Brandy Drops

These cookies are eggnog in cookie form. It must be the brandy and nutmeg that give them this distinctive egg nog flavor.  Because I love egg nog, naturally, I loved these cookies. The cookies make a great addition to a Christmas cookie plate or can just be enjoyed any time.

The recipe itself is very simple. I did find that the cookies spread when baking, so be sure to place the dough two inches apart. The use of powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar results in a very delicate cookie. I followed the recipe and topped each cookie with a pecan, but if you are concerned about nut allergies, you could easily leave the pecans off.

Brandy Drops 

• 1 cup softened butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten slightly
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. brandy
• Pecan halves

Cream butter; add sugar and cream again. Beat in eggs. Stir in the dry ingredients alternating with the brandy. Chill. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls two inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Top each cookie with a pecan half. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Remove from sheet; cool on rack. Enjoy!

Orange Sugar Cookies

Can basic sugar cookies be improved? These orange sugar cookies just might be an improvement. The recipe is the basic sugar cookie with the addition of grated orange rind. The resulting cookies are delicious with a subtle orange flavor that improves but does not overwhelm the cookie.

I used Christmas cookie cutters for these cookies to match the season when I was making them. But, you could use any shape to cut the cookies because they would be delicious any time of the year. If you do not want to actually grate orange rind, you can find dried grated orange rind at the grocery store. I topped the cookies with a basic vanilla sugar glaze and sprinkles. But as MDS can attest, the cookies are delicious even without frosting, especially straight out of the oven. I brought these cookies to a standard Saturday night at Mom's house, and the cookies were a hit with the nieces and nephews.

Orange Sugar Cookies 

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp. grated orange rind
• 3 1/2 cup flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup milk

Cream the butter and sugar. Beat eggs and rind into mixture. Sift together the dry ingredients. Add one half of the dry ingredients to butter mixture. Mix well. Add vanilla and milk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Chill well.

Roll 1/8-inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375 for about eight to ten minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Frost, if desired. Enjoy!

Christmas Coffee Bread

This recipe makes a delicious bread that can be eaten anytime. The name of the recipe might make you save this bread for the Christmas season, but you can enjoy it in any season. Mom's recipe card calls for shaping the bread into a candy cane and a Christmas tree, but you could just make a braided bread or any other shape. The name also implies that it would be a delicious bread served with breakfast or brunch, which is true, but it can be enjoyed all day.

This bread is rich, thick and slightly sweet. Mom's recipe calls for shaping a candy cane out of plain dough and the Christmas tree out of dough with candied fruit added. But you could add candied fruit to all of the dough or leave it out completely. Instead of candied fruit, I used dried cherries. Also, instead of one very large Christmas tree as described in the recipe, I made two smaller trees. Shaping the candy cane was much easier than shaping the tree. A holiday-shaped bread would be a nice treat for a holiday party. Whether you make a candy cane shape or a standard loaf, give this recipe a try.

Christmas Coffee Bread 

• 2 packages dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 5 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup candied fruit
• melted butter to brush on bread
• 1-2 cups Confectioner's sugar 
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• food coloring, optional
• decorating sprinkles, optional

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in water that is about 120 degrees. Add buttermilk, sour cream, 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup butter, sugar, baking powder and salt. Blend all ingredient, scraping sides and bottom of the bowl. Stir in the remaining flour. Knead for five minutes on a lightly floured surface.

Shape one-third of the dough into a 30-inch rope. Fold the rope in half, twist together and form into a candy cane shape on a greased baking sheet. Brush with melted butter.

To the remaining dough, knead in candied fruit until evenly distributed. Shape into a 60-inch rope. Pinch off a one-inch segment for the trunk. On a greased baking sheet, Shape into a tree starting at the top, and increasing the length for each switchback turn. Brush the top with butter.

Set the bread in a warm place to rise for about an hour or two. Preheat oven to 375. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool. Make the frosting by combining the confectioner's sugar, vanilla, and a little bit of water until it reaches frosting consistency. Add food coloring, if desired. Frost the cooled bread. Add other decorations if desired. Enjoy!

