Chocolate-Mint Filling

½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons milk

½ teaspoon peppermint extract

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until creamy. Add the milk and peppermint extract and blend until light and fluffy.

Chocolate-Mint Glaze

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) butter, at room temperature

Place the chocolate chips and butter in a glass or other microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals on high power until the chocolate is melted, stirring in between.

SUGAR MOMMAS TIPS

sugar mommas notes: If you can’t find a 16-ounce can of chocolate syrup, use 1½ cups of any chocolate syrup.

Keep these bars refrigerated for a cool, refreshing treat!

modern variation: Spread the glaze on the bars before the filling sets. Use a knife to gently swirl the two layers together so that the filling will show through on top as the glaze hardens.

old school: Ev added 1 or 2 drops of green food coloring to the filling before spreading it.

sass it up: Sprinkle crushed mint candies on top or place a mini candy cane on each bar for a Christmas party.

German Chocolate – Caramel Squares

Submitted by Sue Marguleas
From her aunt Jan Hammes’s recipe, Sterling, Illinois

Jan Hammes made German Chocolate–Caramel Squares for every family event. She lived in Sterling, Illinois, and would bake them, pack them up, and bring them to holidays, reunions, and family gatherings at her parents’ farm outside of La Crosse, Wisconsin. Eventually Jan’s sister, Darlene, acquired the recipe so she could make the bars at home for her daughter Sue. Sue loved melting the caramels and stealing a lick from the spoon!

Darlene typed up the recipe for Sue when she left for college. In her freshman frenzy, Sue forgot about the recipe as well as the bars. Fifteen years later, Aunt Jan brought the German Chocolate–Caramel Squares to a reunion held in a coulee where Sue had played as a child. Sue squealed with delight and thanked her aunt with a bear hug for bringing back a piece of her childhood. When Sue returned home, she looked through her old blue recipe box and, sure enough, there was the typed recipe from her mother. On the back she had written, “Sue: This is the bar recipe you loved as a kid. Love, Mom.” What sweet memory is waiting in your recipe box?

Sue squealed with delight and
thanked her aunt with a bear hug
for bringing back a piece of her
childhood.

German Chocolate–Caramel Squares

MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN 2-INCH SQUARE BARS

1 (14-ounce) package Kraft soft caramel candies, unwrapped (about 50 pieces)

⅓ cup evaporated milk

1 (18.25-ounce) box German chocolate cake mix

1 tablespoon water

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 by 5 recipe card

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9 by 13-inch baking dish (or use nonstick baking spray with flour). Set aside.

Place the caramels and milk in the top of a double boiler (or in a metal bowl nestled in a saucepan of boiling water) over medium heat (or see Carpool Crunch tip). Stir constantly until the caramels are melted. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside.

Place the cake mix, water, and melted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until well blended. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to fold in the walnuts. The mixture will be crumbly. Press half of the mixture firmly into the baking dish. Bake for 6 minutes, or until the crust is set. Remove from the oven. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the crust while it is hot. Pour the caramel mixture over the chocolate. Sprinkle the remaining half of the crumble mixture on top. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the bars are set. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Cut into 2-inch squares.

SUGAR MOMMAS TIPS

sass it up: After the caramel layer, toss in some Heath bar bits or butterscotch chips before adding the final layer of cake batter.

carpool crunch: Instead of wrapped caramels, use Kraft Premium Caramel Bits—already unwrapped for easy melting.

To speed up the melting, place the caramels and evaporated milk in a glass or other microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high power for 2 minutes. Stir and repeat in 30-second increments until the caramel is melted and has a smooth consistency.

Congo Bars

Submitted by Maureen Murphy
From her mother Jean Murphy’s recipe, Seattle, Washington

Jean Murphy made these bars for her daughter Maureen and her three brothers at least once a week to take in school lunches, to eat when they came home after class, and for dessert. The scents wafting from Jean’s kitchen must have alerted the entire neighborhood when a batch came out of the oven. All the local kids would drop by for a visit. As they walked through the kitchen, they would grab a bar from the big wooden cookie jar on the counter. Jean never complained that the kids ate all her bars. She was flattered that her baked goods were in demand.

Maureen’s three sons loved Congo Bars as much as she did. Maureen’s eldest son, Colin, included the recipe as part of his eighth-grade family genealogy project. What a novel idea—we think every ancestral study should include the family sweets!

What a novel idea—we think every
ancestral study should include the
family sweets!

Congo Bars

MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN 2-INCH SQUARE BARS

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, melted

1 (16-ounce) box light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Backpacks

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish (or use nonstick cooking spray). Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla. Add the flour mixture, a little at a time, and blend until smooth. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to fold in the chocolate chips, and nuts, if desired.

Pour the batter into the baking dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Cut into 2-inch squares.

