The Ravenous Guide to Maida Heatter Dessert Recipes

This is a page dedicated to the great dessert baker and cookbook writer extrordinaire, Maida Heatter.

She is widely considered the finest author of dessert cookbooks. I know of no other cookbook author who writes recipes as clearly and as meticulously as Maida Heatter.

Her career spans decades, but she hasn't really had a home on the web, now she does.

Bio snippet from her publisher:
Maida Heatter, a member of Chocolatier magazine's Hall of Fame and two-time recipient of the James Beard Award, has written many award-winning cookbooks. Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts was an immediate New York Times best-seller when it was first published in 1980. The self-professed Chairperson of the Board of Chocolate Lovers Association still says her favorite dessert is "anything chocolate."

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The Queen of Cake

A profile from Saveur Magazine

From the Saveur article "Queen of Cake:

My first attempt at making a cake (from a boxed mix) was a flop. I never figured out why, but it smoldered rather than rose. I was 16 years old and, right there and then, I swore off baking. But one day, when I was in college, I was asked to bring dessert to a party, and I thought I might at least be able to manage some cookies. A friend lent me a well-thumbed copy of something called Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts; I flipped it open and found myself engrossed. "The rule is TLC-tender loving care," writes Heatter in her introduction to the chapter on cookies. "Do not just put cookies in the oven, set the timer, and walk away until the bell rings. You must watch them...and baby them." Elsewhere, she recommends using Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese, adding, "Other brands... do not all work the same. (I learned this the hard way.)" I quickly realized that this wasn't some scary culinary textbook. The author didn't assume that I was a master of fancy cooking techniques nor did she demand leaps of faith from those following her recipes. She somehow made me believe that if I-even I-actually followed her instructions,the ingredients called for would somehow transform themselves into legitimate cookies, pies, or even cakes. Heck, I thought, if I'm going to try baking again, I might as well go all the way. So instead of cookies, I made a Maida Heatter signature dessert-her Queen Mother's cake, a flourless chocolate cake made with eggs and ground almonds-a concoction of which the author writes, "If there could be only one cake in the whole world, this would be my choice." It worked. It was a huge success, in fact. I was hooked, not just on Queen Mother's cake or on baking, but on Maida Heatter.

Continue reading . . .

K E Y . R E C I P E S

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RECIPE: Polka Dot Cheesecake

From Saveur:

Baking ideas, like the one for this variation on Craig Claiborne's basic cheesecake recipe, "just come" to Heatter, she says. "I'll be driving along in my car," she explains, "thinking about what to wear that night, when someone pokes me on the shoulder and says, ...Try this'. So I do."

POLKA DOT CHEESECAKE

RECIPE: East 62nd Street Lemon Cake

From Saveur:

Toni Evins, Maida's late daughter, who lived on East 62nd Street in Manhattan, created this tart, sweet cake. It became a favorite of the chic set after Craig Claiborne printed the recipe in the New York Times. "I hear that Bill Blass and Nancy Reagan asked for it," Heatter notes.

EAST 62ND STREET LEMON CAKE

RECIPE: Palm Beach Brownies with Chocolate Covered Mints

Palm Beach Brownies with Chocolate Covered Mints

Heatter found the original recipe for these brownies in a Palm Beach, Florida, newspaper. "It came from a local deli," she remembers. She tinkered with it and, in this version, added chocolate-covered mints. "I love the way they don't melt, but form a middle layer," she notes. "I love the simple black and white composition. They're just gorgeous!" Heatter always keeps a few brownies, these or other ones, in her purse to offer to friends. "I wrap them in cellophane so that people can stick them in their pockets and take them home to eat later."

PALM BEACH BROWNIES WITH CHOCOLATE COVERED MINTS

BOOKSTORE: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts

Maida Heatter'S Book Of Great Desserts

by Maida Heatter

Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 09/06/2008)
List Price: $29.95
Used Price: $7.33

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C O O K I E . R E C I P E S

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BOOKSTORE: Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies

Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies

by Maida Heatter

Amazon Price: (as of 09/06/2008)
List Price: $25.00
Used Price: $5.08

RECIPE: Spice Cookies

From Joyofbaking.com by Stephanie Jaworski:

A great tasting spicy almond cookie. This is a crunchy cookie that goes so well with that mid- afternoon cup of tea or coffee. A great gift idea would be to put these cookies in a party bag, tie with a pretty ribbon, and place in a coffee mug.

