Brownies, Cookies, and Sweet Treats
by The Virtual Chef

	There is a time and place for everything, and it is my opinion that the place for
families on Sunday afternoon is in the kitchen, baking brownies or cookies to carry
along in lunch boxes throughout the coming week.  The sweet treats can give a lift in
the middle of a bad day at work or school, and enhance a good one.  In the rapid-paced
busy days which force most of us to eat lunch away from our loved ones, it is nice to
have a goodie for dessert and the memory of a Sunday afternoon together in the
kitchen.



Marbled Brownies

Chocolate Mixture

1/2 cup flour 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
4 ounces semisweet chocolate 
3 tablespoons unsalted butter 
2 eggs
3/4cup  sugar 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

 Butter a9-inch square pan.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside. 
Melt the chocolate with the butter.  Remove from heat and let cool  slightly.
 Beat the eggs until foamy. Add the sugar and vanilla. Continue beating until light
lemon-colored. Beat in the chc)colate mixture and then the dry ingredients;  mix well.
Set aside 3/4 cup of the mixture. To the remainder, stir in l/2 cup of the nuts. Spread
this mixture into the prepared pan.

  CHEESE MIXTURE

 4 ounces cream cheese       
 l/4 cup sugar 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
1 egg 
1 teaspoon vanilla

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the cream cheese with the butter until smooth. Add
the vanilla and sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in the egg.  Spread cheese mixture over
the chocolate layer.  Place heaping tablespoons of the reserved 3/4 cup chocolate mixture
over the cheese, forming 8 or 9 mounds. With a small spatula or knife, cut through the
mounds in a zigzag layer, going almost but not quite through to the bottom. Sprinkle
with the remaining 1/4 cup nuts. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and frost
immediately. Let set until frosting firms up and then cut.

FROSTING

1 1/2 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 tbsp. cocoa
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tbsp. milk (+ -)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the cocoa until dissolved. Add sugar, milk, and
vanilla. Stir until smooth. Add more milk if needed to make a soft spreading constency.
Frost hot brownies and let set until frosting is firm before cutting.


Parfait Bars

10  ounces (2 I/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 C cocoa
3 1/2 C sifted confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg, beaten 
 2 C graham cracker crumbs 
1/4 Cp creme de menthe
 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 

 In a saucepan, combine 4 oz. of the butter and the cocoa. Heat and stir until smooth.
Remove from the heat and add l/2 cup of the powdered sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir in
the graham cracker crumbs- Press into an ungreased 13x9x2-inch pan.    Melt 4 oz. of the
butter with the creme de menthe. With a mixer, whip in the remaining 3 cups of
powdered sugar until smooth. Spread evenly over the graham cracker crust. Chill for 1
hour.    In a saucepan, melt the remalnlng 2 oz.. of the butter and the chocolatechips-
Spread over theother layers- Refrigerate for 24 hours. Allow to stand at room
temperature for l0 minutes before slicing.  Cut into squares. 




 Betty Holder's  Brownies

2 eggs
1 stick butter
3 squares unsweetned chocolate
I/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 C flour
 1 C sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt chocolate in top of double boiler. Beat eggs and addsugar. Sift flour and stir into the
eggs and sugar.  Add butter and chocolate. Add vanilla. Stir in pecans. Pour mixture into
greased pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  




Marge Supplee's Chocolate Brownies

1 stick butter
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4 C flour
1 C sugar
1 C chopped pecans
 1 teaspoon vanilla
 2 eggs
 1  teaspoon salt
1/2  teaspoon baking powder

 Melt butter and chocolate and cool slightly.  Add sugar, eggs and rest of ingredients. Stir.
Add nuts. Pour into a well greased and floured pan. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes. Lay a
paper doily on top of warm brownies and lighlty sift with confectioners sugar. Lift doily
carefully to leave pattern in sugar to top. Cool completely and cut into serving size
pieces.



Caramel Crunchies for Hazel CCC

1 box dark brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
4 eggs
1 1/2 C unbleached flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C finely chopped walnuts

Melt butter and sugar together. Add beaten eggs. Add flour, sifted with the salt and
baking powder. Stir in nuts. Pour into a lightly buttered 13x9x2 inch pan. Bake in a 300
degree preheated oven. for 30 minutes. Cut into 24 squares.



Cheesecake Squares

1 1/3 C crushed graham cracker crumbs
1/3 C light brown sugar, packed
1/2 C melted butter
 4  3 oz. packages of cream cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 C sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C sour cream
2 tbsp. confectioners sugar

For crust, combine the crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Spread evenly into the bottom
of an 8 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. For the filling, blend the cream c cheese,
eggs, vanilla and sugar. Pour into crust and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Blend
sour cream and confectioners sugar and spread on top of the filling. Bake 8 minutes.
Cool, sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles or colored sugar or place 1/2 candied cherry on
what will be each square when cut.  Refrigerate for at least one hour or until thoroughly
chilled and then cut into squares to serve.