Sachertorte Cookies

Oh boy you guys, do I have a GREAT recipe for you today. Not kidding, this was one of my mom's most famous and most requested recipes. It was a staple in our household. It was expected at all Christmas parties she attended. And I am so excited to share it with you: sachertorte cookies!

Also, these cookies gave rise to a sort of idiom particular to our household..."sachertorte syndrome," which. meant that she had worked on these cookies for long enough that she didn't really want any by the time she was done (and if you're about to make this recipe, don't worry; this is only because she made them over and over. And also it's a short-lived syndrome.) This was such a funny mom-ism, she would use it to refer to other recipes, like, 'I've been slaving over the spaghetti for so long, it's giving me sachertorte syndrome.' But like I said, don't let let that intimidate you! If you're only making one batch, you should avoid sachertorte syndrome.

Now, ok, these cookies aren't inherently Christmas-y. But to me, they are the epitome of Christmas. Legitimately, December 25th isn't allowed to come until these cookies have been made. You also may be wondering how to pronounce these delicious treats. I've actually heard it a bunch of different ways and I'm not here to provide you with the official pronunciation because I don't know! But Mom always said them like "soccer torte," so that's how I choose to say them too.

Sachertorte is actually traditionally a cake. According to Wikipedia, it was a confection invented by an Austrian man named Franz Sacher in the 1830s when he was a young apprentice baker. It's a chocolate sponge cake with apricot jam sandwiched between layers of dark chocolate ganache. YUM.

But this particular recipe cookie-fies the traditional cake. They use deliciously spongey cookie bases made with pudding mix, filled with the jam of your choice and topped with dark chocolate. And they are dreamy. In fact, mom usually doubled or tripled this recipe because they were so popular! So get excited!!

Now, one annoying caveat about these cookies that sort of adds to their lore...no one can find mom's original recipe for these. We've been looking for it for years and it seems to have just... vanished. Luckily, I made them with her enough times that I was able to sort through other similar recipes online and put together at least a close replica. And someday, when we hopefully find her recipe, I'll go back and update this post. But for now, let's forge ahead! And I'll try to capture some of my mom's cookie wisdom as I go!

First, you make your dough! Using a stand or hand mixer, combine the margarine and chocolate pudding mix until it's light and fluffy. (If your margarine isn't fully softened, this will be much harder!) Then mix in one egg. Slowly and carefully, add in your flour. And this is your dough! It should be nice and airy.

And a note to all your cookie dough eaters out there: this dough may look delicious, but admittedly, it doesn't have a ton of flavor at this point. You need the filling and the glaze! I just say this so you aren't disappointed when you decide to chow down on some dough.

Ok next, roll your dough into 1-inch balls and roll in sugar. Put the balls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Now, using your fingers, press down and make a little well in the center of each cookie. This is where the filling will go! They should look something like this:

Then bake! And when they come out of the oven, let them cool completely on a rack before continuing.

Ok, remember the origin story of this cake/these cookies? From Austria? Traditionally, these are always made with apricot jam. But let's be real, apricots aren't everyone's cup of tea. So what my mom always did was fill half of them with apricot jam (for tradition?) and the other half with raspberry. So I always do the same to honor her method! But baby, you do you. Use whatever kind of jam you want! I think I've even seen that mint jelly works really well in these! If you try that, let me know how it works out!

Don't those already look delicious?^^ So anyway, once they're all filled with jam, time to make the glaze! Melt the chocolate and butter/shortening in a double boiler (or in a glass bowl balanced over simmering water if you're low rent, like me) and then drizzle the chocolate so that it completely covers the jam. And then let cool and that's it!

Ok, anecdote time! And if you don't care, please feel free to skip ahead. But like I said, Mom made these cookies every year. And one year, I was dating this guy who thought he really knew his way around a kitchen. Insert eye roll here. He didn't. So anyway, he came over to my house and Mom had a plate of sachertorte cookies out for us to munch on. And my then-boyfriend looked at these amazing cookies and said, "You know, if you really want these to be glossy on top, you should add paraffin wax to the chocolate." Mom screwed up her face at him. "Yeah," she said, "But then you'd be eating wax. I'll pass." Hahahaha. To no one's surprise, that relationship didn't last.

Moral of the story: you don't need to add paraffin wax to your confections; butter or shortening does the same thing and then you don't have to eat wax. Moral part 2: don't date guys who mansplain baking to your mom.

And there you have it, folks! Sachertorte cookies! This is such an incredibly special recipe to me and my family and I'm so happy to be sharing it with you. If you make it, please let me know how it goes in the comments below. And last but not least, Merry Christmas! XOXO

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup margarine or 1 cup butter, softened

• 1 (4 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix

• 1 egg

• 2 cups flour

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• 2⁄3 cup apricot preserves or 2/3 cup raspberry preserves (or any jam of your choosing!)

• 1⁄2 cup dark chocolate chips

• 3 tablespoons margarine or butter (can also use shortening)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325º.

