using a biscuit cutter, cut cookies and place 2″ apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake cookies in preheated 400F oven for 5 -7 minutes, The rolled cookies will take a lil longer, 8 – 10 minutes, baking just until the cookies being to set up and the bottoms are lightly brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet and let cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting.

Frosting
In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and extract until smooth.
Add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing until smooth after each addition. Add in the milk and food colouring, and beat until fluffy and smooth. Spread onto cooled cookies and immediately sprinkle on the sprinkles, if using.

Just a note: Watch them carefully when they are baking! The minute you see them turning golden brown on the bottom, remove them from the oven and let sit for 5 – 10minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Copy Cat Lofthouse Sugar Cookies!

“Starbucks” Oat Fudge Bars

So back in 2012 my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer. She went into hospital at the beginning of Summer and never came home again. One of her fave things, while she could still chew and swallow was the Oat Fudge Bars from Starbucks downstairs!
I started making them in 2016. Four years after her passing.

Now my husband quite enjoys them! Can’t say I blame him, they are super delish!

Photo to Follow

 Oat Layers
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Butter
2 Eggs
2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
3 cups Rolled Oats – I use Quick Oats
Fudgy Layer
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups Chocolate Chips – I use a combination of Semi-Sweet, Milk Choc0late and Dark Chocolate
1/2 cup Butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Fudgy Layer
In a small saucepan, gently heat together butter and sweetened condensed milk; stir in chocolate chips and vanilla;  stir until chocolate chips have melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly while you make the oat mixture.

Oat Mixture
In a large bowl cream together butter, sugar and eggs.
Mix flour, soda and oats; add slowly to creamed mixture.
Spread 3/4 of the oat mixture into a 9×13 lined with parchment paper.
Spread fudge layer over the pressed down oat mixture.
Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the fudgy layer.

Bake in preheated 350F oven for 25 minutes.