Elayna's Potato Soup

Whenever my Grandpa Neal would come to visit my mom would make cheesy soup. That's because cheesy soup was vegetarian and Grandpa couldn't have meat. He knew he couldn't have meat because the last time he tried it and went grocery shopping with me afterwards he threw up at the check out stand. So he didn't eat any meat (besides beef jerky and hot dogs, because for some reason his stomach could handle those). When my roommate Elayna raved about her favorite potato soup, my expectations were low. I'd already tried "potato soup" with velveeta cheese and broccoli and carrots. I was silently taken aback when I tried her soup for the first time and loved it. It was creamy from some of the smashed potatoes, without being too rich. It had a strong white cheddar flavor and was complimented with the celery I'd happily donated to the cause. Her soup was so simple, just potatoes, celery, and white cheddar, but was utterly delectable. I licked my bowl entirely clean, not wanting to waste any of it.

Eating this soup always takes me back to the first time I had it. We'd just gone sledding with some of the boys from Clark apartments at the sand dunes and came back with an appetite. Reese and I helped peel potatoes for the soup and then sat around the counter talking and sipping on our hot chocolate while it simmered.

Elayna's Potato Soup 

Ingredients:

• 8 cups chicken broth (ya know water and boullion)
• 8 potatoes peeled and diced
• 2 cups milk
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup diced celery 
• 1/2 cup diced green onion
• 2 cups cheddar, 1 white 1 yellow

Directions:

1. Boil the broth. 
2. Boil the potatoes until they are soft. Smash most of them into the soup so it's creamy. 
3. In another bowl measure the flour and slowly add the milk, whisking continuously so it doesn't get lumpy. Now pour that into the soup. 
4. Add everything else (bacon, spices, celery, onion, cheese). Add more milk or flour till it looks right. 
5. Simmer for like 10 minutes or until it looks done. 

Bacon Ranch Cheeseball

Mom makes this cheeseball for holidays. It's very easy and addictive. It's my favorite thing to eat during Thanksgiving when everything else is still cooking and off limits.

Cheeseball

Ingredients:

• 1 package cream cheese, 8 oz softened
• 1/2 cup chopped bacon 
• 3 teaspoons garlic powder
• 3 teaspoons onion powder
• 3 teaspoons ranch dressing mix
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans/slivered almonds

Directions:

1. Beat cream cheese and seasonings till smooth. 
2. Add cheese and bacon. 
3. Cover in plastic wrap, shape as a sphere, and chill for about an hour
4. Unwrap and roll in chopped nuts. Rewrap and chill until serving with crackers and veggies. 

Cheese Fondue

One of my favorite New Years traditions is a fondue party. We make angel food cake and whipped cream the morning of. New Years is the only time we eat angel food cake, and we call it angel foo cake instead of food. There's also chocolate fondue and fruit, caramel too. Mom pulls out the mini wok with boiling chicken broth and you can use skewers to cook vegetables. My favorite part of the fondue party is the cheese fondue with french bread. This isn't like that velveeta cheese that people put on vegetables, it is thick garlic parmesan fondue and I love it! This year I got the recipe from her. It is super easy to whip up, you could make it in the microwave just as a dip instead of a fondue. The recipe uses a lot of estimation rather than exact measurements, just adjust it till it looks right. You can use real parmesan cheese or the canned stuff. I prefer it with more milk than cream so it's a little lighter, but it's about a cup of liquid either way.

Cheese Fondue

Ingredients:

• 1 package cream cheese
• 1 cup cream (or half and half)
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 3 teaspoons onion powder

Directions:

1. Combine everything and melt it. Adjust ingredients to taste. It should be very thick. 

Potato Leek Soup

I went home from my apartment specifically looking for things I'd left behind at my house. My favorite thing I brought back to the apartment was my childhood cookbook Farmyard Tales. I love many of the recipes in there. Even if there are better macaroni and cheese recipes, more perfect cookie recipes, these are nostalgic, easy, and they taste really good! This was the only time I had ever had potato leek soup but it was really good! I remember walking out to the backyard to pick green onions for the soup. This soup is very simple and comforting with nice flavors.