Cornmeal Cookies

I found this recipe among Grandma's recipe cards. I don't recall her making these cookies, but I could see how the use of cornmeal might appeal to Grandma because her mother often made polenta. MDS was skeptical of these cookies because of the inclusion of cornmeal and raisins, but after one bite, he was hooked. The cornmeal in the cookies add a nice crunch to the cookies, and in some ways, the cookies remind me of potato chip cookies.

I made these cookies and took them to Mom's for a typical Saturday night. Like MDS, the kids were skeptical of the cookies, primarily because of the raisins. But the kids who tried the cookies liked them. And Mom, who usually doesn't like to keep cookies around, even kept a few cookies to enjoy later. So give these cookies a try, you might find you really like them.

Cornmeal Cookies 

• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup raisins

Mix butter and sugar in a large bowl; add egg and beat well. Add in the rest of the ingredients, mixing to combine. Drop dough by the teaspoon onto a greased pan. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, or until the edges turn lightly brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Scones

This recipe is not a family recipe, but is a personal favorite recipe of mine. These scones are inspired by pumpkin scones that can be found at Starbucks in the fall. They are easy to make and taste great with coffee or tea, or even on their own. They capture the classic Fall flavors, but are delicious year-round.

However, rather than making the larger size scones, I make these as a mini-sized scone so they are closer to cookie size or about three-bites per scone. I do not put a glaze on them, but you could easily use a powdered sugar glaze. If you make the glaze, consider adding some spice, like cinnamon and nutmeg. The spices that I use are cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon and ginger. But you can adjust the spices to meet your taste.

Pumpkin Scones 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 7 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. cardamon
• 1/4 tsp. ginger
• 6 Tbsp. cold butter
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 3 Tbsp. buttermilk
• 1 egg

Preheat oven to 425. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and spices in a large bowl. Cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. In separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, buttermilk and egg. Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Form one-third of dough into a ball and then roll into a rectangle. cut into small triangles. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake for 14 minutes. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

Apple Crunch Cake

This recipe makes a delicious cake, especially during the fall when apple and cinnamon flavors capture the season. I brought this cake to Mom's house for a regular Saturday night. It was a hit with most there. Although not all the kids like cinnamon, all the adults liked the cake.

I used two apples to make this cake, but I could have used another apple to add to the apple flavor. The one addition that I made to the recipe was to use one teaspoon of vanilla in the batter. Good vanilla always improves baked goods. The recipe calls for using an 8X8 square pan, but I do not have that size pan, so I used an 8-inch round pan. My cake ended up being taller than the cake likely should be. The recipe could be easily doubled to use a 13X9 pan.

Apple Crumb Cake 

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cup thinly sliced peeled apple

For the crumb mixture:

• 1/4 cup raw or regular sugar
  
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the egg, milk, vanilla, and melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the flour ingredients, mixing only until the dry ingredients are moistened. In a separate bowl, prepare the crumb mixture by mixing the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until coarse crumbs form.

Spread half the batter in a greased 8X8 inch square pan. Arrange apple slices on the batter and sprinkle with half the crumb mixture. Spread the rest of the batter over the apples and sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on the top of the cake. Bake at 400 for 35 minutes or until done. Enjoy!

Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies

The first recipe when I started this blog was the standard Saturday night dinner of Spaghetti and Gravy with chocolate chip cookies for dessert. But sometimes for a special treat, Mom would make these delicious chocolate cookies with Reese's peanut butter chips. And, just like Mom's chocolate chip cookies, the recipe for these cookies is found on the back of the bag of chips, in this case, Reese's peanut butter chips. Even though the recipe is on the bag of chips that you need to make them, you will find the recipe below. The chocolate cookies themselves are so delicious, you can even make them without the peanut butter chips. Or use another type of chip, such as mint chips, for a different delicious cookie.

These cookies were a special treat in the Buckley household and would not last long. I am not entirely sure if they were so quickly eaten because they were rare or delicious. Just as when I was a kid, when I make these cookies, they are gone before I have had enough of them. The bag also suggests that cookie bars can be made by baking the dough in a pan for about 20 minutes. Although I have never tried this recipe as cookie bars, I might need to try that next time.

Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Cocoa
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 10 oz. package Reese's chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture; beating well. Stir in peanut butter chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 9 minutes. (Do not overbake; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling.) Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Enjoy!

