The Thousand Word Project - Hello, My Sweet

Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

In a medium bowl, mix together:

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, mix together:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
1 12-oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (sometimes I add more than this :-))
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F.

Mix the "wet" ingredients together until everything is moistened, then add in the flour. Mix everything together until well-combined (I've only done this by hand with a big fork, but I suppose you could use one of those big mixers if you don't like mixing stuff by hand. I can't promise the results will be the same though!)

Drop by level tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 for 9-11 minutes.

Thanks to Elisabeth M. of Texas

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The sugar has not been reduced in this recipe, so feel free to make adjustments if you wish.

Pecan Pie Bars

This dessert is one of my family’s favorites. We have tended to make it for Thanksgiving, but it is good any time. It tastes pretty much like pecan pie, but the pieces are thinner with a higher concentration of nuts than most pies, and the crust tastes better than plain pie crust. Also, this dessert goes a lot farther since it makes such a large pan full.

I recommend using 60% cacao chocolate chips, partly due to the fact that the dessert is so sweet to begin with. Also, for those who are in the habit of reducing sugar in recipes, I have already reduced the sugar and syrup in this recipe and do not recommend trying to reduce it further. If you avoid corn products you may be able to use honey of some other thick syrup type sweetening. I have never tried anything else, but I no longer use GMO corn products myself, so if I make it again I will have to experiment. 

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Pecan Pie Bars
3 C. all purpose flour
1/2 C. sugar
1 C. butter, softened
1/2 tsp. salt
Filling:
4 eggs
1 C. light or dark corn syrup
1 C. sugar
3 Tbl. butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 C. chopped pecans
1/2 C. chocolate chips (optional)

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, butter and salt until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press evenly into a greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan. (I recommend lining the pan with parchment as these bars are inclined to stick.) 

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.

In another bowl, combine first five filling ingredients. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Spread evenly over hot crust. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until set. Do not over bake. 

Cool on wire rack. Cut when cooled. Store leftovers in fridge, but bring to room temperature again before serving.

Yield: 4 dozen

These bars freeze well. I recommend using a box, not a bag. Separate layers with waxed paper to avoid having them sticking together.

(First published here May 2010.)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pizza

This is a favorite recipe of my family.  We have made them for years.  I don't remember now where the recipe originated.

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Peanut Butter Pizza

1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. peanut butter
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1/4 C. sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 C. all purpose flour
3/4 C. whole wheat
2 C. miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 C. chocolate chips

Cream butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and mix well. Pat into a 15x10x1 inch backing sheet. Bake at 375F for 12 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Allow to rest a couple minutes then spread the chocolate around with a knife. Sprinkle with marshmallows. Return to the oven for 4-6 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove from oven, cool to room temperature on a wire rack, then cut into bars.

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These bars also freeze well. It’s probably best to refrigerate first, then layer the bars in a sealable container with wax paper between the layers to prevent sticking. I like to box them up in portions that I know will be useful at some future time: 4, 6 or 8 pieces to a box. This is handy for pulling out when we’re having a family time, or a few guests. Also, it keeps us from eating up the whole pan in just a few days – think “too many sugar calories”. :-) Plus, it makes my work go farther and saves time and energy at a later date.

[Originally posted here 6/2010.]

Recipe: Mary’s Banana Cake

This recipe evolved as my mom and I made it together.  I had three overripe bananas in my fridge and I wanted to use them up.  She had come over one afternoon in December to say “hello” and offered to help.  Or did I ask her if she wanted to?  Anyway, we got it made.  :-)  I actually started out with a recipe from somewhere else, but I changed it so much that I’ve decided to change the name too.

This makes a heavier cake due to the ingredients, but it makes a very nice snack cake or dessert.  (Truth: My family had it with brunch one morning. [grin]   What's the point in being grown up if you can't decide to have cake for breakfast?)

Mary's Banana Cake

Whisk together in a medium bowl:
1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 C. white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder

Cream together in a large bowl:
1 C. brown sugar
1 C. butter
1/2 C. sour cream
1/4 C. milk
3 eggs

Add dry ingredients to this and mix well.
Beat in:
3 medium bananas, mashed (should make 1 heaping cup)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Stir in:
1 C. chocolate chips
(You may add 1/2 C. of chopped nuts if you wish.)

Line the bottom of a 9x13 cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides well.  Pour in batter and bake at 350F (175C) for 30-40 minutes or till a golden brown color around the edges and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
Completely cool.

