Mom's Texas Sheet Cake

My mother told me the story of how we came into the posession of this recipe.  It's pretty neat actually.  A lady called up my grandmother and asked if it would be ok to bring a cake to my parent's reception.  My grandmother agreed and so this kind lady brought a Texas sheet cake to the party.  It was a nice contrast so the guests had their choice of chocolate or vanilla wedding cake.  My mother fell in love with the cake and spent years trying to track her down for the recipe.  Once she got her hands on it, she made it as often as possible!  I rarely remember desserts unless it was this or her Blue Ribbon Carrot Cake sitting on the counter! :)

Mom's Texas Sheet Cake

*Makes 1 11X17 pan full of cake **cookie sheet for those who don't have their tape measures handy :P

Cake:
1 Stick of Butter
1/2 C. Crisco
4 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder
1 C. Water
2 C. Flour
2 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Buttermilk
2 Eggs (slightly beaten)
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Vanilla

Frosting:
1 Stick of Butter
4 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder
6 Tbsp. Milk
1 lb. Powdered Sugar (sift!)
1 tsp. Vanilla

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and flour a cookie sheet.
3. In a saucepan, (for the cake) melt butter, crisco, coaco, and water.  Bring to a rapid boil.
4. In a bowl, add flour and sugar.  Pour the melt over this and stir.
5. Add buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, cinnamon and vanilla and stir.  Don't over work it *don't want to activate the glutens*.  Just stir enough to get the lumps out.
6. Pour into the cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
7. **15 minutes into the cake baking**  In a saucepan, (for frosting) melt butter, cocoa, and milk.  Bring to a boil.  Add the powdered sugar and vanilla.  Mix well, keep stirring until it's smooth.
8. At this point the cake should be just about done.  Pull it out and frost while the cake is STILL HOT.  This allows the frosting to melt more and seep into the pores of the cake!
9. You can stop here and let the cake cool or you can go one step further and sprinkle chopped pecans on top before the frosting hardens.

*fun fact, this cake is great for freezing!  Cut up and wrap individual size pieces in saran wrap and store in a Ziploc bag*

Truffles

Dark chocolate is really good for you in small doses!  I decided to make it worth my while with truffles! :)


Truffles
*Makes 15-20 balls

1 C. Chocolate Chips (dark, regular, white) MAKE SURE IT'S ROOM TEMPERATURE
1/2 C. Heavy Cream
2 C. Chips (whichever you'd like to coat it in, I don't recommend white....)
You can also cover them in chopped nuts, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, or crushed candy canes :)

1. Boil heavy cream on the stove, and add to a bowl with the cup of chips.  Let it sit for 2-3 mins.
2. Mix until it's smooth and creamy.  Put in the fridge uncovered for an hour.
3. Pull out the granache and spoon it into little piles. (about a small spoonful for each)
4. Roll each pile into a ball.  (it gets messy!!!)
5. Put back in the fridge for about 15 mins to harden them up again.
6. Start melting your coating chocolate on the stove with a double boiler or in the microwave.
7. Using two forks, drop a ball in the chocolate, coat it and put on wax paper on a cookie sheet.
8. When you're all done, put in the fridge (or freezer if you have room) to cool.  5-15 mins depending on which.
9. Put in a freezer bag or container and keep in the freezer!

Protein Cookies!

I've been looking for something quick to grab and eat because I don't want to put any thought into my snacks during the day.  This treat is amaaaaaazing and chock full of protein so they're great for after a workout.  I played with a recipe off pinterest and made it my own!  :) They're not for those who don't like bananas though!  Fair warning!!! Another note would be that these don't have ANY flour or sugar!!!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Protein Cookies! (Wow mouthful)

*Makes 20 cookies (depending on the size)

2 Ripe Bananas (mashed)
2/3 C. Peanut Butter
1/3 C. Apple Sauce
1 Scoop Protein Powder (vanilla or chocolate work great)
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 C. Oats (quick or old fashioned and uncooked)
1/4 C. Favorite Nuts (chopped)
1/4 C. Dark Chocolate Chips
3 Tbsp. Chia Seeds

1. Mash the banana and mix in the peanut butter.  Fun fact, it's super easy with a pastry cutter!!!
2. Add the apple sauce, protein powder and vanilla extract and mix well again.
3. Add oatmeal, nuts, and chocolate chips.
4. Let this sit for 10 mins.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Add the chia seeds right before you pop them in the oven.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and put spoonfuls of mixture and mash down into cookie shapes.  I dumped spoonfuls into a cookie cutter for fun shapes!  Hearts and stars.
6. Cook for 25-30 mins.
7. Pull them out and cool on sheet for 5 mins and then move to a cooling rack.

These last about a week but they freeze!  So keep a few out and freeze the rest!  Just pull em out early in the morning if you think you'll need a protein boost after a workout!