I use Nathalie Dupree's Mississippi Mud Cake/Bars when I need a chocolate frosting but usually that's only for Mud Bars since I'm not a big chocolate fan. I make one modification though, I usually add cinnamon since I think cinnamon and chocolate pair well. I made a mistake one of the first times I made it. I used a 2# bag of powdered sugar rather than 1#. Came out thick like a fudge and I liked it. Got a lot of compliments on it too, bot on the bars and as a candy on its own. Similar to my mother's fudge but much, much easier. Here's the original recipe: Mississippi Mud Cake/Bars from Nathalie Dupree's New Southern Cooking Cake/Bars 2 cups Sugar 1 cup Butter 4 each Eggs 1 1/2 cup Flour 1/2 cup Cocoa 1/4 teaspoon Salt 1 tablespoon Vanilla 1 cup Chopped pecans Icing: 1 pound Powdered sugar 1/3 cup Cocoa 1 cup Butter, melted 1 teaspoon Vanilla 1 cup Pecans, chopped 2 tablespoons Milk Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13-inch pan. Cut a piece of waxed paper to fit the bottom of the pan and butter it. With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the flour, cocoa, salt, vanilla and nuts, and beat again. Turn the batter into the pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. When cool, remove cake from pan and peel off the waxed paper. Icing: Sift the sugar and cocoa together. Beat in the melted butter, vanilla, pecans, and milk. When smooth, spread the icing over the cake. This cake is cracked and dry-looking, like Mississippi mud in the hot, dry summer. NEW SOUTHERN COOKING by Nathalie Dupree

This one is a soft, firm cookie-very rich-I use them plain or as the base for Choc Whoopie pies--- Diane's Home Cookin 4.8 Chapter: Cookies Chocolate Sour Cream Drops ========================== 2 eggs 1 Cup sugar 1 Cup packed brown sugar 1 Teaspoon Vanilla 1 Cup dairy sour cream ½ c. butter or margarine, melted ½ c. shortening, melted 2 ½ c. flour 1 Cup cocoa 1 Teaspoon Baking powder ½ tsp. Baking soda 1 Cup chopped walnuts -optional . Preheat oven to 325 °-grease cookie sheets. Cream eggs, sugar & vanilla. Blend in sour cream, butter & shortening. Combine flour,cocoa, baking powder and baking soda-add to sugar mixture. Stir in nuts if using. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased sheet. Bake 12 min or until just set-cool slightly ;remove from sheet to wire rack until cooled completely. Servings: 48 Original recipe from Brand Names Cookie Collection book This one is a bit different from the normal "brownie" but nice looking & great tasting bar. Diane's Home Cookin 4.8 Chapter: Cookies-bar Fudgy Brownie Bar ================= 1/4 Cup sugar ½ Cup margarine 1 14 ounce Can sweetened condensed milk 1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 egg 1 Teaspoon Vanilla 1-1/4 Teaspoons Baking powder 1 8 ounce Bar milk choc candy bar , broken into small pieces 3/4 Cup chopped nuts or crisped rice cereal confectioner's sugar. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine 1 cup flour & sugar; cut in margarine until crumbly. Press evenly on bottom of 13 x 9 x 2 in. Baking pan. Bake 15 minutes In large bowl beat sweetened condensed milk, egg, cocoa, remaining 1/4 cup flour, vanilla & baking powder. Stir in nuts or crisped cereal & choc candy bar pieces. Spread over baked base. Bake 20 minutes longer. Cool & dust with confectioner's sugar. Servings: 24

Rewrote recipe: Chocolate Sheath Cake - Mrs. W.B. Brown-Acc College cookbook-1974(Abilene ,Tx.(my favorite cookbook) 2 c. sugar 2 c. flour 1/2 c. butter 4 Tbls cocoa-level not heaping 1 c. water 2 eggs 1/2 c. buttermilk(1 tbs vinegar& 2%milk to 1/2 c mark, let sit a bit to get thick) 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp vanilla, I add 1 tsp cinnamon (optional) Small pan put butter,cocoa & water, mix & bring to boil while watching. In large mixing bowl put sugar, flour &,cinammon, pour contents of pan over it. Save pan for icing! Mix & add buttermilk soda & vanilla. Pour into large 11x16 pan(jelly roll pan) Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 min or until toothpick comes out clean. Icing is put on after it has cooled about 10 min. Otherwise it will not shine as nice!! In same pan mix: 6 tbls. milk, 1/2 c. butter 4 tbls cocoa-level, until it comes to a boil, remove from heat Add 3 3/4 c powdered sugar 1 c chopped pecans, 1 tsp vanilla Mix well & pour in center of cake & draw out to edges. Best to have the cake on a large cookie sheet or with waxed paper around it as a lot of times pans have gotten smaller & are more like 10x15 with 1 in. side so you will get some drips, but it is so good who cares!! Freezes well also, I cut cake in pieces the size I want & wrap in foil & then in ziploc bag label & freeze. 1/20 of cake is about 78 mg sodium if watching that, can use walnuts for the nuts! Enjoy!!

I hope you have a wonderful time baking tomorrow rhome! Double ovens.. swooonn.. lol. Boy am I a slacker compared to ya'll. For the New Orleans boxes I made regular chocolate chip, peanut butter with colored sugar [as per tradition] and fudge. The kids only like certain stuff and the fudge is Christys family tradition so she has to send her sister and mother some. I sent them a pecan pie too. I've also made meltaways, world peace, milk choc choc chip, shortbread, more fudge and caramels for Christys fellow employees. The caramels sure did turn out great this year. I forgot to put in the vanilla. lol. I think I like them better. You can really taste the butter. The execs got pecan pies. I have dough in the fridge for the rest of the milk choc chips and I took some of that dough and instead of chips I added bunch of old fashioned oats to it for me. I am weird in that I don't like cookies to sit around very long. I'd rather have them fresh, so I tend to make doughs and just bake off a pan or two at a time. So, as it gets closer to Christmas I'll be still making our ricotta cookies, some rugeleah, sand tarts, and for the Christmas dessert I'll make a pecan pie and chocolate pie. For Christy's stocking I'm making Ann's crisp truffles and some chocolate covered raisins. So, let me make a list.. hmm.. Standard chocolate chip Peanut butter World Peace Meltaways Rugeleah Milk chocolate chocolate chip Oatmeal Shortbread Sand tarts Ricotta cookies Sugar Cookie cutouts [maybe, I like to make the shortbread into cutouts, so that might do for this year] Fudge Caramels Crisp truffles Chocolate covered raisins [she doesn't like nuts] Pecan Pie Chocolate Pie Yup, I'm a slacker ;(