Desserts
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Fudge Brownies
Chocolate lovers, these decadent brownies are the stuff of drools dreams. Rich, fudgy, nutty, chewy, chocolaty heaven-in-a-square. Even maestro Willy Wonka himself would agree. I mean, who doesn’t love brownies? And these check ALL the boxes. Even ice cream is superfluous with these bad boys, and that’s saying something (although it couldn’t hurt any either…). I love the crunch and depth of flavor added by the nuts, but you can leave them out if you prefer them that way or have a nut allergy. They’re still fudgy and amazing. This recipe comes from my grandma, Ann Williams Stephens. She’s been making them at least since the 1970’s and it’s THE…
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Banana Nut Bread
Top notch. Those are the words Jeremiah used to describe this banana bread when he tried it after I first made this recipe. He’s a bit of a food snob, and an excellent cook himself, so this is high praise indeed coming from him. Especially since I’ve made many, many loaves of banana bread during our time together, most of which turned out pretty good, and he’s never lavished them with such a title. But he’s right, I don’t know why this hasn’t been my go-to recipe all along, because it really is top-notch. This recipe comes from Eila Anderson Williams (1913-1991), and my grandmother, Ann Williams Stephens, notes that…
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Oatmeal Crisps
Thin, crispy, crunchy, buttery amazingness! This is like toffee meets cookie meets lace doily. I think that’s why these delicate, crisp cookies are also often referred to as “lace” or “lacey” cookies. This recipe comes from my great-grandmother, Anna Wilson Stephens (1917-1999). Anna was known by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren for always having cookies in her cookie jar, which she was always ready to share, along with a warm hug. Anna spent her early childhood in a small log cabin on her parents’ homestead in Idaho, where they endured a harsh climate as well as lifestyle, but she said she always felt loved and well-cared for by her parents and…
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Peanut Butter Cookies
Smooth, creamy, peanut-buttery-liciousness. What could be better? This is another of my great-grandmother Florence Robinson Beck’s (1905-1998) recipes. Soft and tender, these are melt-in-your-mouth cookies that are heavenly paired with a glass of milk. This classic treat never gets old. Raising a young family during the Depression in Utah, Florence was practical, frugal, and hardworking–yet quietly elegant. She always tried to keep her hands busy and learned to apply her artistic abilities to creatively repurpose what others might have seen as worthless into something useful or beautiful. She was the queen of recycling before recycling was even a “thing.” She took cloth scraps and sewed them (by hand) into high…