SUGAR MOMMAS TIPS

sugar mommas note: These bars are delicious warm. If they get a bit dried out, wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave on high power for 15 to 20 seconds. They will be revived as though fresh from the oven.

sass it up: Substitute all or part of the semisweet chocolate chips or nuts with butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, caramel bits, or flaked coconut.

old school: Maureen used 67 percent cacao chips.

Deer Angie’s Brownies

Submitted by Maurie Ankenman Cannon
From Angie Hall’s recipe, St. Louis, Missouri

Angie Hall was the longtime housekeeper in Maurie Ankenman’s family. Maurie remembers Angie as a better-than-average cook, and she still returns to many of Angie’s recipes, such as these brownies. Maurie’s husband aptly described these treats as soft and cake-like, “with a firm icing that literally melts between your lips and the back of your tongue.” Brownies seem relatively commonplace, but Angie’s brownies will bring you to your knees!

We can attest that Angie’s brownies are favored by creatures great and small. Momma Reiner made these treats for her son’s baseball team picnic. The moms laid out quite a spread at the local park, a retreat in the midst of the Los Angeles urban setting. Three hillside picnic tables, covered in a banquet fit for royalty, sat waiting for the game’s end. We were focused on watching fathers and sons engage in America’s favorite pastime.

As the ninth inning neared its close, we glanced over toward the feast. A surprise guest was in attendance—a deer had ventured out from the trees. With a veritable buffet in front of him, and with no mind to the baseballs flying through the air, he stood leisurely eating the platter of brownies. All eyes were on that deer, who could not be bothered to step aside until the entire tray was consumed. You have been warned … grab a brownie while you can.

With a veritable buffet in front of him,
and with no mind to the baseballs
flying through the air, [the deer] stood
leisurely eating the platter of brownies.

Deer Angie’s Brownies

MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN (1- TO 2-INCH) SQUARE BROWNIES

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

4 large eggs

2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

1 batch warm Deer Angie’s Brownie Icing (recipe follows)

Deer repellent

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease two 9-inch square baking dishes (or use nonstick cooking spray). Set aside.

Place the butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler (or in a metal bowl nestled in a saucepan of water) over medium-low heat (or see Carpool Crunch tip). Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted. Remove from the heat.

Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla. Add the chocolate mixture very slowly (you want to temper, not cook, the eggs), blending well. Add the flour and blend on low speed until just combined. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to fold in the pecans, if desired.

Divide the batter evenly between the baking dishes and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the dishes.

While the brownies bake, make the icing. Use a knife or angled spatula to spread the frosting on the brownies in the baking dish before the icing starts to harden. Let cool completely. When the icing is set, cut the brownies into 1 to 2-inch squares you can pop in your mouth.

Deer Angie’s Brownie Icing

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup (½ stick) butter, at room temperature

¼ cup whole milk

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the cocoa powder, butter, milk, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Blend with a handheld electric mixer on low speed (or by hand) for 1 minute.

Skim the top of the mixture with a spoon to remove any floating cocoa powder. Let cool briefly, until the icing is of spreadable consistency.

SUGAR MOMMAS TIPS

carpool crunch: Forego the double boiler—place the butter and chocolate in a glass or other microwave-safe bowl and heat on high power in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until melted.

sass it up: Use Valrhona unsweetened cocoa powder. For an extra-indulgent experience, use whipping cream in lieu of milk.

If you want to get fancy, put the brownie squares in decorative baking cups to serve at a party.

Peach Queen Cobbler

Submitted by Brooke Schumann Halverson and Rex Ann Schumann Hill
From their grandmother Esther Schumann’s recipe, Albert, Texas

As children, Brooke and Rex Ann spent June through September collecting peaches from the family ranch nestled in Texas Hill Country. The peaches were so bountiful that the sisters would grab a bushel and take them over to Grandmother Esther’s house and start cooking. They would make peach pie, peach preserves, and peach cobbler. Once their peaches were peeled, sliced, and baked, the girls would celebrate the season by heading over to the Stonewall Peach JAMboree and Rodeo.

Esther and her husband, Otto, took pride in the festivities. The Schumann family settled 5,000 acres of land in Gillespie County, Texas, just outside of Fredericksburg, in 1867. They grew several varieties of peaches on their ranch, including Springold, Red Baron, and Parade, which matured throughout the summer.

Otto Schumann was director of the rodeo at the Peach JAMboree for more than 40 years. Brooke and Rex Ann remember their granddaddy building the arena. The rodeo was a community affair, and the entire extended family got involved. Aunt Karen was runner-up for Peach Queen, and her sister-in-law, Carolyn, was an actual Peach Queen! Sisters Brooke and Rex Ann didn’t need the thrill of a competition, when their activities and this cobbler kept them entertained all summer along. We award this creation a blue ribbon!

The family’s peaches were enjoyed in the White House kitchen during the Johnson administration.