Potato Leek Soup 

Ingredients:

• 2 potatoes
• 2 leeks or 4 green onions
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 1 vegetable boullion cube
• dried seasonings (onion, garlic, italian, the works)
• 1/4 cup milk
• salt and pepper
• parsley 

Directions:

1. Peel potatoes, cut into chunks, put in pot. 
2. Cut roots and dark green tops off of leeks. Slice through the outside layer of each and then peel it off. Wash them under cold water. Slice into half inch pieces. Put leeks, butter, and oil in the pot with potatoes and stir to combine. 
3. Turn on heat to melt better. When it starts to sizzle cover with lid and turn heat to low. 
4. Let the vegetables cook gently for ten minutes. Shake the pan occasionally to keep them from sticking, but don't lift the lid. 
5. Prepare the vegetable boullion ( four cups boiling water for one cube, or follow package directions). 
6. When vegetables are cooked, carefully pour in stock. Add seasonings, milk, salt and pepper. 
7. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Let it boil for less than a minute and turn soup back to a simmer. 
8. Simmer for fifteen minutes, then serve. 

Mrs. Boots' Cherry Loaf

 This recipe comes from the Farmyard Tales cookbook. I have fond memories of making this cake with mom. It is a very sweet loaf with a buttery almond crumb, dotted with juicy cherries. 

Mrs. Boot's Cherry Loaf

Ingredients:

• 5 oz marashino cherries (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 2 oz almonds, finely chopped
• almond extract
• vanilla
• 3 eggs

Directions:

1. Cut cherries into quarters. Strain them with water so they don't dye the bread pink. Pat dry on a paper towel. 
2. Grease and flour loaf pan. 
3. Sift flour into a bowl. Add butter, sugar, almonds, and eggs. 
4. Beat until light and fluffy. Gently fold in cherries. 
5. Scrape the mixture into the loaf pan, smooth out the top with spatula. 
6. Bake at 350 for 80 minutes until it rises and turns golden. Let sit for a few minutes and then turn onto wire rack. Let cool (I put it in the freezer to speed this up) and then serve chilled. 

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

This is another one of my favorite recipes from the Farmhouse Kid's Cookbook (ya know, Mrs. Boot with Rusty and Sam). Mom made it with me for dinner one night along with the potato-apple salad. It takes more time than regular macaroni and cheese but is out of this world good. Comforting, creamy, warm, with strong cheddar flavor. I like using a mix of sharp white cheddar and mild yellow.

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients:

• 3 cups dried macaroni
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 4 Tablespoons flour 
• 2 2/3 cup milk 
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cook macaroni. Drain and set aside. 
2. Melt butter, stir in flour into a pot over medium heat and cook for one minute. 
3. Take pot off of heat and add slowly stir in milk. 
4. Return pot to stove and bring to a boil, continually stirring. 
5. Let sauce boil (with bubbles) for one minute, then turn off heat. Stir in 1 cup cheese. 
6. Pour sauce over macaroni and stir to coat noodles. 
7. Grease an oven baking dish, pour in macaroni. Sprinkle remaining 2 cups of cheese on top. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 until the top is golden brown. 

Potato Apple Salad

 

I have enjoyed cooking from a young age. I loved picking food out of kid cookbooks and then making it with mom. I remember my Strawberry Shortcake's World of Friends Cookbook where Strawberry Shortcake visits her friends in Iceland, Brazil, France and China (Crepe Suzette, Plum Blossom, Tangerine Torta, and someone else). The book came with crafts and recipes. For China, I pressed flowers and made almond cookies with mom. Another beloved cookbook was the Farmyard Tale's Children Cookbook. The Farmyard Tales with Mrs. Boots, Rusty and Sam were really funny for kid's books. The cookbook had great recipes, like picnic cookies, Mrs. Boot's cherry cake, potato leek soup, and my favorite, this potato apple salad. I remember shaking up the jar with the lemon vinegarette. This is a fresh side or main dish, so tasty! Since the recipe is so simple the quality of ingredients really matters. I prefer red potatoes and red dessert apples. 

