Recipe(tried): Two Ideas for Pam - Palm Beach Brownies and Ruth's Rugelach

Hi Pam, I have made these two recipes for home parties and for my DH office. The brownies are alsolutely decadent....and the Rugelach are perfect for Christmas parties....Bars are the BEST. Here are the recipes:

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MAIDA HEATER'S PALM BEACH BROWNIES
Adapted from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts

These are the biggest, thickest, gooiest, chewiest, darkest, sweetest, mostest-of-the-most chocolate bars with an almost wet middle and a crisp-crunchy top. It is best to bake these a day before - they cannot be cut into bars when they are too fresh.

8 oz (8 squares) unsweetened chocolate
8 oz (2 sticks) sweet butter
5 eggs- large or extra-large
1 tbs vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 tbs dry instant espresso or other powdered (not granular) instant coffee (Use Bustelo Espresso)
3 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 2/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
8 oz (2 generous cups) walnut halves or large pieces

Adjust rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13 x 2 inch pan as follows:

Invert the pan. Cover the pan with a long piece of aluminum foil shiny side down. Using your hands, press down on the foil around the sides and the corners to shape it like the pan.
Remove the foil.

Turn the pan right side up, and place the foil in the pan. Butter the foil with soft or melted butter. The easiest way is to place a piece of butter in the pan. Place the pan in the oven while it is warming up. When the butter is melted use a pastry brush to spread it all over the sides and bottom of the foil. Set the prepared pan aside.

Place the chocolate and the butter in the top of a large double boiler over hot water on moderate heat, or in a 4 by 6 cup heavy saucepan over very low heat. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and the butter are melted. Stir to mix. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the following for 10 minutes at high speed: eggs, vanilla, almond extract, salt, dry instant coffee, and sugar.

On low speed, add the chocolate mixture and beat until mixed. Add the flour and again beat only until mixed. Remove from the mixer and stir in the nuts. Turn into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes, reversing the pan front to back as necessary during baking to insure even baking.
At the end of baking the cake, it will have a thick, crisp crust on the top. But if you insert a toothpick into the middle it will come out wet and covered with chocolate. Nevertheless it is done. Do not bake it anymore. Remove the cake from the oven and let stand at room temperature until cool.

Cover with cookie sheet and invert. Remove the pan and the foil lining carefully. Cover with a cookie sheet lines with wax paper and invert again, leaving the cake right side up. Now the cake must stand for 6 to 8 hours or preferably overnight, before it is cut into bars. Or, it may be refrigerated to a few hours.

Since the tip of the cake will be crusty, and the middle will be wet, use a serrated bread knife to cut. If the ends of the cake are a little too dark, cut them off. Cut the cake into quarters, then each quarter in half lengthwise, then each piece into 4 equal pieces. . It will probably be necessary to wipe the blade with a damp cloth after each cut. Wrap individually in cellophane or wax paper, or package them in an airtight container with wax paper between the layers. Do not let them dry out.

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RUTH'S RUGELACH

1/2 lb. unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar for topping
Filling:
Stir together: 1/2 c. sugar, 1/2 c. seedless raisins, 1 t. cinnamon, 1 c. finely chopped walnuts.

Cream butter and cream cheese. Beat in flour little by little. Knead dough til all flour is incorporated. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.
Divide dough into two balls. Wrap up 1 ball and refrigerate and roll out the other ball into a circle about 1/16 thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 16 pie shaped wedges. Sprinkle filling onto the top and roll up each wedge starting at wide end. Sprinkle with sugar and bake on cookie sheet for 15-18 mts. at 375. Makes 32 delicious cookies. These freeze well also.