SPICE COOKIES

RECIPE: Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cookies

From The Sour Patch:
I recently found a copy of Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts at Balfour Books. Not the updated reprint, but the original edition (in this case, 1983), filled with black and white images of Droste Cocoa boxes, and Lindt chocolate bars. In a fit of generosity, which hopefully will stick around long enough for me to complete the mission, I am giving it to a dear friend for her birthday. . .
It being Cinco de Mayo, I thought it fitting that the Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cookies caught my eye. . .

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE ICEBOX COOKIES

RECIPE: Craig Claiborne's Cardamom Cookies

From The Baking Sheet Blog:
You can't go wrong with Maida Heatter. I'm sure that there are recipes of hers that are not universally popular (Check out the judging panel's comments in Cathy's Mondays with Maida to see if they ever find a bad one), but I have yet to try a recipe that does not work. And, of course, I love just about all of them.
Case in point, these cardamom cookies struck me as calling for an unusual mixing process. The spice, baking soda and salt were creamed into the butter before the sugar was added. Perhaps this is for more even distribution of the spice in the cookies? . . .

CRAIG CLAIRBORNE'S CARDAMON COOKIES

RECIPE: Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

From Bakingsheet Blog:
Maida writes:They are quick and easy drop cookies that are especially good. The recipe was sent to me as a gift from a bakery in Jacksonville, Florida, there they are baked in huge quantities (700 cookies at a time) are are so popular that the bakery runs out of them every day.

COCONUT OATMEAL COOKIES

RECIPE: Moravian Christmas Wafers

From de Arte de Coquinaria:
These are the ultimate in crispy spice cookie! This recipe is adapted from Maida Heatter's recipe for Moravian Wafers. Where mine differs is first in the cutting: I rolled mine out very thin on a lightly floured surface and cut with scalloped edged 2%u2033 cookie cutter. Second, I also decorated it with melted white chocolate in zig zag patterns. For me, the white chocolate rounds out the spiciness of the wafers.

MORAVIAN CHRISTMAS WAFERS

COOKIE RECIPES

Chocolate Cookies with Gin-Soaked Raisins: From Epicurious:
One commenter gushes:
By far the most sophisticated cookied I've ever made or eaten. I brought them as my offering at a Christmas cookie party. I didn't have enough pecans, so mixed what i had with chopped hazelnuts(actually - i used mostly hazelnuts...) and they were THE hit of the night. I was asked for the recipe upwards of 5 times that night. They are sweet, so keep them small (no larger than an American quarter)and you will be thrilled with the results.
Chocolate Lulus: From Recipezaar:
These unusual cookies have a bold, dark chocolate flavour, but really get their secret kick from the unrecognizable addition of pepper. Try these when you are not in the mood for an overly 'sweet' cookie. From Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies.
Joe Froggers: From Recipezaar:
This is from Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts. They are a good cookie for traveling or mailing.
Sour Cream Ginger Cookies: From The Seattle Times:
My husband and I traditionally bring Sour-Cream Ginger Cookie dough from Maida Heatter's "Book of Great Cookies." I found the recipe in the December 1995 issue of House Beautiful and still keep the magazine on the shelf with my cookbooks. They require just enough time and energy that I'm only tempted to make them once a year - at party time.
Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cookies: From the Global Gourmet:
This is an all-time comfort food. Big, thick, semisoft, moist, chewy-and loaded with goodies. Whatever you do with these, I suggest that you do not store them in a location that can be seen -- or reached. They will disappear too quickly. And frankly, if you don't have strong willpower, maybe you should just not make them.
Scotch Shortbread Cookies: "When a Scottish friend of mine went to visit her family in Scotland she returned with this recipe for me from her grandmother. She said that this is the real thing. It is easy and fun to make. The texture of the shortbread is light and sandy. Yummy!"
Barbara's Milk Chocolate Biscotti: Yummy chocolate biscotti from Diana's Kitchen.
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies: Chocolate plus chocolate from That's My Home.
Charlie Brown's Peanut Cookies: Peanuts, peanut butter, chocolate chips in a cookie from Flora's Recipe Hideout.
Chocolate Wafer Cookies: I found this recipe for chocolate wafers in Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts. She says, "These cookies may be crumbled to make a delicious chocolate-cookie crumb crust. If you make them for that purpose roll out the dough and then just cut it with a long knife into large squares; don't bother to use a cookie cutter."
Chocolate Chip and Almond Biscotti: From a page of several biscotti recipes from Countrylife.net.
Swedish Jelly Slices: From a Swedish smorgasborg from Samcooks.com.
Chocolate and Peanut Butter Crescents: A diabetes friendly recipe from Recipesource.com.
Spicy Chocolate Cookies: A chocolate cookie with black pepper and cayenne pepper from Patrick Hassel Zein.
Sugar Cookies: From James Andrew Rome's recipe collection.
Chocolate Shortbread Cookies: From a Pittsburgh Post Gazette article on shortbread cookies.