Potato Apple Salad

Ingredients:

salad-

• 1 1/2 lbs of small new potatoes (red is best)
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 small red skinned dessert apples 
• 6 stems fresh chives
• 1 big can of peaches in syrup (29 oz about)
• 1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup) 

honey lemon dressing-

• 2 1/2 tablespoons oil
• 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. First, make the dressing. Pour everything into a jar and shake well. 
2. Scrub and boil potatoes for about 15 minutes or until cooked.
3.  Drain and cut into cubes. 
4. Put in a large bowl and pour half of the dressing over while they're still warm. Put in fridge to cool. 
5. Slice celery and cut apples into chunks. 
6. Add celery, apples, and chives to the potato bowl, mix well.

Texas Fudge Cake

This is probably the cake we've eaten the most of in our family. We have it for almost every birthday, reunion, or special occasion.

It's freaking amazing. Very moist, tender, and topped with a poured chocolate frosting that is to die for.

Texas Fudge Cake

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp baking soda

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• dash of salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 1/2- 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Bring butter, cocoa, and water to a boil in a small saucepan.
2.  Have ready in a bowl the flour, sugar, and salt. 
3. Pour the boiling mixture into the dry ingredients and beat well. Add eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, and baking soda. Mix well.
4.  Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13″ pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes. 
5. Make the frosting while the cake is baking. Bring butter, cocoa, salt, and milk to a boil in a small saucepan. It may appear curdled- that's fine. 
6. While mixture is boiling, measure 3 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. 
7. Pour boiling chocolate mixture over powdered sugar. Beat till smooth and add vanilla. Add more powdered sugar if needed. 
8. Pour over cake after it has cooled for about 5 minutes.

Christmas Caramel Corn

We make this every year as a neighbor Christmas treat and it's very popular! Puff corn doesn't get stuck in your teeth like popcorn, it's easier, and also adds a nice salty flavor to compliment the sweet. Mom's caramel recipe is soft and gooey, it doesn't harden up which is how I like it.

Caramel Puff Corn

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brown sugar 
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup corn syrup 
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk 
• handful of marshmallows, optional
• 2/3 bag corn puffs

Directions:

1. Boil first four ingredients to a boil over medium heat (watch carefully that it doesn't burn). Boil for one minute. 
2. Add marshmallows, stir
3. Pour over corn puffs. 

Homemade Noodles

Mom makes homemade noodles for chicken noodle soup that are SO good. The recipe is pretty simple and yields unbelievable results. Get ready for the best noodles you've had in your entire life.

Noodles

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 Tablespoons milk
• 1-2 cups flour

Directions:

1. Combine eggs, salt, and milk.  
2. Slowly add flour until dough is stiff. 
3. Roll dough until 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into thin strips, then into bite-size pieces using a pizza cutter. Keep them thin since they expand when they're cooked. 
4. Cook either in boiling salted water and add to soup later, or just cook directly in the soup. 

Crockpot Lasagna

Mom originally got this recipe from Angela, and it's one of my favorites. It's really easy to throw in the crockpot before church and come home to a mouthwatering meal. 

It's ten times better than regular lasagna and with a lot less prep. The picture shows spaghetti noodles. I like lasagna noodles the best, but you can actually use whatever noodles you have on hand. 

