Ryan wanted his Mama’s lemon icebox pie for his birthday. It’s a family recipe and I’d never made it before…and really never eaten it before, either! So we got on the phone and figured it out. Apparently I was a little too thorough in spreading and smoothing out the meringue on top, but other than that, it turned out perfectly. Super quick and delicious!

This tasty pie makes me hungrier still for spring and summer! It’s a lovely way to coax that warm-weather feeling into your home.

Lemon Icebox Pie

A few notes on this pie: traditional thinking holds that the acidity of lemon juice when mixed with raw egg yolks reduces the risk of salmonella, but this is certainly something to be aware of. This summer I plan to experiment with a slightly different version of this pie – I think that lemon curd mixed with sweetened condensed milk (and perhaps a bit of lemon juice to thin it out) would yield a similar result. Try this variation if you’re concerned about raw eggs!

Makes one 8-inch pie

one store-bought (or homemade) graham cracker crust
2 lemons, juiced
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons sugar
pinch of cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a medium bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk with egg yolks, stirring until blended. Add lemon juice and stir until well combined. Pour into pie crust and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, begin to whip egg whites until just frothy. Add cream of tartar and sugar, one teaspoon at a time, and continue to whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently spread atop pie.

Bake until meringue is just browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. Serve at room temperature or chilled, and refrigerate leftovers.

I’ve been baking this cake since high school and it’s become a favorite dessert among my family and friends. At our wedding rehearsal dinner, our best man talked about this cake during his toast. It’s that good.

This cake comes together very quickly if you have one of those cool things that peels and cores and slices the apples all at once. If you’re like me, and you’re stuck going at it with a vegetable peeler, it still goes pretty fast. And please rest assured, the end result is more than worth the effort.

Applecake

Out of all the times I’ve made this cake, this was my first time to try and lighten it a bit. You know, so that I don’t have to feel guilty about eating it for breakfast. Success! It’s still delicious.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1’2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup chopped nuts*
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 cups apples, peeled and coarsely chopped**

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread nuts across an ungreased baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until fragrant. Don’t forget about them – nuts burn easily!

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, stir together eggs, oil, and applesauce. Add to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in apples and nuts.

Spread batter into an ungreased 9 x 13″ pan and bake at least one hour, until a steak knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool (in pan) on a wire rack and try not to burn your mouth on the deliciousness.

*I typically use walnuts for this because, well, they’re cheap and taste good. This time around I had some raw cashews in the house and threw them in as well. Yum!

**Four large apples will yield about four cups – use a couple more if your apples are small. My favorites for baking are Jonathan and Golden Delicious, but feel free to use what you’ve got.

This is just the sort of homegrown cake that doesn’t really need a special occasion. It’s not fancy or glamorous but it sure is delicious. I received this recipe from my grandmother, who used to make it when I was growing up, but it’s originally from an old Betty Crocker cookbook.

One thing that I love about this recipe is that the hardest part is dumping everything into a bowl and turning on your mixer. It really couldn’t be much simpler. I know it may not seem very exciting but trust me on this one, people. Your taste buds have been waiting for something so moist, sweetly delicious, and perfectly spiced.

Applesauce Cake
Betty Crocker’s Cookbook

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1 cup raisins (optional)
2/3 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms and sides of a 13×9 inch pan or two round pans. I like to line my pans with foil to make the later cutting process easier.

Beat all ingredients except raisins and nuts in a large bowl for three minutes. Stir in raisins and nuts.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

High-Altitude Notes: Reduce baking soda to 1 tsp and bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 375°F.

Since reading this recipe via Smitten Kitchen a few years ago, I’m proud to say that these cookies have been embraced, drooled over, and baked many times by both sides of our sweet family. Now, how often does one find a recipe like that?

If you answered, “pretty much never,” you’d be correct. These cookies have been baked for two of my previous employers as well as countless friends, and they’re always a hit. After all, who doesn’t like an Oreo? And this homemade version is so much better. I’m told they’re excellent when dunked in milk, as well.

Homemade Oreos

Makes about 48 unfrosted cookies, or 24 frosted ones

A few notes: As Smitten Kitchen herself warns, do not make these unless you’re prepared to do so again, and again, and again. Your friends, coworkers, and crazy aunt will all want the recipe, and will definitely want you to bring them to the next bunco night. This isn’t exactly a tragedy, but consider yourself warned. Also, for the love of all that is holy, use a food processor (if you have one) when making the dough. A stand (or even hand) mixer is perfectly fine, but you may end up with a face full of cocoa powder. If so, don’t come crying to me!

Adapted from Retro Desserts and Smitten Kitchen

For the cookies:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter or margarine
1 large egg

For the filling:

1/2 cup (1 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter or margarine
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.

In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.

Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.

To make the cream, place butter in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.

To assemble the cookies, spoon about a tablespoon of filling into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk.

High Altitude Notes: Reduce baking soda to 3/4 teaspoon and reduce baking powder slightly (I used about a scant 1/4 teaspoon). Bake at 400°F and feel free to skip the flattening step. And rejoice! An intentionally flat cookie!

My sweet grandma has been making these my entire life and it’s a safe assumption that I’ve been eating them since I could chew. They are a staple at every family function and the favorite cookie of my grandpa, my sister, and myself. And we really, really like cookies.

And, with the exception of using walnuts rather than pecans, this is one of the few recipes that I won’t change. Some things are sacred! If ever there were a sacred cookie, this would be it.

Unsure about dates? These are similar in taste and texture to a chocolate chip cookie, but without that sweet bomb of chocolate. They’re a big crowd pleaser for this reason — sweet but not overly so. Try them out on your kids and you’ll see why we love them so!

Bake sale! I’m excited to be a part of the National Food Bloggers Bake Sale this weekend, which joins the Great American Bake Sale to raise money for Share Our Strength, an organization dedicated to ending child hunger. Bloggers across the country will sell their goodies this weekend in their respective states. To find a sale in your state, click here.

If you’re in Utah, our sales are taking place in Salt Lake City and Orem. The bake sales will take place on:

Saturday, April 17th, from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Salt Lake City: Dan’s Market (1360 S Foothill Blvd)

Orem: Shirley J’s (15 East 400 South)

I’ll be there with bells on, or at least with these. And some other goodies, too. Come support the kiddos!

Grandma’s Date Nut Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

2/3 cup margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1 1/4 cup chopped dates

Heat oven to 375°F. Mix margarine, sugars, egg, and vanilla thoroughly. Blend dry ingredients and stir in. Stir in nuts and dates.

Drop by (scant) teaspoonfuls two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until just golden.

High-Altitude Notes: Reduce baking soda to about 1/4 teaspoon and bake at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes. And let me know if you have any suggestions, because mine still came out a little flat.