Minty Mashed Peas

This recipe is not a family recipe, but is based upon a side dish at Nando's Peri-Peri, a South African chain that has recently made it to Chicago. When MDS and I ate at Nando's we loved their Macho Peas. Mashed peas is originally a British recipe and is also sometimes called mushy peas. Nando's spiced up the mashed peas to make the Macho peas. I especially liked the chili and mint flavor together. In all, the Macho peas are a unique flavor.

You can use fresh peas, but frozen peas work just fine. Some recipes for mashed peas call for boiling the peas to cook them, but I prefer to saute the peas. You can use fresh or dried herbs, so just adjust the seasoning as needed. This dish comes together as an easy side dish that could go well with just about anything.

Minty Mashed Peas 

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 pound peas
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. dried mint
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 2 Tbsp. butter

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the peas, onion, mint, chili powder and parsley. Saute for about 10 minutes. Use a potato masher or a fork to mash the peas. For a more mushy result, use a food processor to blend the peas. Add butter and mix well. Enjoy!

Cherry Cake

I remember this cake because of the maraschino cherries. These cherries are often found on the top of an ice cream sundae. When I was a kid, I loved these cherries, so of course I loved a cake made with maraschino cherries. This cake is a basic yellow cake with some cherry pieces and cherry juice added. I made this cake for a typical Saturday night at Mom's house. Mom and Megan remember this cake and loved it. And the nieces and nephews liked the cake too. MDS even liked this cake, and he usually does not like fruit in cake.

Mom's recipe calls for the inclusion of nuts, but Mom never included nuts in this cake and neither did I. The recipe suggests chocolate frosting or just a dusting of powdered sugar. I am sure that both options are delicious, but Mom usually used a simple vanilla sugar glaze. You could also use the extra cherry juice with powdered sugar to make a cherry glaze.

Cherry Cake 

• 1/2 pound butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 3 oz. maraschino cherry juice
• 8 or 10 oz. bottle maraschino cherries
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 4-8 Tbsps. water

Drain the cherries, reserving the juice. Cut the cherries into quarters and coat with flour. Cream butter with sugar and egg yolks. Mix well. Stir in milk, 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and cherry juice. Add flour and baking soda. Add the cherries. Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Bake in a greased tube pan for about 50 to 55 minutes at 350. Allow to cool before removing from pan. Make the frosting by combining powdered sugar, vanilla and water. Use more or less water as needed to get the right consistency. Frost the cake. Enjoy!

Caramel Pie

For the past few years, my brother Chris has brought an amazing caramel pie to the family get-together on Christmas Eve. This particular pie is amazingly delicious and is served with freshly whipped cream. Chris gets the pie and whipped cream from Beatrix in the River North neighborhood in Chicago. It is a pie that I have not really seen anywhere else, but it occurred to me that this caramel pie can be made at home with ease.

First, there is a crumb crust. I used a basic graham cracker crust, but other types of cookies or crackers could be used to make the crust. Then, the caramel is so easy to make if you have a slow cooker. Just stick a few unopened cans of sweetened condensed milk covered completely in water in your slow cooker for eight hours to make the delicious caramel. I used two cans of sweetened condensed milk, which adequately filled a nine-inch pie pan, but another can would result in a filled to the top pie. Finally, whip some whipping cream, and you have just re-created Beatrix's caramel pie. MDS even thinks this version is better than the original.

Update: I shared a piece of this pie with whipped cream with Chris. He can be quite particular about what he will eat, such that some might call him a foodie. He reported that this pie was excellent and suggested that I make it for the next family get-together. So this pie must be good.

Caramel Pie 

• 1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 or 3 cans sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1-2 tsp. vanilla extract

Blend the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press the crumbs into a greased nine-inch pie pan. Refrigerate the crust for a few hours before filling. 

To make the caramel, remove the labels from cans of sweetened. Place the unopened cans in a slow cooker. Cover the cans completely with water. Turn the slow cooker on to low and let sit for eight hours. Allow the cans to cool completely before opening. Spoon the caramel into the pie crust. Combine the whipping cream and vanilla in a bowl and use an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Serve the pie with fresh whipped cream. Enjoy!