Frosting

Whip together till light and fluffy and spread on cake:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 Tbl. butter, softened
1 2/3 C. powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

I did not freeze any of this cake, so I don’t know how it does in the freezer.  I would imagine that it would freeze well as most cakes tend to do, but due to its heavy consistency it would probably be better fully thawed before using.



The color in this picture isn’t very good, but I thought it was interesting to see the swirls of banana in the cake.  It would make a good snack cake without the frosting too, if you prefer.  Yes, I did take out a slice before frosting it because this was an experiment and I wanted to see how it was right away. :-)



We got this enamel plate at an old fashioned “five and dime” store in Fredericksburg, Texas where we went for a little vacation in October.  The enamelware was a bit pricey, so I opted to get one dessert/salad size plate just for this purpose – photographing food for the web page. :-)  Isn’t it pretty?  I love the color!

Mocha Texas Sheet Cake

 

Ok, I’m very tempted to call this “The BEST Texas Sheet Cake Ever”, but that might be a bit over ambitious!  Anyway, it’s the best I’ve ever had. :-)  My friend Elisabeth shared the recipe with me.  I don’t know where she got the original, but I understood that her mom made some changes to it.  So, here’s how to make the “yummieness” as I’ve experienced it. :-)

Mocha Texas Sheet Cake

In a large saucepan add:
2 sticks butter
1 cup water
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp instant coffee granules

Heat the above ingredients, mixing well, until butter is melted. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking baking SODA
1/2 tsp salt

Whisk above ingredients together until well-combined.

Add:
1/2 cup buttermilk
1-1/2 tsps vanilla
2 eggs

Mix well. (It helps to use an electric hand mixer). The batter will be very thick and sticky.

Add warm cocoa mixture. Mix well, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl. Pour into greased cookie sheet (15"x10"x1" is a standard size) and bake at 375F for 20 minutes.

For icing:

In a saucepan add:
1 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsps instant coffee granules
1/3 cup buttermilk

Mix well and heat until mixture barely bubbles, then remove from heat.

Add in:
Approximately 3-1/2 cups of sifted confectioners sugar.
You may need more or less depending on the consistency you want the icing to be.  Spread on the cake.

Enjoy!

NOTE:  This cake freezes well in a single layer with the pieces pre-cut.  It can be eaten frozen or thawed and is good either way.  I would recommend not leaving it in more than a month, or two at the most.

(Note: I think when I made the ones used for the photo above I used two cake pans of a smaller size, so mine might have come out a little deeper.)

Below is one my friend made and served with fresh strawberries.  It was very good! :-)  (The photo was taken at my parents’ house where we had gathered for a meal and fellowship.  Happy times.)

Four Years Ago– Homemade Chocolate Pudding

 

Four years ago this month I posted this recipe for homemade chocolate pudding.  I hope you enjoy the “re-run”.  Chocolate pudding is something we should re-run often. haha :-)

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

“Yes, really!  Pudding without a mix.  Boxed pudding will never taste the same! :-)  And, it’s so easy.  The only really “hard” part is stirring it till it’s ready.”

Randomness On An Escaped Day

 

Peanuts.com

So, I’m late with this post today.  Well, it’s a long story, but also short.  The day got away from me.  I didn’t feel well part of it, and I diddled part of it, and I did other things part of it, and then I looked out the window this afternoon and saw my brother and brother-in-law arriving home from work and thought, “Wow, they’re early,” and wondered if one of them wasn’t feeling well.  Then I looked at the clock.  Oops!  Where did this day go?? :-(  Time to get dinner!

Here are just some random things then.

Mail Call

One day last week our cat got 2/3 of the mail!  Ok, there were only three pieces of mail that day, but two of them were “for” her.  One was a reminder to come get her rabies shot (something we do faithfully since we live in a rural environment and she’s an indoor-outdoor cat).  The other was a sample of cat food.  (I would like a sample of chocolate in the mail, personally.)  She liked the free cat food really well, but she will hate going to get the shot. :-)  The shot is actually the least of her worries.  She hates riding in the car.

Yours Truly

My favorite color: Pink
My favorite time of day: Sunset to dark or early morning when it’s still cool out.
My favorite place to eat: Home
My favorite pass time: Reading
My favorite cookie: Peanut butter chocolate chip
My favorite food: Chicken fried chicken, Buffalo chicken wings
My favorite pet: The cat we have now
My favorite fiction author: That’s hard. Jane Austin and Grace S. Richmond
My favorite hobby: Um…it’s kind of moody. I go through phases.
My favorite blog: Stop….Have A Chat
My favorite fabric store: Fabric.com

Random Links

A Recipe for Orange Julius (orange milk shake)

Homemade Fudge Making Tips

Watching the News

What Did I Say?

