Texas Sheet Cake

Thursday, December 25, 2008

First things first, Merry Christmas everybody! I hope the holidays are treating you well this year. My mom used to make this cake all the time. It’s really really really good. It’s more like frosted brownies and it’s delicious. You should make this. Today. Or tomorrow since you might be in a food coma already today.

I made these during my lunch break on a day that I worked from home. I sent them to work with hubby the next day so we wouldn’t eat them all!! These are REALLY good warmed up with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

There are a few things about this recipe that just feel weird after all the baking I’ve done in the past few years. For one, you just throw all the ingredients together (this recipe is SO easy!) None of this adding flour and alternating with milk blah blah blah. It’s kind of refreshing to just throw everything in and turn on the mixer. You also boil butter and cocoa. Twice. It’s awesome. And don’t worry about the 3 sticks of butter. They’re totally worth it.

Texas Sheet Cake – from my mom – no idea where it’s originally from, although PW does have the same recipe posted on her cooking blog…
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vingar + 1/2 cup milk
2 sticks butter
4 tbsp cocoa
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix the flour, sugar, sour cream, salt, eggs, baking soda and buttermilk in a large bowl.

Bring the butter, cocoa and water to a boil.

Add at once to flour mixture. Mix well and pour into greased cookie sheet. The batter is VERY runny.

Bake 20 min at 350. While the cake is baking, you will have just enough time to clean up the mess you made, wash the dishes and prepare the frosting. It’s important to frost the cake immediately out of the oven, so no slacking here!

Frosting1 box powdered sugar (1 lb) – I just eyeball it to 1/2 of a 2 lb bag
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick butter
6 tbsp milk
4 tbsp cocoa

Combine the following the powdered sugar, pecans and vanilla.

Bring remaining ingredients to a boil. Add to the sugar mixture. Ice cake right out of oven.

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2 comments »

17 Responses to “M&M Cookies to Celebrate Valentine’s Day”

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Carrie — February 12, 2010 at 2:26 pm

I love freezing dough but somehow most ends up in my tummy unbaked when I do that 🙂
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2

oneordinaryday — February 12, 2010 at 2:40 pm

What a great gift! I’m thinking that would be wonderful for all sorts of occasions. Thanks for the idea!
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Carly — February 12, 2010 at 5:00 pm

These are adorable and I love that idea! Two questions, though: 1) Were these as good as the cookies from the other recipes? and 2) When you freeze them, do you bake right from frozen?
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Jen — February 12, 2010 at 5:04 pm

Great questions Carly – As far as comparing them to the other cookies. I enjoyed the chocolate M&M cookies the best, but they were REALLY chocolatey. The other non-chocolate M&M cookies were a bit more chewy and they had nuts in them, so they had a different vibe. This recipe was more of a classic M&M cookie for sure.

As far as baking from frozen, you can def just go straight from freezer to oven. Bake them ~13 minutes instead of ~11 and take them out when they look done.
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Cara — February 12, 2010 at 5:18 pm

these were delicious!
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stephchows — February 12, 2010 at 5:35 pm

they look so cute all frozen up 🙂
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Leanne — February 12, 2010 at 6:11 pm

I love the pink and red M&Ms. Thanks for the idea of freezing the cookie dough.
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Memória — February 12, 2010 at 8:06 pm

I was going to ask you the same thing as Carly, well the first question. These cookies are cute. Your freezing method reminded me that I have a bunch of sugar cookies still in the freezer! Do you know how long cookies can stay in the freezer?
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Jen — February 12, 2010 at 9:32 pm

I don’t know how long they will last in the freezer. I have a tendency to forget about things in my freezer… I’d guess a couple months? Anyone have ideas?
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nutmegnanny — February 12, 2010 at 9:43 pm

What festive little cookies 🙂 I love them! I also like the fact that you froze them. I bet they were delicious. Make sure to enter the All Through the Year Cheer event for Valentine’s Day 🙂
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Julie — February 13, 2010 at 4:49 am

I think that sounds like a great way to spend valentine’s day. It can be intimidating the way it’s so hyped up. The cookies look very festive, love ’em!
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Vivian - Let's Try These... — February 13, 2010 at 2:16 pm

We don’t do “valentine’s day” either since my MIL was born on the 14th and daughter’s birthday is the 15th – besides, its more important to say you love someone everyday, not just one day out of the year. Love the idea about freezing the cookie dough in preshaped form and giving that away. Wonderful idea!
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Deborah Dowd — February 14, 2010 at 1:03 pm

I am looking for cookies that travel well for my soldier adopted through Soldier’s Angels and these look like a winner!!
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Kerstin — February 14, 2010 at 8:00 pm

Mmm, these were so tasty! Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Amy (Sing For Your Supper) — February 16, 2010 at 9:54 pm

These are just too cute!! I love M&M cookies too!!

http://www.singforyoursupperblog.com
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bcallegra — February 17, 2010 at 1:13 am

Just had to add my two cents on the idea of giving cookie dough frozen and ready to be baked – genius! For some reason, I’ve never thought of that, even though I’ve given cookies frozen to people to be defrosted when they’re ready to eat. I love the dough idea!
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Megan — February 20, 2010 at 2:16 am

YUM-these look absolutely delicious! I love the pink and red M&Ms!