Buckwheat

Recently, MDS and I went to a local Ukrainian restaurant, Shokolad, located conveniently in Chicago's Ukrainian Village neighborhood. The food was awesome--we loved everything that we had, including a Drunken Cherry Cake that I may try to make some time. But one item that struck me was the option to have Buckwheat as a side dish. Because I don't recall every having tried buckwheat before, I knew I had to try it. And, I loved it. It was simply prepared with just a bit of butter and salt and pepper.

After a bit of research, I learned that buckwheat is fairly common in Eastern European cuisine. It is often used in Kasha, which I have had, so it turns out that I probably have had buckwheat before. But, the recipe below is just for plain buckwheat. It is a delicious and easy side dish. Or, it can be used in place of a grain, rice or pasta in many other dishes, which I did with part of this batch. Buckwheat also could be used as a breakfast cereal, instead of oatmeal or grits. In other words, it is very versatile. And because it is so easy to make, I plan to work it into many future meals. One note, I was able to find buckwheat at Mariano's near the rice and grains. It may not be commonly available, but it is worth seeking it out.

Buckwheat 

• 1 cup buckwheat
• 2 cups water
• 1-2 Tbsp. butter
• salt and pepper, to taste

Place the buckwheat and water in a pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add butter, salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Grandma Holmes's Oatmeal Cookies

These no-bake oatmeal cookies are fairly common. The cookies are routinely brought along to potlucks or other events requiring something easy to make and easy to eat. This recipe is especially good when you want cookies on a hot summer day but you don't want to use the oven. The recipe makes about 60 cookies, which is great for feeding a crowd. I recently made these cookies for a family get together and the cookies were quite popular. Although not as popular as my sister-in-law Laura's peach cobbler, so I may need to make that cobbler for a future blog post.

There are variations to the recipe. As noted on Grandma Holmes's recipe card below, you can use chocolate or peanut butter. Or, I bet you could easily make a peanut butter chocolate cookie by using half of the chocolate and half of the peanut butter. I went with a chocolate cookie because some family members have peanut allergies. I also substituted an extra cup of oatmeal instead of the coconut. The recipe card calls for oleo (more commonly called margarine these days), but I used real butter. I think that you could add in other items, like nuts or dried fruit, but just reduce the amount of oatmeal by the amount you substitute in. Whatever ingredients you decide to use, these cookies are delicious treats.

Grandma Holmes's Oatmeal Cookies 

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter
• 2 squares baker's chocolate or 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 4 cups oatmeal

Boil the sugar, butter, chocolate (or peanut butter) and milk for three minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the stovetop. Stir in the vanilla and oatmeal. Spoon out onto wax paper, using the spoons to shape and pack the cookies. Allow the cookies to set for several hours or overnight, if possible. Enjoy!

Stroopwafel

While flying to Seattle in April, MDS and I enjoyed the stroopwafel provided by United. The flight attendant suggested that we set the cookie over the cup of hot coffee to allow the caramel in the middle to melt a bit. Oh my were the warm stroopwafel delicious. I had not seen these cookies before, but I thought that they looked a lot like two pizzelles with some caramel sandwiched in the middle. I knew that I could make these cookies at home.

Stroopwafels are from the Netherlands. Just as I thought, the cookies themselves are made on an iron press, just like pizzelles. The filling in the middle is caramel, so I used the slow-cooker method to make dulce de leche (a type of caramel) to use as the filling. There are other ways to make caramel sauce, but the method explained below does not require much work and the result is delicious.

I made this batch for my niece Amanda's 10th birthday party. In the picture, the stroopwafels make an appearance at the very bottom of the picture. Everyone in the picture is focused on Amanda and her awsome cake made by her brother Ryan. Rather than use full size pizzelle, which would work just fine, I used a cookie cutter to make smaller bite-sized sized cookies from the pizzelles when they were fresh off the iron and still quite soft. I used a simple circle for these pizzelles, but you could use any shape cookie cutter. Or, just use the full-sized pizzelles.

Stroopwafels 

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• One batch of pizzelles

Remove the paper label from the can of sweetened condensed milk. Place the unopened can in a slow cooker on its side for more even cooking. Fill the slow-cooker to completely cover the can and then  one more inch of water. Turn slow cooker on to low and allow to cook for 8 hours. Turn the slow cooker off and allow the can to fully cool to room temperature before opening the can. You can submerge the can in cold water to help it cool faster. After opening the can, store the caramel in a glass container. It will last several weeks in the refrigerator.

