Granny Hill's Dried Apple Stack Cake

This past week-end, Daddy and Candy came down for a visit. While they were here, they got to go to our Upward Games on Saturday and we painted the living room and two front hallways. They are always so wonderful to help us out around the house.

Candy brought me several old recipes from her, her mom, Nannie Ray and Daddy's mom, Granny Hill. I look forward to trying and sharing those over the next few months. Along with the recipes, Candy brought Granny Hill's Dried Apple Stack Cake. She said she remembers having this cake at Christmas each year with Granny Hill. We enjoyed this yummy cake for dessert while they were visiting.

Granny Hill's 90th Birthday Celebration

Granny Hill's Dried Apple Stack Cake

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup molasses

1/2 cup buttermilk

3 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream shortening and sugar; add egg, molasses, buttermilk and mix well. Stir in flour, ginger, and vanilla. Roll out dough as you would for a pie crust or spoon into greased pan and pat out to edge. This should make six thin layers. Bake layers for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Stack layers with cooked apples and end with cooked apples on top. Slice in thin layers to serve.

Cooked Dried Apples

Put 1 pound of dried apples in heavy pan and cover with cold water. Cook until soft enough to mash. While still hot, mash apples and add 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup white sugar, 4 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp cloves and 1 tsp. allspice. Cook down until apples turn dark color like apple butter.

If dried apples are not available, cook several pounds of cooking apples in enough water to cover apples and add spice and sugars. Cook until mixture is very thick.

Notes: The cake is better made up in thin layers sandwiches with apple filling. It is also better to make ahead and let it set for a few days before eating.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

When Samuel or Travis go on a trip, I usually try to make them so kind of treat to take and share. A lot of times, I make Rice Krispy Treats. Well, since Samuel got his braces on this week, he can't eat yummy marshmallow goodness. I went ahead and made some for him to share but he asked me to make him some Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies.

I'm sure most of reading this, know how to make these super easy and supper yummy cookies, but since this will be passed down to my kids, I thought I would share the recipe.

The recipe for chocolate oatmeal cookies, sometime called "No Bake Cookies" is in just about every cookbook that I have on my shelf, but when I'm making them, I always go for my Seasoned Love cookbook from the Lincoln Inn Restaurant. I helped compile this cookbook when Daddy and Candy owned and ran the Lincoln Inn Restaurant in Stanford, Kentucky. I have many wonderful memories from the Lincoln Inn, from waiting tables and getting a tip of a quarter to learning to cook so many things. Every time I use the griddle at church, I think about my Daddy standing at the griddle at the Lincoln Inn frying up a "Mike's Special", but that's another post!

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups sugar

dash of salt

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup milk

4 Tablespoons cocoa

Mix together in a cooking pot and bring to a boil.

Once the mixture comes to a rapid boil, boil for one (1) minute.

After the one minute, add:

3 cups oatmeal

1/4 cup peanut butter

(and I add a splash of vanilla)

Mix together well and drop by spoonsfuls onto was paper.

Let dry and enjoy!