C A K E . R E C I P E S

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RECIPE: Queen Mother's Cake

From Saveur:

This flourless chocolate cake, Heatter's most popular recipe ever, is rich, moist, and surprisingly light. It's wonderful served simply frosted, or it may be decorated with chocolate cigarettes (see Chocolate Cigarettes recipe)-and/or served with whipped cream and berries on the side.

QUEEN MOTHER'S CAKE

Heatter writes:
This was in my first book. It is one of the most popular recipes in all of my books and is the one cake I make more often than any other.

I originally got the recipe in 1962 from a food column by Clementine Paddleford in The New York Herald Tribune.

The story is that Jan Smeterlin, the eminent Polish pianist, loved to cook. And he collected recipes. This is one that was given to him on a concert tour in Austria.

When the Queen Mother was invited to tea at the home of the Smeterlins, the hostess baked the cake according to Smeterlin's recipe. The Queen Mother loved it and asked for the recipe. Then--as the story goes--she served it often at her royal parties. Including the time she invited the Smeterlins to her home.

It is a flourless chocolate cake that is nothing like all of the flourless chocolate cakes that are so popular today. It is not as heavy or dense. This has ground almonds and the texture is almost light, although it is rich and moist. It is divine.

RECIPE: Chocolate Cigarettes

From Saveur:

Adapted excerpt from Maida Heatter's Cakes (Cader Books/Andrews McMeel, 1997)

For these decorations, use a good compound chocolate.

1. Melt 1/2 lb. chocolate in the top of a double boiler over warm water on moderate heat. When partially melted, remove from heat and stir until completely melted.

2. Pour onto a marble work surface, forming a ribbon 3''-4'' wide, 10'' long, and 1/4''-3/8'' thick. Let cool at room temperature until no longer soft or sticky.

3. With a long, heavy knife, held at a 45° angle across the width, near the end of the chocolate, cut down slowly and firmly; the chocolate will roll around itself in a paper-thin curl as it is cut. Repeat, always placing the blade very close to the cut end.

4. Transfer curls to a shallow tray, cover with plastic wrap, and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

BOOKSTORE: Cakes (Maida Heatter's Classic Library)

Cakes (Maida Heatter's Classic Library)

by Maida Heatter

Amazon Price: (as of 09/06/2008)
List Price: $24.95
Used Price: $20.75

RECIPE: Robert Redford Cake

From The Wednesday Chef:
The cake was gorgeous to look at and tasted just fine. Of course, anything with that amount of chocolate and butter and eggs would be bound to taste just fine. But it didn't blow us away. The ganache was incredible - especially since it was still fresh and warm and sort of flopped luxuriously over each slice. But the cake itself was oddly devoid of much deep chocolate flavor. The consensus was that, all in all, this dessert wasn't all that special.

From Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts:
Chocolate News, a food publication, recently printed a photo of Robert Redford along with a recipe for a chocolate honey cake which they said, he had enjoyed at the Hisae restaurant in New York City.

I broke the 4 minute mile geting to the kitchen to try the recipe, and it was delicious.

Soon after that my husband and I were in New York and went to Hisae. With the first bite I knew that the cake was different from the one that I had made. This one had less of a honey taste, but it was a sweeter cake. The management was extremely generous about sharing the recipe.

This is the recipe from the restaurant. . .

I've made this recipe and I have to agree with the Wednesday Chef. This cake is good but not great.