Carefully place a spoonful of the caramel on a pizzelle and spread if needed. Place a second on top and press together. I found that the pizzelles broke if I pushed too hard, so be gentle. Enjoy!

Cannoli

Grandma used to make cannoli for special occasions. Cannoli make an appearance in one of my favorite movie lines of all time: "Leave the gun, take the cannoli" as seen in the clip from the Godfather below.

I love cannoli, but I have never actually made them. I was always intimidated by the need to deep fry the shells. But, if you buy pre-made cannoli shells, making cannoli is easy and allows you to make them to suit your own tastes. I bought mini cannoli shells instead of the regular larger size because they are easier to eat.

In order to fill the cannoli shells, I found a new use for my cookie press. Using one of the decorator tips that came along with the cookie press kit, it was very easy to fill the shells. I used mini chocolate chips, maraschino cherries and pistachio nuts for these cannoli. You could use other fruits, like candied orange, or any other toppings. The nice thing about making your own cannoli is that there is unlimited customization options.

Cannoli 

• Cannoli shells
• 16 oz. chilled and drained ricotta cheese
• 2/3 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• dash cinnamon
• optional: mini Chocolate chips, maraschino cherries, pistachio nuts

Combine the chilled, drained ricotta cheese and confectioners sugar. Mix well. Add in vanilla and cinnamon. The optional ingredients can be added into the cannoli cream or can be reserved to put on the ends of the cannoli. Refrigerate the cannoli cream for a few hours. Fill the cannoli shells with the cannoli cream. Place chocolate chips, nuts or cherries on the ends. Enjoy!

Lemon Ice

This Lemon Ice is a good cold treat on a hot August day. I found this recipe in Mom's recipe box. Although I don't recall her making this recipe, I do recall having these types of ice treats in the summer. And, this recipe is very similar to Italian Ice, which I do recall enjoying every summer. I especially love Mario's Italian Ice on Taylor Street, right behind my high school. Mario's closed over the winter, so every year when Mario's reopened, I knew that it was summer.

Mom's recipe calls for using ice cube trays as a mold. Then, the resulting lemon ice cubes could be used in a drink, which I am sure would be delicious. But, with my automatic ice cube maker, I don't own ice cube trays, so I poured the entire recipe into a bowl and froze it as a whole. Then, I used a spoon to scrape out the lemon ice into a small bowl for serving. Either way you choose to enjoy this recipe, I highly recommend on a 90 degree August day.

Lemon Ice 

• 4 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• Juice of 3 lemons (about 10 Tbsp.)
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 package unflavored gelatin

Soften gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water. Boil 4 cups water and sugar together for five minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Add softened gelatin to the syrup and stir until dissolved. Place in ice cube trays and freeze until firm (about 3 hours). Enjoy!

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

For MDS's 39th (again) Birthday, I made this delicious cake and frosting. I was glad MDS chose this combo. I usually pick chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting. The chocolate cake with chocolate frosting combo is excellent. Both recipes came from Mom's recipe box. Making cake and frosting from scratch is easy enough that there really is no need to rely on the boxed mixes. The cake is called Hershey's Prize Chocolate Cake, so she must have gotten it from the back of Hershey's cocoa powder box back in the day. The recipe calls for making a round layer cake, but I made a pan cake instead. It took a little longer to bake, but like most cake recipes, you can use whatever pan works for you by adjusting the baking time.

The frosting recipe seems to be a basic chocolate buttercream recipe. I often struggle with making frosting, but I have found that if I use my electric mixer, I get better results with smoother and fluffier frosting. As for the "39" candles that you see in the photo. we plan to stay 39 forever, so we will keep using those candles until nothing is left.

Hershey's Prize Chocolate Cake 

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 cup milk

Generously grease the pans. Cream butter, shortening, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs. Combine soda, cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add alternately with milk to butter. Blend well. Pour into the prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Frost and enjoy!

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting 

• 2 2/3 cup confectioner sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 6 Tbsp. butter
• 4-5 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Combine confectioner sugar and cocoa. Cream butter with one half of the cocoa mixture in a bowl. Add remaining cocoa alternating with milk. Beat to spreading consistency. Blend in vanilla. Use to frost cake. Enjoy!