What Grownups Can Do

Chocolate Quotes

“I have this theory that chocolate slows down the aging process…. It may not be true, but do I dare take the chance?”  - unknown

“Carob is a brown powder made from the pulverized fruit of a Mediterranean evergreen. Some consider carob an adequate substitute for chocolate because it has some similar nutrients (calcium, phosphorus), and because it can, when combined with vegetable fat and sugar, be made to approximate the color and consistency of chocolate. Of course, the same arguments can as persuasively be made in favor of dirt.”  (Pretty much my sentiments too.)

Put “eat chocolate” at the top of your list of things to do in the morning. That way, at least you’ll get one thing done.

Nuts just take up space where chocolate ought to be.  (My brother would’ve said this if he’d thought of it.) :-)

My youngest brother.  I thought you might like to see a picture of him. ;-)
(Taken some years ago, but you’d hardly notice.)

Banana Brownies

This was originally published in August 2009.  This recipe can be altered a number of ways as the note at the bottom indicates.

Banana Brownies

Mix together:

2/3 C. sugar

1/2 C. flour (all purpose or whole wheat)

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla or almond flavor

2/3 C. mashed, over ripe bananas

1/4 C. cocoa powder

1 egg lightly beaten

Pour into a greased 8x8 inch pan. Bake 20-30 minutes at 350F. Cool 5 minutes and remove from pan to a wire rack to continue cooling.
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With white flour these brownies will be more like cake, but with whole wheat they are heavier like true brownies should be, and healthier like true brownies usually are not. :-) 

There are some great ways to dress up or vary this recipe as well. Sprinkle nuts, chocolate chips, or drained maraschino cherries on top and gently push into the batter in the pan before baking. Once I left out the cocoa powder and added spices instead to make a banana spice cake. To do this measure the spices you want (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.) into a 1/4 C. measuring cup. Add enough flour to make up the difference and add in place of the cocoa. Be sure to use vanilla extract for this change, and nuts are a nice addition. You could also add some orange zest for an interesting flavor. (I wonder what this variation would taste like made with canned pumpkin instead of the bananas. Hmmmm.) Also you could try using other flour mixtures for a healthier brownie - 1/4 C. oat flour plus 1/4 C. whole wheat, etc. (Not all flours respond the same in recipes, so remember to make appropriate alterations accordingly.)

Cookie Dough Fudge

 

I got the original recipe for this online, but it had way too much sweetening in it.  It was very sweet as I made it, so for our family it would have been pretty much inedible with extra sugar!  I so often change recipes anyway, so I made some other changes as well, and then renamed it since it seemed more like candy to us, than “cookie bars”.
Enjoy!  :-)

Layer One

Mix together well in medium mixing bowl:

1/2 C. butter
2 tsp. vanilla
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp. molasses
1/2 C. shredded coconut
1 C. all-purpose flour
1 C. oat flour (you may use another preferred flour here)

Mix in:

1 C. chocolate chips
1/2 C. chopped peanuts (optional)

Spread in a 11x7x2 cake pan fully lined with waxed paper.  (It may not completely fill the pan.)

Layer Two

Melt together in a sauce pan over medium heat, stirring well:

1 C. chocolate chips
1/2 C. peanut butter
1/4 C. coconut oil

Spread evenly over dough.  Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.  Cut into smallish squares.  Do not remove from the fridge till ready to serve or the fudge may become soft.

Freezes well.

I did not put in the chopped peanuts on my first go of this, but I think it will be a good addition, so I’m adding it. :-)

For this, I really do recommend fully lining the pan.  I think it would have been nearly impossible to remove it intact without the waxed paper.

Chocolate Dump Cake

 

This recipe came to us from my aunt.  It is very simple since you mix the cake up right in the cake pan!  No bowls, no other messes.  It is not the cheapest or most low-fat cake you will find, but if you need a cake in a hurry this one will certainly go together quickly.

Our family is no longer particularly worried about the oil issue as it turns out oil is not nearly as “unhealthy” for us as the so-called experts claimed at one time.  I do recommend that you use a healthy oil such as grape seed or something similar.  Some olive oils might have an odd flavor in a sweet dish like this, but it could be used as well.  I have not tried coconut oil as yet, but I hope to do so.  I am not sure if melted butter would work or not, but I will probably try that as well at some point just to see.  (That would make an extra dirty dish, though.)