  CROCKPOT LASAGNA

Ingredients:

1 container of cottage cheese, 24 oz bag of hamburger (like 1 lb cooked ground beef) 3 cups mozzarella cheese 10-15 lasagna noodles, uncooked mushrooms spaghetti sauce - 1 or 2 jars  olives 1/2 cup water 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

Directions:

1.	Break noodles in half. Layer everything in a crockpot: noodles, sauce, hamburger and mushrooms, cheese, olives, repeat
2.	Cook for 3-5 hours on low. Serves 10

Peach Dump Cake

This is one of the easiest and most delicious dessert recipes ever- seriously this is an amazing recipe to hang on to! It's only three ingredients but it tastes heavenly. It's kind of like a lazy man's peach cobbler. It uses canned peaches so it can be made any time of the year, unlike peach cobbler which is a special treat for those late summer days. You can also make it in the microwave. Baking it is of course much better, and the only option if you're serving it to guests, but if you just want a quick treat to cure your sweet tooth you can whip this up in thirty seconds.

Peach Dump Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 box of yellow cake mix 
• 1 big can of peaches in syrup (29 oz about)
• 1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. Pour peaches with juice into a 9x13 pan. 
3. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over the peaches. 
4. Slice butter into thin squares over the cake and peaches in an even pattern. 
5. Bake for 40 minutes until golden and bubbly. The texture gets better as it cools, but you can eat it hot with ice cream if you're impatient. 

Coconut Zucchini Bread

This is one of my favorite zucchini bread recipes. It's not too complicated and tastes great. Aunt Kara gave the recipe to mom so we have it in her cookbook, but it's not published on her blog. Everyone loves this, even coconut haters. The coconut just adds a little something to an already great recipe. This recipe just makes one loaf, so our family usually doubles it. It also makes delicious muffins.

Coconut Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 tsp vanilla (I also add almond and coconut flavoring) 
• 1 1/2 cups flour (this recipe works well with 1/2 cup of it being whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1/2 cup dried shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans/walnuts

Directions:

1. Beat egg oil and sugar. 
2. Add zucchini and vanilla. 
3. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then stir them in. Add coconut and nuts. 
4. Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 325 for about 60 minutes. 

Peach Cobbler

This is the best peach cobbler recipe ever. For legit homemade peach cobbler made with ripe summer peaches. One time me and my friend Elise planned to hang out and make peach cobbler then watch Spiderman Homecoming. We went to her house and used her recipe, because most of Elise's recipes are the best. But as far as peach cobbler goes, hers was good (especially with ice cream and the lactase pill her mom gave me), but mine is better. That night I came home and made peach cobbler with my younger sisters, using the recipe I'd found. It originally came from Lindsay Ostrom at Pinch of Yum, and it is the best, ever. The peaches are cooked to have a perfectly jammy texture, but the cobbler topping is what really takes the cake. It's neither like a biscuit nor a cake, it's more like a cross between cookie dough and a biscuit top. It's easy to whip up too, especially if you have plenty of helping hands to peel the peaches.

Peach Cobbler 

Ingredients:

peach filling- 

• 4 large fresh peaches sliced thin (and roughly peeled if you desire)
• 1/4 cup sugar

cobbler topping-

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt 
• 1/4 cup coarse sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Smear bottom of 9x13 pan with butter.
2.  Add peaches and sugar, mix directly in the pan.  
3. Mix cobbler ingredients (everything except the coarse sugar) in another bowl until cookie dough forms. Sprinkle the dough over the peaches. 
4. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar and bake for another 10 minutes. Then broil for three minutes (about 475) until golden brown. It tastes better if you let it sit for 20 minutes, but you can still enjoy it warm. 

Notes:

*If it’s not saucy and bubbling after 25 minutes of baking, it’s probably because your peaches are firm. Pouring two tablespoons of melted butter over the peaches helps the juiciness to come out. 

Chicken Salad

This is a really easy solid recipe for chicken salad- really good with croissants, on sandwiches, or mixed with pasta for a pasta salad. It's really similar to tuna salad, just with different meat and mix ins but pretty much the same sauce. I usually eyeball it and just do it to taste, but I put measurements as guidelines on the recipe.

Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• 5ish oz chicken (ya know just a small bowlful if it's for one person) 
• little less than 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt 
• 1/2 Tbsp ish of miracle whip (taste and see if you want more sweet tang then add more)
• 1 celery stalk diced 
• 1 tsp dried onion powder (or real diced onion)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• sprinkle of lemon juice (really not much, just a few drops) 
• 1/2 cup grapes, halved 
• 2 Tbsp cashews

Directions:

1. Combine tuna greek yogurt and miracle whip to taste. Add in everything else. Serve with croissants, bread, or combine with 1 cup pasta (and more greek yogurt/miracle whip) for a pasta salad. 

Tuna Salad

This is my go-to recipe for tuna salad (ya know the kind perfect on sandwiches or to dip veggies like celery in). I like it with less mayo than most recipes and sub in some greek yogurt so it still is moist without having a weird sweetness. For add ins with tuna I like pickles and celery, I keep fruit and nuts for chicken salad, tuna salad is strictly savory. I like how you can make this super fast, it's really good for lunches. I never measure anything, I just spoon in greek yogurt and miracle whip to taste, but I put them there as guidelines.

Tuna Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 5oz can tuna, drained
• little less than 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt 
• 1/2 Tbsp ish of miracle whip (taste and see if you want more sweet tang then add more)
• 1 celery stalk diced 
• 1 tsp dried onion powder (or real diced onion)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• sprinkle of lemon juice (really not much, just a few drops) 
• diced pickles (like half a big one or six baby dills)

Directions:

1. Combine tuna greek yogurt and miracle whip to taste. Add in everything else.

Elise's Excellent Banana Bread

This recipe is from my friend Elise Fox. The summer of 2018 Elise and I hung out a lot and we often cooked, making banana bread, pancakes, muffins, cookies, and peach cobbler. We made this banana bread more than once and it was very good. Elise claimed to have the best recipes for kitchen staples all in her ward cookbook. While I didn't think all her recipes were the best (my peach cobbler is definitely better), with banana bread she was right. This is a simple recipe but one of the best I've ever had; it's moist without being dense and cakey, it has a tender crumb, it's has a sweet banana flavor with buttery vanilla undertones, and the pecans add a nice crunch.  

The first time we made this banana bread they were out of buttermilk, so we had to make a quick grocery run to pick some up. We went to Broulims and walked up and down the dairy aisle three times before seeing where buttermilk was supposed to be, and that they were all out. So next we went to Walmart on the other side of town. As we made our way to the milk at the back of the store I remarked that if they didn't have buttermilk here I was going to lose it. An employee behind us overheard and cut in saying that he hated to break it to us, but there was a buttermilk shortage. Their supplier had quit giving them buttermilk so they were out for the time being, and that our best bet was Albertson's. So we went to Albertson's, and there shoved in the back of the fridge was the very last small buttermilk container in all of Rexburg, because of the buttermilk shortage. It was very satisfying knowing that we had the last buttermilk in the whole town. Then we were able to get back to Elise's house and make the best banana bread ever while listening to Hamilton and Jack Johnson and dancing in her kitchen. 

Elise's Excellent Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup oil 
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 3 mashed bananas
• 2/3 cup walnuts/pecans
• 1 Tbsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Beat together on medium speed flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, oil, buttermilk, and eggs. 
2. Add bananas, nuts, vanilla and beat again. 
3. Pour into two 4x10" greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, 325 for 15 minutes, then at 300 for 30 minutes. 

Notes:

*For banana nut muffins bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. 

Kara's Pretzels

These pretzels are a Sunday staple at our house. When you need bread but don't have all day, you just make these and have fresh pretzels in less than an hour. Aunt Kara made these pretzels as a teenager. She got the recipe in a cooking class in junior high, so they are easy and foolproof. Grandma and mom use the recipe, and so do I. I usually make them on Sunday when we're hungry after church. You can enjoy them salted and with butter, cinnamon sugar, or like rolls with butter and jam. This is probably the easiest recipe for bread you'll ever find, so hang onto it!

