Along with the learning to cook story, from that first cookbook, “The New Betty Crocker Cookbook”, I tried some baking also. I was a stay at home mom for the first years of my children’s lives, so the one income had to cover everything. So, I wanted to try the brownie recipe and real chocolate was pricey. I had seen on my cocoa can that you could substitute with some oil for melted chocolate. I tried it and really liked it and I have done it that way ever since. I also doubled the recipe to fit a regular sized cake pan because when my children were in school, I would make a big pan, cut into 15 pieces and freeze in sandwich bags, so I could just pop them into the lunch bags in the morning and they were defrosted by lunch.
I tried to make some of the snacks they carried for their lunches. That way, I could use unbleached flour, a little whole wheat flour, cut the sugar a little or substitute honey, and make them without preservatives, colors and additives.
I am now baking for my grandchildren’s lunches. I make cookies, cupcakes, breads and muffins also, along with Ree Drummonds Strawberry Granola Bars. The children LOVE these! I substitute any fruit that I have in the freezer. Sometimes, I use up a lot of close-to-empty jam jars and just polka dot the flavors all over. Then cut them as usual and the bars have different flavors in each bar. I call them mystery bars.
Here is my adjusted version of the brownies I mentioned above:
c=cup, t=teaspoon
1 c. cocoa powder
1/4 c. oil (I use olive)
2/3 c. shortening
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1-1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
(You can add 1 c. of chocolate or white chocolate chips and/or 1 c. of toasted walnuts at the very end of mixing, to change it up a bit.)
Melt shortening in microwave for 20 seconds, stir and do another 20 if needed. Add cocoa powder, oil, and sugar. Stir well. Add eggs and vanilla, stirring well. Then mix in flour, baking powder and salt till just incorporated and you don’t see any more flour. Spray grease your 13 x 9 cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let set till cool before cutting.
I do not put icing on these when they are for the freezer, because icing doesn’t do well with the plastic bags after they thaw. But I frequently do for home. I just use a simple recipe of 1# confectionary sugar mixed with 1/2 c. shortening or butter and 1 t. of vanilla and just enough milk to bring it all together. You can add some food coloring if you like.