ROBERT REDFORD CAKE

CAKE RECIPES

New York City Chocolate Cheesecake: From Robin Rosenberg's Pastry/Dessert Page.
Cocolate Marbelized Cheesecake: From Chef 2 Chef.
Tomato Soup Cake: Sometimes you just have to trust the master. From Chef 2 Chef.
Amaretto-Amaretti Chocolate Cheesecake: From the very well organized and ultra-functional CDKitchen.com. Great if you use MasterCook software.
Austrian Chocolate Walnut Torte: A page of recipes from the Ann Arbor News. Scroll down for the Austrian Chocolate Walnut Torte.
The Best Damn Lemon Cake: From Recipezaar:
This is a recipe from the great and wonderful Maida Heatter. This loaf cake needs a couple of days to set, but is so well worth the wait. Want to impress someone? Try this recipe. A great holiday or hostess gift.
White Pepper and Ginger Lemon Cake: From Recipezaar:
Adapted slightly from "Maida Heatter's Cakes," this cake is unusual and very tasty! Source: Detroit News.
Dobosh Torte (seven Layer Torte): From Recipezaar:
A friend shared this recipe with me it's from the Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts. It makes a nice holiday or dinner party dessert.
Big Daddy's Cake: From your queen's of cuisine at Out of the Frying Pan.
Blueberry Crumb Cake: From The Pittsburgh Post Gazette:
Blueberry Crumb Cake is a coffee cake studded with fresh plump blueberries. Lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla (use pure vanilla extract) add to this cake's unique flavor. Before baking, a layer of chopped walnuts is spread over the batter followed by streusel topping. What an outstanding combination!
Torte Souffle au Chocolat: From Music and Cats:
Two weeks later (so perhaps there is a rhyme or reason to my pacing of these episodes), I prepared for the second tasting. I baked another flourless cake, also from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts. Like the first cake, this one depends entirely on beaten egg whites for its lift. Unlike its Italian cousin, in which ground almonds do the work of flour, this French "cake" really is a souffle of sorts. Chocolate, butter, sugar and eggs - what more does one need? Perhaps a splash of liqueur, a bit of salt, but that's all.
Torta di Cioccolata: From Music and Cats:
On Sunday evening (in early January, 1993), several friends came over for Torta di Cioccolata and port. They crowded around my kitchen table, and we chatted while I whipped cream. My then boyfriend Gary opened the bottle of port, and poured it into an assortment of small glasses. I brought out the star of the show, my freshly-baked chocolate torte, dusted with confectioner's sugar. I was tremendously pleased with at least the aesthetics of this foray into baking; my friends oohed and aahed. I was hoping that the torta would taste as good as it looked.

"That cake looks like you bought it," Annie teased. Her husband Jay chimed in, "And your kitchen's too clean - you can't have baked this today."

"I should've left all the dirty dishes in the sink, just to prove it," I laughed. "And then you two could've washed."

I sliced and plated; they passed plates around the table, and spooned dollops of whipped cream onto their cake. We toasted ("to cake, and port, and friends with whom to share them"), and then tasted: cake with cream first, then just cake, then cake with port drizzled on it. The torte was very good: dark, rich, and moist. I thought, however, that it might not be the perfect complement to a good vintage port. My friends agreed much too easily, and strongly suggested that I test another recipe. It was obvious that they just wanted more cake.
Pain d'Epice: From Cyberkitchen.com:
The recipe which follows includes rye flour in addition to wheat flour.
This is a clue to the recipe's ancient origins. Wheat flour was
expensive and scarce so bakers used to add some cheaper rye flour. The
addition of rye flour produced a lower-gluten batter and bakers needed
to find supplementary leavening agents. Wood ash was commonly used. The
disagreeable taste of wood ash caused bakers to add more honey and
spices to the batter. While the wood ash may have disappeared, honey
and spice lingers on in a traditional honey cake recipe. In this
recipe, so does the rye flour.
Florida Rum Cake: From Razzledazzle
Lemon Buttermilk Cake: From Ruth's Kitchen:
The only cake that ever failed from Maida Heatter's many collections was this Buttermilk Lemon Cake. I wrote her a letter about the failure, and she gratiously sent me an amended recipe. The cake is really a marvelous success with her changes. I recommend it for a special dairy meal. Source: Personal communication from Maida Heatter, 1979.
September 7th Cake: A reviewer on RecipeCottage.com shares:
I have made this cake many times and yes, it is time-consuming but well worth it. It is, indeed, a recipe by Maida Heatter who developed the recipe because she wanted something different for her birthday (Sept. 7th). The cake is pictured on the cover of her cookbook "Best Chocolate Desserts". It's a great cookbook even for beginners. Try the recipe but read it through first so you understand what's involved. You won't be disappointed. Try using raspberries or strawberries as a garnish. Yum!
Tangerine Bundt Cake: From a DYI Network article on using citrus oils in baking:
This cake is a take-off on Maida Heatter's Famous Florida Lime Cake. As her daddy, Gabriel Heatter, used to say on the radio a long time ago, "there's good news tonight" when you serve this velvety, tart tangerine cake. It's also wonderful made the original way with lime zest and juice and an extra kick of lime oil. Sweetened whipped cream rounds out the flavor and texture.
Stanley's Cake: From a Cook's Notebook:
This is really an adapted version of Maida Heatter's Old-Fashioned Fudge Cake, and so is the icing. They are from her Book of Great Chocolate Desserts, Knopf, 1984.
Key West Rum Cake: From Leon @ Astray.com
Chocolate Mousse Torte: From RecipeLink.com.
Chocolate Regal: From Howard's Recipes:
This is the best chocolate dessert I've ever eaten.
Orange Chiffon Cake: From RecipeLink.com