2. In a stand mixer or large bowl with hand mixer, combine 1 cup margarine and pudding mix; beat until light and fluffy. Add egg; mix well.

3. Slowly add flour; blend well.

4. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in sugar until coated.

5. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookies sheets.

6. With thumb, make indentation/well in center of each cookie.

7. Bake at 325º for 15-18 minutes or until firm to the touch. Immediately transfer to cooling rack.

8. Cool for at least 15 minutes.

9. Fill each indentation with 1/2 teaspoon preserves.

10. In double boiler or glass bowl over water simmering in small saucepan, melt chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons margarine over low heat, stirring until smooth.

11. Drizzle glaze evenly over cookies.

12. Enjoy!

Brownie Pie

Oh boy, do I have a good one for you guys today...ooey gooey, made-from-scratch, perfectly delicious brownie pie. And you know what? I don't really have a story to tell for this one. So for everyone who hates scrolling through a blogger's life story to get to a recipe, this one's for you!

Honestly, I don't remember my mom ever making this recipe before. But that's ok. I read this recipe card, written out in her handwriting, and it made me so happy. It's so special, of course, to recreate things she used to cook all the time and bring those memories back to life. But there's something equally special about finding a recipe that was undoubtedly hers with no memories attached. It gives me the opportunity to make new memories with my mom. And if you've lost someone you love, you know how special it is to create anything new with them.

So without further ado, let me tell you about making this delicious brownie pie.

Now I should say, I've checked out other brownie pie recipes floating around out there and most of what I see involves using a pre-made pastry dough and just pouring box brownie batter into it, then baking. This is not that! This, in my opinion, is much better. My mom's recipe involves baking your own chocolate crust and then whipping up a decadent brownie filling from scratch.

So first off: the crust! First, preheat your oven to 350°. Then, mix together 1 cup of flour, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder. Once fully mixed, cut in 6 tablespoons of cold butter. The texture should be nice and crumbly! Next, add in 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 2-3 tablespoons of ice water. This is your crust mixture! Press it into a pie dish.

Now, Mom doesn't say to pre-bake the crust in her recipe. But I've found that if you don't, the crust kind of fuses together with the filling when they bake together. I like them to be distinct entities, thank you very much! So my recommendation is to bake the crust at 350 for 12 minutes. Then, take it out and let it cool while you work on the filling!

At this point, bump your oven temperature down to 325°.

For the filling, beat 3 eggs and then add in one cup of granulated sugar. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1 full stick of butter.

Now, you'll notice in the recipe that Mom just calls for "chocolate." And I was like, "???" So I texted my Aunt Barbara to ask what the heck Mom meant. Thankfully, she was able to clear it right up. By chocolate, Mom meant unsweetened chocolate baking bars! In case you're unfamiliar, you can find these in the baking aisle of the grocery store by chocolate chips. But before you add in the 4 oz of chocolate, you need to melt it!

This is a job best suited for a double boiler (don't microwave your chocolate bars, or they'll scorch!) However, if you don't own a double boiler, like me, it's still easy enough. Get a pot of water boiling on the stove, then situate a glass bowl over top of the water (see picture below.) Put your chocolate bars into the glass bowl and stir continuously as they melt—it'll happen fast! And there you go: melted baking chocolate! This is such an important aspect of the recipe, as it gives it that rich, made-from-scratch deliciousness.

Now that your 4 oz of chocolate is melted, add that to the filling. Mix all together. Now add in 2/3 cup of flour and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder. Here, Mom says to add in 1 cup of chopped nuts. But, as a brownie purist, here is how I feel about that...

To me, nuts belong nowhere near brownies! Sorry, Mom! But hey, if you're feeling nutty, you do you!

Your filling is complete! I'll be honest, I was a little worried when I first made this because the consistency of the filling seemed like frosting. But trust the process! That's how it's supposed to look!

Pour your filling into the baked pie crust and pop your pie into the oven at 325° for 40 minutes. And prepare for your house to smell AMAZING.

That's it! That's how you make brownie pie! It's a little more involved than a box mix into premade pastry dough, but I think you'll agree that it's SO worth it. Mom advises to serve the pie warm with whipped cream. But you know what my favorite thing ever is? A hot dessert served with ice cream. Omg, heavenly.

So what do you think? Will you try out this recipe for brownie pie? Let me know how it goes down in the comments below. I always love hearing how your recipes turn

out. Love you all and bon appétit! XOXO

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 cup flour

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 6 tablespoons cold butter

• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2-3 tablespoons ice water

Filling

• 3 eggs

• 4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate bars

• 1 stick of butter

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2/3 cup flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 cup chopped nuts of choice (if you're not a brownie purist)

• For serving: whipped cream and/or ice cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Mix together dry crust ingredients, then cut in butter.

