Wondering what to make your sweetie for Valentine’s Day?! Here are 6 dessert recipes the Coleman ladies count on for holidays, special occasions, entertaining, and late nights.

The Best Chocolate Cake

The ONLY chocolate cake to complete with Charla’s mom’s recipe. Recipe from Robyn Stone’s Add a Pinch.

Ingredients:

• • Cake:
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 2 cups sugar
    • ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon espresso powder homemade or store-bought
    • 1 cup milk buttermilk, almond, or coconut milk
    • ½ cup vegetable oil canola oil, or melted coconut oil
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 cup boiling water
  • Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
    • 1 ½ cups butter 3 sticks, softened
    • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
    • 5 cups confectioner’s sugar
    • ½ cup milk
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon espresso powder

Directions:

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350ºF (177°C). Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring. Set pans aside.
   2. In a large bowl or bowl of a sand mixer, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder until well combined.
   3. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter until well combined.
   4. Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the chocolate cake comes out clean.
   5. While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting:
      1. In a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer, whisk through cocoa powder to remove any lumps.
      2. Add butter and cream together with cocoa powder until well-combined.
      3. Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.
      4. Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.
      5. If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears too wet and does not hold its form, add more confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
   6. Remove cake from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.
   7. Frost cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

Seriously Soft Molasses Cookies

Kenda’s most requested late night delight. Recipe from one of the Coleman ladies’ online favorites, Sally’s Baking Addiction.

Ingredients:

• • 2 ¼ cups (280g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • ½ cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (60ml) un-sulphured or dark molasses
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. 1. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt together until combined. Set aside.
   2. In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars together on high speed until creamy and combined, about 2 minutes. Add the molasses and beat until combined. Then add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
   3. On low speed, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be slightly sticky. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour and up to 2-3 days.
   4. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
   5. Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. If the cookie dough chilled longer than 2 hours, let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The cookies may not spread in the oven if the dough is too cold. Roll cookie dough, 1 Tablespoon each, into balls. Roll each in granulated sugar and arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
   6. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until edges appear set. If the tops aren’t appearing cracked, remove the baking sheet from the oven and gently bang it on the counter 2-3x. This will help those warm cookies spread out and crack on top. Return to the oven for 1 additional minute.
   7. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Oatmeal & Almond-Flour Power Bites

Gloria’s favorite, low-guilt treat and her own creation. If you’re a chocolate lover, try them with Ghirardelli’s semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of raisins.

Ingredients:

• • 1 stick of butter
  • 3 cups of almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon of Nutmeg
  • ⅓ teaspoon of salt
  • ⅔ cup brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 egg white
  • 5-6 cups of oats
  • 1 ½ cups of raisins
  • 1 ½ cups of walnut pieces

Directions:

1. 1. Adjust oven rack to the lower middle position and set oven to 350°F (177°C) on convection bake. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
   2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt.
   3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugars and beat for 2-3 minutes, until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
   4. Using a rubber spatula, stir the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins and walnut pieces.
   5. Shape the power bites by rolling dough into 2-inch round balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Pro-tip: Use a 2-inch spring-loaded ice cream scoop to measure dough, shape balls and place on baking sheets.
   6. Bake the cookies for a total of 13-16 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Rotate the baking sheet from front to back halfway through the cooking time. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Southwestern Cherry Cobbler with Homemade Biscuits

Gloria’s go-to dessert dish for family holidays. Recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. Double the biscuit portion to make extras for breakfast or tea.