Soft Pretzels 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 Tbsp yeast
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 4 cups flour

Directions:

1. Combine yeast and water in large mixing bowl. Let it rise for one minute, add sugar and stir and let rise one more minute.
2.  Add milk and salt and combine. Stir in flour to make a stiff dough (more flour=chewier pretzels)
3. Knead with flour. Let dough sit for 5 minutes. 
4. Roll into ropes and shape into pretzels. Place on greased baking sheet. Brush with milk (or egg wash if you're feeling fancy) and sprinkle with salt. 
5. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. 

Rice Pudding

Rice pudding is one of our favorite breakfasts. Grandma Knight's grandmother, Kristina Johnson, immigrated to America from Sweden. She passed down many of her traditions and Swedish culture to her children. Things that I grew up with that seemed normal were actually unique to our family. Other people had never had rice pudding, or Swedish pancakes, and didn't have gingerbread cookies just as frequently as chocolate chip.

Everyone in mom's family has a recipe for rice pudding, but each household, (Grandma, Kara, mom) does it a little differently. Grandma uses eggnog, Kara uses cornstarch, Mom uses cream cheese. They're all delicious, but this is the version I grew up with.

Dad taught us to spread it out on plates to cool it faster so it wouldn't burn our tongues. That was something he learned from his mom.

Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 2 cups rice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 cups milk
• 2/3 cup sugar, or honey to taste
• 1/2 cube cream cheese (really 3 oz, not 4), softened
• 2 eggs
• vanilla

Directions:

1. Cook the rice (water, salt, rice) for 15-20 minutes, or until done in a big pot. 
2. Add milk and sugar. Continue to cook on medium high heat. 
3. Combine cream cheese, eggs, and a few tablespoons of milk in a separate bowl. Temper with some of the rice milk mixture. Pour into the pot and stir. 
4. Cook for 3 minutes or until it is thick enough to your liking. Add eggnog, cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, raspberries, whatever you want. Serve on plates to get it to cool faster.  

Water Brownies

Water Brownies. Uuugh, they've got to be on of the best desserts ever. Our family, including extended family, loves this dessert. It is one of Jacob's favorite things to make. I remember making it and reading the directions off of the handwritten recipe card. Grandma made this and passed the recipe down to all of her children, so we often have it at Grandma's or Kara's house. 

Aunt Kara tells the story of how the brownies got their name 

"I got this wonderful recipe for hot fudge cake from my mom. It was a favorite dessert at our house and I remember having it often as a child. We all love it! One year when my mom asked my little brother Matt what treat he wanted for family night, he told her “Water Brownies”. None of us had any idea what the heck he was talking about. We couldn’t figure it out, so she just made something else. A few weeks later, she made this dessert. When Matt saw her pull this out of the oven, he exclaimed excitedly, “Yay, you made water brownies!!!” I have called it that ever since."

When I was cleaning out old papers of mine I stumbled upon one that said something like, 20 best desserts ever, and it listed about 20 variations of water brownies, water brownies with ice cream, with caramel, etc. This is a beloved family favorite! Plus the way it cooks is like magic. You put the dry ingredients on the bottom of the pan, pour on hot water, and as it bakes it becomes brownies with it's own caramel hot fudge sauce!

Water Brownies

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 2 cup flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 Tbsp cocoa
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 Tbsp oil

Topping:

• 2 cup brown sugar
• 6 Tbsp cocoa
• 3 1/2 cups hot water

Directions:

1. Stir together dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. 
2. Add milk, vanilla, and oil. Stir till well blended and spread in a greased 9x 13 pan. 
3. Mix brown sugar and cocoa and sprinkle over the top. Pour hot water on top- do not mix in! Bake for 40 min at 350.