The Secret to Getting Through January With Your Sanity Intact

Getting through the disgusting month of January with its snow, sleet, freezing rain and bitter winds can be challenging  – unless, of course, like me, you live in sunny Florida. Our temps hover in the 70’s all through the first month of the year. And the sky? Pure blue.
 
If you reside in a less hospitable part of the world? Release the cookie monster within and start baking!
 
 And start eating and sharing those goodies!
 

Here’s a few of my favorite desserts 

by a few of my favorite people:

My niece, Courtney, one of those people who, whatever she attempts, she does not only well, but with flair and delight. And baking cookies since she was a little kid is “her thing.”

Courtney says, “Attached is a picture of me on my 30th birthday with a cookie cake I made from the recipe below. I make a chocolate chip cookie cake every year for my birthday, because I don’t want any other dessert but this.”

 
Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled (use good quality butter)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Any amount of dark chocolate (bittersweet) chips (I use Ghirardelli or Godiva)

Preheat oven to 325.
Mix flour, baking soda, salt. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugars on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla.
Add in dry ingredients and beat until combined.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Bake 15 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE. The cookies will look somewhat raw when they come out. Let them cool on the baking sheets.

 

My sister-in- law, Pam, simply the warmest and kindest and most nurturing person I have ever met: 

Pam says, “This recipe is from a cookbook we made with my class and another classroom when I taught multi-handicapped children in a two-room school in Covington, Kentucky in the early 1980’s. The original recipe came from a student named Carlos and his grandmother.” 

Banana Bread

½ cup butter
¾ cup sugar
3 mashed ripe bananas (1 and ½ cups)
2 beaten eggs
1 ½ cups flour
I t. baking powder
I t. salt
Ground Cinnamon – use your judgment
Nuts (optional)
 
Slice up butter and let it get soft. Cream butter and sugar. Mash bananas with a fork and then add bananas and eggs to the mixture.
Sift the dry ingredients together and mix  with the other ingredients until the batter is moist.
 
Fold in nuts and pour into a well buttered loaf pan. (I use Pam spray)
Bake in 300 degree oven for 1- 1 1/4 hours or until tester comes out clean.
 
Cool before slicing. This cake is even better the second day and also freezes nicely. 
 

 

My very best friend, Gloria, who always has both my back and my best interests at heart, is a cook and baker extraordinaire. The following recipe is for Blonde Brownies, which, her youngest son, Andrew, always referred to as Tannies. 

Gloria says, “These tannies are still a fan favorite today – often requested by my kids and their friends from grade school. And an unnamed relative has been known to eat a whole pan!!!

 
Tannies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees 
Grease a metal brownie pan with butter or spray
 
1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature 
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar 
Cream sugars and butter for a couple of minutes 
until smooth 
 
Combine in a small bowl the following three ingredients 
1 1/2 cups flour
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking powder 
Then add half of the dry ingredients to the sugar and butter mixture.
 
Additional ingredients:
1 teaspoon vanilla 
2 eggs, at room temperature 
1/2 bag chocolate chips, whatever kind you like 
1 bag Heath Bits o’ Brickle (in chocolate chip area of the store)
 
Mix in egg
Add other half of the dry ingredients 
Then the other egg and vanilla 
Add in brickle bits and chips until combined 
The batter will be stiff
Spread in greased pan 
Bake 20 minutes or until just golden brown depending on your oven

  

 

My good buddy Margie – no matter how long it’s been since we have talked, we pick up effortlessly where we left off without missing a beat. 

 
Zucchini Bread

Grease all sides of the loaf pan
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
 
Beat together:
3 eggs
I cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 t vanilla or almond flavoring
 
Mash or cut-up 2 cups unpeeled zucchini (5 medium zucchinis). Remove some of water by placing zucchini in a thin dish towel and squeezing out excess water and then stir into the top ingredients. 
 
3 t cinnamon
1 t baking soda 
1 t salt 
3 cups flour
Sift all together and then add to the moist ingredients
 
Put parchment paper on the bottom of the loaf pan and grease loaf pan or spray with Pam the sides of the loaf pan.
 
Bake for one hour.
 
Happy Making
Happy Baking
Happy Eating

 
Keep Preserving Your Bloom,
 
Iris Ruth Pastor