CRACKED COCOA

To one-third a cup of Baker's Cracked Cocoa (sometimes called "Cocoa Nibs") use three cups of cold water; cook slowly at least one hour--the longer the better. Then strain the liquid and add one cup (or more if desired) of milk, and serve very hot. Do not allow the mixture to boil after milk has been added.

VANILLA CHOCOLATE WITH WHIPPED CREAM

One cake (1/2 a pound) of Walter Baker & Co.'s Vanilla Sweet Chocolate, 4 cups of boiling water, Pinch of salt, 4 cups of hot milk.

This must be made in a double-boiler. Put the chocolate, boiling water and salt in upper part of the double-boiler. Stir and beat with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is dissolved and smooth. Add the milk and when thoroughly hot, strain, and serve with unsweetened whipped cream. More cooking will improve it.

CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

Line a pie plate with rich pie crust, putting on an extra edge of crust the same as for custard pie. Fill with the chocolate filling made after the following recipe. Bake in a hot oven until crust is done; remove, and when cool, cover with a meringue and brown very slowly in moderate oven.

CHOCOLATE FILLING

1 cup of milk, Pinch of salt, 1-1/2 squares of Baker's Chocolate, 2 level tablespoonfuls of flour, 2 eggs (yolks), 5 tablespoonfuls of sugar (level), 1 teaspoonful of vanilla.

Put milk, salt and chocolate in upper part of the double-boiler, and when hot and smooth, stir in the flour, which has been mixed with enough cold milk to be thin enough to pour into the hot milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens; then let it cook eight or ten minutes.

Mix the eggs and sugar together and pour the hot mixture over them, stirring well; put back in double-boiler and cook, stirring constantly one minute. Remove, and when cool add one teaspoonful of vanilla.

MERINGUE

2 eggs (whites), Pinch of salt, 4 level tablespoonfuls of sugar, 1 teaspoonful of vanilla.

Add salt to eggs and beat in a large shallow dish with fork or egg-whip until stiff and flaky and dish can be turned upside down. Beat in the sugar slowly, then the vanilla, and beat until the dish can be turned upside down.

COCOA STICKS

6 tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, 3/4 cup of sugar (scant), 1 egg, 1 tablespoonful of milk, 1 teaspoonful of vanilla or pinch of cinnamon, 5 teaspoonfuls of Baker's Cocoa, 1/8 teaspoonful of baking powder, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups of sifted pastry flour.

Cream the b.u.t.ter until soft; add the sugar gradually and beat well; add the beaten egg, milk and vanilla; mix thoroughly. Sift cocoa, baking powder, and a pinch of salt with about one-half cup of the flour; stir this into the mixture first, then use the remainder of the flour, and more if necessary, to make a firm dough that will not stick to the fingers. Set on the ice to harden. Sprinkle the board with cocoa and a very little sugar. Use small pieces of the dough at a time, toss it over the board to prevent sticking, roll out thin, cut in strips about one-half inch wide and three inches long. Place closely in pan and bake in moderately hot oven three or four minutes. Great care should be taken in the baking to prevent burning.

It is advisable to gather the sc.r.a.ps after each rolling, if soft, and set away to harden, for fear of getting in too much cocoa, thus making them bitter.

The colder and harder the dough is, the better it can be handled; therefore it can be made the day before using.

COCOA FROSTING

4 teaspoonfuls of Baker's Cocoa, 2 tablespoonfuls of cold water, 3 tablespoonfuls of hot water, 1/2 a teaspoonful of vanilla, About 1-3/4 cups of confectioners' sugar.

Put the cocoa in a small saucepan; add the cold water and stir until perfectly smooth; then the hot water, and cook for one or two minutes, add vanilla and a speck of salt, then stir in enough sugar to make it stiff enough to spread nicely. Beat until smooth and glossy and free from lumps.

If too thick, add a little cold water. If not thick enough, add a little sugar. Never make a frosting so stiff that it will have to be made smooth with a wet knife. It is better to let it run to the sides of the cake. For frosting sides of the cake, make a little stiffer.

This frosting never cracks as an egg frosting, but is hard enough to cut nicely.

COCOA SAUCE

2 tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, 1 cup of boiling water, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 4 tablespoonfuls of sugar, 4 teaspoonfuls of Baker's Cocoa, 1 teaspoonful of vanilla.

Melt the b.u.t.ter in the saucepan; mix the flour and cocoa together and stir into the b.u.t.ter; add gradually the hot water, stirring and beating each time; cook until it thickens. Just before serving, add the sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt, if necessary.

Use more cocoa if liked stronger. This sauce will be found excellent for cottage puddings, Dutch apple cakes, steamed apple puddings, etc.

COCOA CAKE

1/2 a cup of b.u.t.ter, 3/4 a cup of milk, 1 cup of sugar, 6 level tablespoonfuls of Baker's Cocoa, 3 eggs, 2 level teaspoonfuls of baking powder, 1 teaspoonful of vanilla, 1-1/2 or 2 cups of sifted pastry flour.

Cream the b.u.t.ter, stir in the sugar gradually, add the unbeaten eggs, and beat all together until very creamy. Sift together one-half cup of the flour, the cocoa and baking powder; use this flour first, then alternate the milk and remaining flour, using enough to make mixture stiff enough to drop from the spoon; add vanilla and beat until very smooth; then bake in loaf in moderately hot oven thirty-five or forty minutes.

Tests for baking cake. It is baked enough when: 1. It shrinks from the pan.

2. Touching it on the top, springs back.

3. No singing sound.

COCOA MERINGUE PUDDING

1 cup of milk, 2 eggs (yolks), 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, Pinch of salt, 4 teaspoonfuls of Baker's Cocoa, 3 tablespoonfuls of sugar, 1/2 a teaspoonful of vanilla.

Put the milk in the upper part of the double-boiler, and heat. Mix flour and cocoa together and soften in a little cold milk; mix until free from lumps. When the milk is hot, add the flour, and cook, stirring often, eight or ten minutes. Beat yolks of eggs lightly; add sugar and salt, and mix well. When mixture in double-boiler has cooked sufficiently, strain it over the mixture in the bowl. Put back in double-boiler and allow it to cook one or two minutes (stirring constantly), just enough to slightly thicken the eggs. Remove from the stove, and when cool add vanilla and put in the serving-dish. Cover with a meringue. Place dish on a board, put in the oven with the door open, and allow it to remain there for ten or fifteen minutes, and when the meringue will not stick to the fingers, close the door and let it brown slightly. This pudding can be eaten warm or cold, but is much better cold. This will serve four persons generously.

CHOCOLATE ALMONDS

Blanch the almonds by pouring boiling water on them, and let them stand two or three minutes. Roast them in oven. Dip them in the following recipe for chocolate coating, and drop on paraffine paper.

1/2 pound cake of Walter Baker's Vanilla Sweet Chocolate, 2 level tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, 2 tablespoonfuls of boiling water.

Put chocolate in small saucepan over boiling water and when melted stir in b.u.t.ter and water. Mix well. If found to be too thick, add more water; if too thin, more chocolate.

HOT CHOCOLATE SAUCE

1 cup of boiling water, Pinch of salt, 1 square of chocolate, 1/2 a cup of sugar.

Cook all together slowly until it is the consistency of maple syrup, or thicker if desired. Just before serving, add one teaspoonful of vanilla.

This will keep indefinitely, and can be reheated.