If you want the edges of the pan to look better than this, you will want to wipe them off before you bake the cake. :-)  I used a chocolate butter frosting to frost this cake.

I made this cake in a disposable pan to take to an event where we were asked to help provide cake.  As you can see, I still use some sprinkles occasionally just for fun.  We get very few food colorings in our food any more, so I figure it’s OK for a once-in-awhile treat. :-)

Chocolate Dump Cake

Dump into a 9x13 cake pan:

2 C. flour
1 1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. cocoa powder
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
1 C. buttermilk
1 C. oil
2 tsp. baking soda

Mix fairly well. 

Add 1 C. boiling water.

Mix thoroughly.

Bake 30-35 minutes at 350F.

Note: The last time I made this I reduced the oil to about 3/4 C. and it still turned out fine.  I think I also reduced the sugar to 1 C.  I also used peppermint flavoring instead of vanilla, but I was not impressed with how that worked in this recipe, so be forewarned.  Almond would probably be fine.  This cake also keeps well in the freezer.

Random Recipe Links

 

I’ve been working on scheduling blog posts for the upcoming week at least, and since I’m still sick at the time of this writing, I’m making it easier on myself by using items that were previously written or that require less work. In this post I’m giving you a smattering of links that I saved for the blog or that I stumbled across. :-)

Enjoy!

These chocolate waffles were made by my husband. Here’s the recipe, only he made some changes, and we ate them with real whipped cream, peanut butter and real maple syrup (among other things).  YUM!  Our family breakfasts….words fail me. :-)

Handheld Blackberry Pies – (Gotta love the pun, people!)

Fresh Ricotta – Someday I want to try this, really….I think…maybe…

Chocolate Molten Cakes – I do want to try this one!

Chocolate-Coconut Angel Cupcakes – These sound really good too.

Flourless Chocolate Cookies – With special regard to my grain-free and gluten free friends. :-)

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies – And another.

Runnemede Remembered Recipes – from my friend Judi.

Boudin Meat Balls – “Boudin, the king of Cajun food...”  I’ve heard this is really good and would like to try it sometime, but it’s probably not something I would make. 

And just to throw in something really odd for you all to ponder, in the category of strange ingredients we have -

Corn Smut – not your usual fungus.

Chocolate No Bake Cookies

 

This is an old family recipe.  My family has eaten a lot of these over the years – for more than one generation.  I love the simple way old recipes are sometimes written.  They get straight to the point and don’t bother with all the “expanded” directions.  Obviously they were written in a day when women were expected to know the basics. :-)

Someone told me that these are also called “Haystacks” or something like that.  Some alterations that have been made in our family over the years include using coconut instead of nuts and using extra dark cocoa powder (pictured above) instead of regular.

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No Bake Cookies

In a heavy sauce pan mix:

2 C. sugar
6 Tbl. cocoa powder
1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. milk

Bring to a rolling boil, stirring often, and remove from heat.

Stir in:

3 C. quick oats
2/3 C. chunky peanut butter OR chopped nuts
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix thoroughly and drop by spoonsful on waxed paper to cool.

Hot Fudge Pudding

 

This recipe came from my Great-Aunt Lissette, via my Gramma and it is real comfort food, and you can make it even more appealing by serving it warm with a scoop of ice cream on top.  Also, we’ve made it with rice flour in place of the all-purpose flour and it came out very well – even better than with the wheat flour in some opinions. :-)  [I don’t recommend making it with whole wheat flour as whole wheat tends to absorb too much of the liquid.]  During the baking process the layers in this “cake” reverse so that there is a cake like layer on the top and a nice syrup in the bottom.  It makes a very nice warm dessert for cold weather!

Hot Fudge Pudding

Stir with a wire whisk:
1 Cup all-purpose flour (or rice flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 Cup sugar

Add and mix:
1/2 Cup milk
2 Tablespoons melted butter
Add and mix:
1 Cup chopped nuts (optional)
Pour into a greased 9 inch square pan.  

(Use 9 by 13 inch cake pan for double recipe.)

Mix:
1/4 Cup brown sugar
4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 3/4 Cups hot water
Pour carefully over the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40- 45 minutes.
The layers will reverse during baking.

Serve warm or cooled.