P I E . A N D . T A R T . R E C I P E S

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BOOKSTORE: Pies & Tarts (Maida Heatter Classic Library)

Pies & Tarts (Maida Heatter Classic Library)

by Maida Heatter

Amazon Price: $17.21 (as of 09/06/2008)
Used Price: $5.01

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PIE AND TART RECIPES

Mom's Apple Pie: After the notes on pie crusts is a recipe for apple pie. Just scroll down.
Maida's Big Apple Pie: Calls for Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples. From Leon @ Astray.com
French Tart Pastry: From Chef 2 Chef.
Pumpkin Pie With Pepper: From The New York Times:
Maida Heatter, the author of many dessert cookbooks, does not include cinnamon in her favorite recipe, spiking the gingery filling with a nice touch of black pepper. "I tried making other variations, with macadamia nuts, for instance, but I think I prefer my more traditional one," Mrs. Heatter said. "Getting the crust right is harder than making the filling."

This page has a number of interesting Pumpkin Pie recipes by top chefs.
Lemon Cream Cheese Pie: From The Seattle Post Intelligencer.

This article has a handful of good pie recipes, including Maida's Lemon Cream Cheese Pie.
Lemon Curd for Lemony Blueberry Cheese Tart: The author uses a Maida Heatter recipe for lemon curd as the basis for a lemon mascarpone cheese tart.
Missippi Mud Pie: From Recipezaar.com.
Tart Tatin: From Melinda Lee:
Here is an apple pie with the crust on the bottom, but not the sides or top. It's a classic French creation that is often made by caramelizing butter and sugar to coat the bottom of the baking pan. Topped with apples, and finally the disc of crust dough, the tart is baked with the crust on top, and turned out so that the crust (never soggy!) will be on the bottom when served.

B R O W N I E S . A N D . B A R S

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BOOKSTORE: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts

Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts

by Maida Heatter

Amazon Price: $19.96 (as of 09/06/2008)
List Price: $24.95
Used Price: $6.80

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BROWNIES AND BARS RECIPES

Pecan Squares Americana: Maida:
Many years ago a Miami newspaper published a letter to the food editor from the wife of Governor Collins of Florida. She raved about the pecan cookies she had eaten at the Americana Hotel in Miami Beach. She went on to say that she had requested the recipe from the hotel, that they had given it to her, but it did not work for her. The letter included the recipe as she had received it. I ran to the kitchen to try it. The recipe did not work for me either. I called the hotel and asked to speak to the pastry chef. His name was Jacques Kranzlin; he could not have been more gracious or charming, and he invited me to his kitchen to watch him work. It was a treat.

When I got home I was able to make the Pecan Squares. I made them again and again and again. I wrote the recipe. I taught it in my dessert classes. It was unanimously The Best! I included the recipe in my first dessert book. And when I taught classes around the country, it was one of my favorite recipes to teach because I knew how people would rave about them.
Maida Heater's intense fudgy Brownies: From Recipezaar:
This recipe is different because it has the addition of sour cream which adds moistness and a little tang. The taste of these brownies improves overnight so, if possible, make the day before serving.
Palm Beach Brownies: One her most loved recipes from Recipesource.com
Viennese Marzipan Bars: Sweets from Christmas-Cookies.com.
Fruit and Nut Bars: A cocoa flavored bar studded with chopped dates or prunes; chopped dried figs or apricots; or raisins and chopped walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, peanuts or almonds from The Ellsworth American.
Barron's Brownies: From Karen Celia Fox
. . . to be served with Bourbon and ice cream for a 1920's themed dinner. Quite possibly the best fudgy brownie recipe around.
Brownie Sundae: From The Boston Globe:
In order to make a brownie sundae, you need a divine chocolate sauce and a dependable brownie recipe. These recipes are adapted from the popular ''Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts,". . . The sauce was given to Heatter by California author Paula Wolfert, who based it on a recipe from French chef Michael Guerard. Heatter's brownies are the ones she has been making since she was 10 years old. ''People who barely knew me, knew my Brownies," she writes.
Oatmeal Brownie Fingers: From Recipezaar:
Surprise your brownie aficionado friends with a chewy honey and oatmeal version from baking maven Maida Heatter. Remember, the better the chocolate, the better and more dramatic the flavor.
Macadamia Nut Coconut Bars: From Homecooking@About.com comes a recipe first printed in Food & Wine in 1995.
Date Nut Hopney Bars: From RazzleDazzleRecipes.com.
Lime Bars: From eGullet:
This is a take on Maida Heatter's Florida Lemon Squares from her Book of Great Cookies
Substitute lemon juice for lime and you're back to the original.
Pumpkin Pie Bars: From FoodDownUnder.com

