Susan's

These are a super basic, shortbread cookie with a burst of extra flavor (and texture variation) from the chocolate, which is kind of a cross between a frosting and a ganache.  I was really pleased with how these turned out, and they were fairly quick to make- probably only a couple hours max, start to finish, including cleaning up! :-)

Susan's

Cookies:
1 C. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 C. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
2 C. flour

Frosting:
2 C. powdered sugar
4 T. cocoa
3 T. hot water
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375.  Cream the butter and sugar.  Add vanilla and salt and mix thoroughly, then blend in the flour.  Shape a teaspoon of dough (keep them smaller, use the small scoop!) into a ball.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cookies look dry but not brown.  Once you pull them out of the oven, they'll be a little puffy, but make either a thumbprint, or use a tool to make a ledge to fill with frosting. (I have this wooden thingie that helps make crusts fit better in my mini-muffin tin and it worked perfect for pleasing the OCD part of me...) Once they cool, put the frosting into a ziplock bag, clip the corner, and fill the divot with chocolate yumminess before letting them cool.  I let them set up in the fridge and that worked well!

Grandma Squires Cooked Fudge

Old Fashioned Cooked Fudge

I made this with Grandma Squires a week or so ago, and it wasn't that "hard," but I wanted to write down as much of the directions as I could so that next time I try it on my own, I may have better luck.  Here's hoping!  This was Grandpa's favorite fudge recipe.  

The original recipe is posted below, but Grandma says that she always makes 1 1/2 batches, because she likes to use a bigger "soup" pot for cooking.  (The smaller pan almost bubbles over, and a single batch in the soup pan is too little...). 

1 C. cocoa (Hershey's is the best, NOT Nestle)
4 1/2 C. sugar
Just over 1/8 t. salt
1 C. evaporated milk
1 1/4 C. milk (2% or whatever is fine) 
6 T. butter 
1 1/2 t. vanilla

Combine the cocoa, sugar and salt and whisk together.  

Add milk and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Once it's boiling, let it cook for a long time without stirring often.  Seriously, it was probably a solid 15-18 minutes that we let this stuff go.  Once in a while, do a figure 8 type shape on the bottom of the pan.  You're cooking it until it forms a "soft ball" when dropped in fridge cooled water.  (Have a couple of glasses ready so you can test more than once.). It should feel sort of like a soft tootsie roll.  

Remove from heat, and add butter.  Do not stir until all of the butter melts.  

Add vanilla and stir until mixture thickens.  (Grandma puts the pan in an ice bath in the sink.). 

Pour into a greased pan, cool and cut into squares. 


Original Recipe:
2/3 cup cocoa
3 cups sugar
1/8 t. salt
1 1/2 cups milk (half evaporated makes it creamier)
4 1/2 T BUTTER
1t vanilla.

Combine cocoa, sugar salt and milk; bring to boil stirring frequently, cook to 234 degrees on candy thermometer, or soft ball stage. Remove from heat, add butter, cool to about 110; add vanill, nuts if you want, beat until thickens. Pour into buttered pan and cut into squares. MUST USE BUTTER.