As you can tell from the Zoey and Arthur Adventure Series books, and starting with It Started With the Witch’s Spell, Zoey and Mrs. G spend a fair amount of time between adventures eating desserts. Cookies, brownies, cakes, and more. The best way of always eating good desserts is to learn how to cook or to help your Mom cook until you learn how. Share Mrs. G’s and Zoe’s recipes here.

Zoey’s Brownies No. 1

Grandmas are generally good cooks. They love cooking for their family and friends. Whenever someone comes visiting, they can always be sure to be greeted with something made with love by their Grandma. She usually serves these warm from the oven or warms them up just a bit so that they are perfect to eat. Moms like to cook but are often busy with other things. Zoey has decided to try lots of brownie recipes until she finds just the right one. Here is the first one she has tried. She vows to try more in the future and will share them with you.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 12 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 6 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • Topping, if desired
  • ¾ cup toffee pieces
  • ¾ cup finely chopped pecans
  • 1 ½ cups white chocolate, chopped coarsely

Instructions

It’s best to turn on the oven when you start preparing your batter, so you don’t have to wait for it when you are ready. So, turn your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Get out a 12 x 18-inch baking dish.

To make the brownies: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate with the butter. Take a wooden spoon and stir occasionally until smooth. Cool for 5 – 10 minutes. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large bowl and mix in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients. Pour into the pan. If you want to use the toppings, then sprinkle the toffee and peans onto the batter.

Bake 25 – 28 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake pan comes out with moist crumbs. You can also use a fork to test it. Do not overbake.

Let cool and then if you want to add the white chocolate chunks, put them on top of the brownies. Allow to cool to room temperature before you cut and serve.

Mrs. G’s Peanut Butter Cookies

Mrs. G brought these cookies over to Zoey’s house the first time they met the day of the move into Treetown. Everyone was tired but they loved the fact that a neighbor came over to meet them AND they loved the cookies. I like to dip my cookies into cold milk. What other kind of milk is there? My Mom used to bring desserts to new neighbors just like Mrs. G. I think that is what people call being neighborly. It sure made the new neighbors feel good.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup shortening
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 1 ½ cups of flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda

Instructions

Get a big bowl out. Get out measuring cups and spoons. You need a big spoon too. Now you are ready to get out all your ingredients. Zoey likes to get them out and put them on the counter or table in the beginning, so she doesn’t forget to put anything in the recipe. Take and measure the shortening and sugars and beat it in the bowl. Then add the vanilla and eggs and mix it some more. Mix (beat) it thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter and blend. Then add the flour and the baking soda. Stir well to make sure there is no flour stuck on the bottom of the bowl. Get out a cookie sheet. You do not need to put butter or shortening on it. They call that ungreased. Then form tiny balls of dough and put them on your cookie sheet. When you have filled the cookie sheet take a fork and press on each cookie to form crisscrosses on the cookie which now will be flat. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. It is good to keep a watch on the cookies to make sure they do not burn. Try not to eat them while hot. I always do, I have to admit. Makes 8 dozen cookies. (Do the math 8 x 12 equals 96. Your teacher told you math was important! Now you understand why.) With that many cookies, you can take some to your teacher, and have your friends over for a cookie party.

Joanna’s Mom’s Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

At my house, my Mom was busy with seven kids, but she always had time to bake. I learned how to bake when I was 12 years old and made most of the family desserts from that time on. I have loved baking ever since. I feel cooking for your friends is like giving your friends a hug. See what your friends think when you cook for them.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of raisins
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1tsp of vanilla
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 2 eggs
  • ¾ tsp of baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 ½ cups rolled oats

Instructions

Get a quart pan from the cupboard. Put in the raisins and the water. Cook the raisins on medium until the liquid in the pan has been reduced to 5 Tablespoons. Drain the liquid into a small bowl. Save the raisins by keeping them in the pot.

In a big bowl, mix 1 cup of shortening, 1 cup of sugar, and 2 eggs. Mix them together until they are blended and soft. Add the cooled raisin liquid and the vanilla to the sugar mixture. Then add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir it until it is well blended. Stir in the rolled oats and then the raisins. Again, make sure you scrape the sides of the bowl so that everything is blended.

Take a large cookie sheet and take a spoonful of batter and drop that onto the ungreased cookie sheet. Bake the cookies for 10 – 12 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Watch the cookies so that they do not burn. Sneak the cookies up to your bedroom and eat them in bed. Zoey always says that the crumbs in your bed help you dream of cookies.

 

We’ll put some more recipes here soon. Zoey says she needs to do more testing. Mrs. G says Zoey is getting a bit greedy and just wants to eat more desserts. I think it’s prudent to make sure your desserts are good, before sharing them, so I agree with Zoey, as always. ENJOY!