3. Add vanilla and ice water, then mix to combine.

4. Press into pie dish, then bake for 12 minutes. Allow to cool while making filling.

5. Preheat oven to 325°

6. Beat three eggs, then add 1 cup sugar.

7. Melt 4 oz of baking chocolate over double boiler or glass bowl over boiling water (see note in description above)

8. Add melted chocolate to eggs and sugar

9. Add vanilla, salt, butter, and mix to combine.

10. Add flour, baking powder, and optional chopped nuts, then mix to combine.

11. Pour filling into cooled pie crust, then bake at 325 for 40 minutes.

12. Serve warm with whipped cream and/or ice cream. Enjoy!

Grandma's Potato Salad

This classic southern potato salad recipe was handed down from my grandma to my mom and was a staple in our house every summer. I just made it for the first time recently and with the first bite, I was instantly transported back to all kinds of happy memories from my childhood. It’s simple, creamy, and full of flavor. It goes perfectly with every kind of cookout food: burgers, hot dogs, bbq, you name it!

Also, this recipe is kind of hilarious. You know how I usually have a lovely, hand-written recipe card that's part of my family history that I share with you? Well here is my recipe card this time:

This recipe has truly been handed down by word of mouth. By which I mean, in this case, word of text. It's something everyone in my family just *knows.* I'm sure Mom would have taught me this family staple if she was here. But I asked my dad for the recipe over text and this is what I have for posterity! I love it. This recipe comes from my dad's mom, who was very loosey-goosey with her recipes. (Remember Quanto Basto, from my Date Night Steak post?) It's so very her. If I had the chance to ask her about this recipe, I'm sure she would just tell me, "Just add in these ingredients until it feels right!" That's kinda what Dad said in the text above.

Another funny thing is that I'm pretty sure my mom's mom had a potato salad recipe too, but my mom preferred this one. This is the recipe she would make summer after summer, for cookouts and vacations and summer BBQs. Once you know the quantities (which I will tell you, never fear!) it's not that hard at all. This is a simple, southern-style potato salad that's rich and wonderful and will keep for a good long while in your fridge. Hello leftovers and easy weeknight dinners! Ok, you ready to get into it?

Begin with your potatoes, the most important ingredient! Take four medium russet potatoes, wash them, and chop them into bite-size pieces. For this recipe, you don't need to peel them! Potato skins are delicious and that's where all the nutrients are anyway!

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and then dump your chopped potatoes in. Boil them for 10 minutes and then strain and put them into the fridge to cool. You can work on the rest of the salad while your potatoes are chillin'.

Next, finely dice 4 stalks of celery and 1 yellow onion and hard-boil 4 eggs (need help hard-boiling? Check out my handy guide in this post!) Once the eggs are cooked and cool, dice those up as well.

Now it's time to make your dressing! In Dad's text above, he said 8 oz of each of the main dressing ingredients...but he said that was too much. I experimented and found that 1/3 cup of each was perfect! So mix together 1/3 cup of Miracle Whip, 1/3 cup of mayonnaise, and 1/3 cup of Marzetti's Slaw Dressing. I should note that I didn't have high hopes of finding Marzetti's in the grocery store, but it was actually no problem! Once that's all mixed together, add in 2 tablespoons of sweet relish. Then salt and pepper to taste. I don't really have proportions for you here, just as much as feels right to you. I can tell you, I kind of went hog wild with the salt and pepper!

As my dad said (and my mom would say!) the key to this great recipe is the dressing!

Ok, your potatoes should be cool by now! Mix them with the chopped onions, celery, and eggs. (My husband prefers this without the celery. So if you have picky-eating kids or husbands, feel free to omit the celery!) Now, take your pre-blended dressing and mix that into the dry ingredients. Pop your potato salad in the fridge and let it cool for at least an hour. And there you have it! Done! It's so easy, right?

I served this potato salad with bbq pulled pork on a bun and some sliced watermelon. But it would be great with burgers, hot dogs, brats, grilled chicken, or any other kind of cookout food!

This potato salad is perfect for any old night, in any season. But it's particularly perfect in the summer and EXTRA perfect for a 4th of July cookout. So if you're reading this blog when it first came out, hop to it! Get your patriotism on and make some delicious potato salad. USA!!

I hope you like this recipe as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below! XOXO

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Grandma's Potato Salad

Ingredients

• 4 russet potatoes

• 4 stalks of celery

• 4 hard-boiled eggs

• 1 medium yellow onion

• 2 tablespoons of sweet relish

• 1/3 cup of mayonnaise

• 1/3 cup of Miracle whip

• 1/3 cups of Marzetti's slaw dressing

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Chop the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. No need to peel.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the chopped potatoes to the boiling water and boil for 10 minutes. Strain and chill.

3. Finely chop the celery, onion, and hard-boiled eggs.

4. Once potatoes are cool, combine with chopped vegetables and eggs.

5. Make the dressing: mix the mayonnaise, Miracle whip, and slaw dressing with the sweet relish. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix to combine.

6. Add the dressing to the dry ingredients and mix to combine.

7. Chill for at least 1 hour.

8. Serve and enjoy!