O D D S . A N D . E N D S . R E C I P E S

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BOOKSTORE: Maida Heatter's Best Dessert Book Ever

Maida Heatter's Best Dessert Book Ever

by Maida Heatter

Amazon Price: (as of 09/06/2008)
List Price: $27.50
Used Price: $2.67

RECIPES: Odds and Ends

Maida Heatter's Famous Bran Muffins: From StarChefs.com:
By Maida Heatter
"My mother was incredible, she did everything Martha Stewart does and more. Her bran muffins were a part of growing up and I can not remember being without them for very long. We used to take them on picnics, to the movies and Yankee Stadium, and always in our lunch boxes. These bran muffins have received a lot of attention since first appearing in my cookbook, Maida Heatter's Great Desserts (Knopf, 1982), but I fondly remember them as a staple for my father, Gabriel, during the Lindbergh trial in Flemington, NJ. My father was quite famous for his nightly news radio program and especially remembered for the phrase "Ah there is good news tonight!"coined during a WWII broadcast. The Lindbergh trial generated such large crowds that the only place left for my father to live was a small hotel room, and opportunities for decent meals were scarce. Therefore, my mother and I would drive up from Manhattan every few days and make a thermos delivery of hot vegetable soup and bran muffins. I think it is these muffins that made that small room bearable for so many weeks."
Apple Cranberry Muffins: From Recipezaar.com:
Oh, my, talk about good. These cupcakes are absolutely loaded with goodies: cranberries, apples, raisins, nuts and spice The ingredient list is long, but these are not hard to put together ...And so good when you've done so!
Healthy Raisin Bread: From Recipezaar.com:
This is a recipe I adapted from Maida Heatter's "New Book of Great Desserts". It makes a delicious loaf that slices so neatly that you can make small tea sandwiches with either sweet or savory fillings. It's wonderful served with a fruit salad. The canola oil is optional. The loaf tastes the same but stays moist longer with the oil.
Nutty Rice Pudding: From The Homeschool Zone's Mom to Mom Recipe Library:
Nutty rice pudding is a delicious treat and well worth the little bit of extra time to prepare. Some folks like to eat this pudding warm while others prefer it chilled.
Homemade Irish Liqueur: From the introduction of Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts:
...my husband and I were visiting California and I thought I was hearing things when my sister-in-law, Helen Sparks, casually asked if I would like a recipe for a drink that tasted like Bailey's Original Irish Cream. I love the drink, and I was sure there was a misunderstanding - I could not believe that there was a recipe for it. But Helen gave me it to me. She had gotten it at a meeting of a wine-tasting group that she and her husband belong to in San Diego; it came from a lady who had brought it from Ireland.

When I read it, I raised an eyebrow -- I was very sceptical and not in much of a hurry to try it. But I did.

Then we had a blind taste-testing party with this and Bailey;s Original Irish Cream and everyone liked this one better (not to mention the price which is a fraction of the other).

Recipe variation and directions for the original at Epicurean.com
Homemade Marshmallows: From Homecooking @ About.com.

RECIPE: Hamantaschen

From Wikipedia:
A hamantasch is a cookie in Jewish cuisine recognizable for its 3-cornered shape. It is eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim. Traditional fillings are poppy seeds or prune, but they are made with many different flavors, including nut, date, apricot, or chocolate.

Hamantaschen are generally made by rolling the dough thin, cutting it into circles (of various sizes), placing filling in the center, and folding in three sides.

MAIDA HEATTER'S HAMANTASCHEN