Ingredients:

• • Biscuit topping
    • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
    • 6 tablespoons sugar, plus some additional for sprinkling
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
    • 1 cup buttermilk
  • Filing
    • 4 (24 ounce) jars Morello cherries drained, with 2 cups juice reserved
    • ¾ cup sugar
    • 3 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
    • Pinch salt
    • 1 cup dry red wine
    • 1 cinnamon stick
    • ¼ teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

1. 1. For the biscuit topping: Adjust oven rack to the middle position and set oven to bake at 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set sheet aside.
   2. In a food processor, pulse the flour, 6 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to combine. Scatter the butter pieces over the mixture and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 15 1-second pulses.
   3. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the buttermilk and toss with a spatula to combine. Using a 1¾ -inch spring-loaded ice cream scoop, scoop 12 biscuits onto the baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart.
   4. Sprinkle the biscuits with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, and bake until lightly browned, about 12-15 minutes.
   5. For the filling: Spread the drained cherries in an even layer in a 9×13-inch glass baking dish. In a medium, nonreactive saucepan, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in the reserved cherry juice and wine and add the cinnamon stick. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, whisking continually until the mixture simmers and thickens, about 5 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick, stir in the almond extract, and pour the hot liquid over the cherries in the baking dish.
   6. To assemble and bake: Arrange the hot biscuits over the warm filling. Bake the cobbler until the filling is bubbling and the biscuits are deep golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, about 10 minutes.
   7. Serve warm with a scoop of Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream.

Dark Chocolate Buttercrunch Toffee

A true classic, and one of Kenda’s favorite candies, especially as a Sundae topping. Recipe from The Joy of Baking.

Ingredients:

• • 2 cups (170 grams) sliced or slivered almonds
  • 1 ¼ cups (270 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup (golden syrup)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 6 ounces (170 grams) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
   2. Place almonds on a baking sheet and bake them for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
   3. Once the nuts have cooled to room temperature, place in a food processor, fitted with a metal blade, and pulse the almonds until they are finely chopped.
   4. Sprinkle half of the nuts in an 8×10 inch (20 x 25 cm) rectangle on a buttered or oiled baking sheet. Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack.
   5. In a medium-sized, heavy bottomed saucepan (10 cup / 2.4 liter) combine the brown sugar, water, butter, and corn syrup. Have the baking soda and vanilla extract ready. Pro-tip: It is important to use a heavy duty saucepan so the candy will not scorch under high temperatures.
   6. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pro-tip: Be sure to use a wooden spoon to stir the syrup as the sugar crystals will not stick to wood as easily as they will to metal.
   7. Then cover the pan with a lid for about one minute to allow the sides of the pan to wash themselves down and dissolve any sugar crystals.
   8. Remove lid after one minute. Then clamp a candy thermometer to the side of the pan, making sure it does not touch the bottom of the pan, and cook, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 285°F (140°C) (soft-crack stage) on candy thermometer. Pro-tip: Buy a good mercury candy thermometer with a metal clip so you can fasten it to the side of the pan. When using a candy thermometer make sure the bulb of the thermometer does not rest on the bottom of the pan as this can cause an inaccurate temperature reading. It is also important to read the temperature at eye level to read the numbers correctly.
   9. Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat as the temperature will continue to rise to 290°F (145°C). Add the baking soda and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
   10. Immediately pour this mixture evenly over the nuts on your baking sheet. Then place the chopped chocolate over the hot toffee.
   11. After a few minutes the chocolate will be soft enough to spread with an offset spatula (or the back of a spoon) in an even layer over the toffee.
   12. Sprinkle the remaining chopped almonds over the melted chocolate. Place the pan in the refrigerator until chocolate is firm. Then cut the toffee into pieces using a sharp knife.

Badass Banana Bread

Charla’s favorite solution for bananas gone brown. Toast a slice and top with butter to enjoy à la Phil (her hubby). Recipe from one of the Coleman ladies’ online favorites, Sally’s Baking Addiction.

Ingredients:

• • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • ¾ cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • ⅓ cup greek yogurt
  • 2 cups mashed bananas
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • optional: ¾ cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:

1. 1. Adjust oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or coat with nonstick spray. Set aside.
   2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl.
   3. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the yogurt, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract on medium speed until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no flour pockets remain. Do not overmix. Fold in the nuts, if using.
   4. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 60-65 minutes. Loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil after 30 minutes to help prevent the top and sides from getting too brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf will come out clean when the bread is done. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
   5. Cover and store banana bread at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Banana bread tastes best on day 2 after the flavors have settled together.