Almond Butter Cookies

 

This recipe came about as the result of allowing my almond butter to get too old.  It was near it’s expiration date and we hadn’t even opened the jar yet!  I started with a peanut butter recipe and made a lot of alterations, including doubling the recipe.  You may wish to half it for a single recipe.  You may also use peanut butter in place of the almond butter and then use 2 tsp. of vanilla extract instead of the almond extract.  Enjoy!

Almond Butter Cookies

2 C. butter
2 C. almond butter
2 2/3 firmly packed brown sugar
2 – 3 tsp. almond extract
6 eggs
3/4 C. white whole wheat
1 C. oats
4 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 C. chocolate chips
1 C. coconut flakes

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, almond butter and sugar.  Add almond extract.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add whole wheat, oats, salt and baking soda, mixing well.  Add all-purpose flour gradually mixing till is well combined.  Shape into 1 inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. (I recommend lining it with parchment.)  Dough should be slightly sticky, so you may need to flour your hands.  Flatten with a fork.  Bake at 375F for 7-8 minutes or until golden.  Remove to wire racks and cool.  Store in air tight container.

Yield:  This makes a large batch.  I did not count them.  You can half the recipe for a single batch.

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These cookies kept well in the cupboard in a sealed container. They seemed to me to stay fresh longer than the average chocolate chip cookie.

Also, I pressed some of the cookie balls onto squares of parchment and stored them in the freezer.  The dough froze well, but I recommend bringing the cookies completely to room temperature before baking them.  This does not take long if you set them out on the cookie sheet preparatory to baking.

Me in my new-this-year cotton apron. :-)

Leftover Oatmeal Cookies

I had quite a bit of leftover oatmeal recently, but I wasn’t that keen on making Cooked Oatmeal Cake.  The thought crossed my mind that there should be a recipe for making cookies from cooked oatmeal, so I looked it up online and sure enough there was!  It looked good, though, as usual with a few changes. ;-)  (I reduced the sugar already, in case you like to do that with cookie recipes.) 
Most of my family here enjoyed these quite well.  Ahem!  There was one dissenter who takes exception to raisins in his cookies, but that makes more for the rest of us, right?  My husband liked them at any rate, and after all, that’s what counts for me. ;-)

2 C. brown sugar
1 C. butter
3 eggs
2 C. cooked oatmeal
2 C. all purpose flour
2 C. white whole wheat (or regular whole wheat)
[Note: You can use 4 cups of all purpose flour.]
3 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. vanilla
3 C. chocolate chips
1 C. coconut
1 C. raisins
Cream sugar, butter, eggs and cooked oatmeal.  Mix in the flour, baking soda and salt; then the coconut, chocolate chips and raisins.  Scoop onto baking sheets by tablespoonsful about 1 – 1 1/2 inches apart and flatten slightly. Bake at 375F for 10-15 minutes or until cookies are set and starting to brown slightly.  Allow to cool on baking sheet about 5 minutes before removing to racks.
(I put mine on parchment, so I had no trouble with them sticking.  I don’t know if the baking sheets need to be greased.  The original recipe said nothing about it, but it was a little short on instructions.)
These cookies freeze well.

Links – It’s All About Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies. They are not only delicious, they are nostalgic for me. My Gramma made them. Maybe both of my grandmothers made them. My mom has made them. I have made them for my own family and have probably made them for my husband.
But, why limit them to cookies? Just for fun I thought I’d see how many different snickerdoodle recipes I could come up with and here’s the results! :-)
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Snickerdoodle Cake
Snickerdoodle Muffins
Snickerdoodle Ice Cream
Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches
Snickerdoodle Chex® Mix
Snickerdoodle Cheese Cake
Snickerdoodle Pie
Snickerdoodle Blondies
Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Dip
Snickerdoodle Pie Crust (This recipe calls for gluten-free packaged cookies. Use your own snickerdoodles if you don’t want the packaged ones.)
Snickerdoodle Trifle (This recipe is full of poison, er, I mean dangerous chemicals with all the sugar-free ingredients and Cool Whip. However, with a few changes – regular pudding mixes and real whipped cream – I think you could make it more health friendly instead of diet friendly, whatever that is.)
Toffee Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodles
Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles
Peppermint Snickerdoodles
Gluten-free Snickerdoodles (That should make someone happy!)
And, last but not least, my own Gramma’s recipe:
Gramma Hoover’s Snickerdoodles

Peppermint Road Fudge

I made some alterations to a recipe for Rocky Road Fudge and came up with this.  It is a nice way to use up candy canes.  Since we don’t celebrate Christmas, I bought mine at a dollar store marked waaaay down after the holidays.  I don’t remember the price, but it was something like 70-80% off as I recall – a really good deal.  Striped peppermint sticks of any kind are so pretty crushed and used for decoration on top of deserts – especially chocolate. :-)
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Peppermint Road Fudge
2 1/2 C. chocolate chips (I use bittersweet)
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp. mint or peppermint extract
1 C. crushed peppermint sticks (candy canes or other)
1 10.5 oz. pkg. miniature marshmallows
(Extra crushed candy canes for garnish.)
In a heavy sauce pan over low heat melt chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and butter, stirring often.  Meanwhile measure candy bits and marshmallows into a large bowl.  Add mint extract to choc. mixture when melted and mix in well.  Pour choc. mixture over candy and marshmallow mixture.  Stir until marshmallows are coated, but not until they are falling apart.  Spread in a waxed paper lined 9x13 cake pan.  (Sprinkle with extra candy bits or sprinkles if desired.)   Chill till firm.  Remove from pan and cut into pieces.
Note:  Stir in extra butter if the chocolate mixture seems too thick to mix into the marshmallows.
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Yes, I know.  This is not the healthiest recipe.  But, it must be better than fudge made with powdered sugar, right?  I hope? :-)

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

Yes, really!  Pudding without a mix.  Boxed pudding will never taste the same! :-)  And, it’s so easy.  The only really “hard” part is stirring it till it’s ready.

Chocolate Pudding

3/4 C. white sugar 
5 Tbl. cocoa powder
1/3 C. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
3 1/4 C. milk
3 Tbl. butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla OR almond extract

In a large saucepan stir together dry ingredients.  Mix in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly (this is very important).  Cook and stir till the mixture thickens and just comes to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and flavoring.  Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve warm.  Or, chill in the fridge till ready to serve.

Note: If you don’t want a “skin” to form on the top while it’s cooling or being refrigerated, I suggest covering the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap.  If you don’t wish to cover it with plastic, then serve it with the skin and find out which one in your family doesn’t mind it, or even likes it, and let them have the skin whenever you make it. :-)

This pudding can also be used warm over ice cream to make a “hot fudge” sundae.

To give it a richer chocolate flavor I use 3 Tbl. of regular cocoa powder and 2 Tbl. of Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder.  It’s guaranteed to satisfy a chocolate craving. :-)
This recipe is gluten free.  If you also need to make it dairy free you might try making up some coconut milk from powder and using that in place of the milk.  Almond or rice milk would probably work fine too although I don’t know about their heating qualities.

Stained Glass Windows

This recipe came from my Gramma.  She really liked these and was famous for them.  If you are looking for a sugary, yummy, “non-sensical” treat that includes chocolate, marshmallows and coconut this might just be the perfect fit. :-)  (Be sure to check my added instructions at the bottom.)
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Stained Glass Windows
Melt in large pan: 1 12 oz. pkg. dark chocolate chips
1 stick butter
Cool till medium warm.
Add: 1/2 C. chopped nuts (optional)
1 sm. pkg. colored miniature marshmallows
Form into log and roll in powdered sugar and shredded coconut. Wrap in waxed paper.
Refrigerate and slice when hardened.
Best kept in fridge or very cool place.
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These instruction are a bit minimalistic, so I’ll add some comments here. 
First, you want to cool the chocolate till it’s not so hot that it will melt the marshmallows while you’re mixing them in, but not so long that it starts to thicken up.
Secondly, it’s a challenge to “roll” this mess in powdered sugar and coconut.  What I do is sprinkle the powdered sugar and coconut generously onto a sheet of waxed paper and then spoon the mixture along one (short) end and form it into a log.  Then I try to carefully roll the log across the waxed paper, lifting the paper to make it “go”.  You don’t want to roll it into the waxed paper until you have it rolled across the sugar-coconut otherwise you’ll end up with the sugar-coconut rolled into the waxed paper, which is a waste.  It won’t get much on the roll that way. :-)  If you’re having trouble getting it well covered just pick the sugar-coconut mixture up in your fingers or with a spoon and sprinkle it on the bare spots.  Once you have the log fairly well covered, wrap the waxed paper around it and pop it in the fridge.  One word of advice: lay it on a relatively even spot or you’ll end up with a curve in you log. ;-)  Also, I find a bit of tape helpful in keeping the side and ends shut.
I make smallish logs and usually can get two from a recipe.  You can store the extras in the fridge for quite some time.  I can’t remember now if I’ve ever frozen them.  I think I have.