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In the Kitchen with Rachael Stagner

By marshallhinsley • on November 2, 2009

Since Rachael Stagner was 3 years old,
she has had wonderful memories of cooking.
“I love helping mom with the baking and
decorating Christmas cookies. I have also
had a lot of fun learning to make strudels
with my grannies,” she recalled. “My
fondest memories are going to the deer lease
with my mom and dad, hunting with my dad
and roasting marshmallows under the Hill
Country sky, then coming home and making
— By Faith Browning
deer klobase with my dad and PoPo.”
Rachael has already made a mark in the
Waxahachie cooking world by placing first
in the annual Burleson Honey Bake Off with
her Buffalo Chip Cookies and her Chocolate
Sheet Cake. Her other interests include:
singing, swimming, hunting, archery and
tennis. Rachael also stated, “I am very
proud to say I go to school at St. Joseph
Catholic School in Waxahachie!”

RACHAEL’S BUFFALO CHIP COOKIES
1 cup butter
1 cup Crisco
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups flour
2 tsp. soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups corn flakes
1 cup coconut
1 lg. bag chocolate chips
1. Melt butter and Crisco together; mix in both
sugars.
2. Add eggs and vanilla.
3. Sift flour, soda and baking powder together.
4. Mix dry mixture with butter and egg mixture.
5. Stir in oatmeal, cereal, coconut and
chocolate chips.
6. For each large cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough
on cookie sheet.
7. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.

CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 cup Crisco
4 Tbsp. cocoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

ICING:
1 stick butter
6 Tbsp. milk
4 Tbsp. cocoa
1 box powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup nuts, chopped
1. Combine flour and sugar. In a saucepan,
add butter, Crisco, cocoa and water; bring to a
boil, stirring well.
2. Pour over flour mixture; mix well.
3. Add remaining ingredients; mix well.
4. Pour into a 13 x 11-inch greased and floured
baking pan; bake for 20 minutes at 400 F.
5. Prepare icing by melting together the butter,
milk and cocoa.
6. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; mix well.
Pour over the cake while it is still hot in the pan.
7. Top with nuts.

APRICOT CRUNCH
1 pkg. dry apricots
1 cup water
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
2 cups flour sifted
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups coconut
1 cup pecans, chopped
1. Cook apricots in water until soft. Beat the
soft apricots with 3/4 cup sugar.
2. In a separate bowl, cream together butter
and 1 cup sugar; beat well.
3. Blend in flour, salt and baking soda.
4. Stir in coconut and pecans.
5. Press 3 cups of crumbly mixture in the
bottom and halfway up the sides of a greased
13 x 9 x 2-inch pan.
6. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 F. Spread the
apricot mixture over the crust; sprinkle
remaining crumbs over the top.
7. Bake 20-25 minutes. Let cool; cut into
squares.

EASY MANDARIN ORANGE CAKE
1 box butter cake mix
4 eggs
1 cup cooking oil
11-oz. can mandarin oranges, undrained

FROSTING:
16-oz. Cool Whip
1 lg. can crushed pineapple, drained
11-oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
2 pkgs. instant French vanilla pudding
1. In a large bowl, combine all cake ingredients
by hand.
2. Pour in three greased and floured 8-inch
cake pans.
3. Bake at 350 F for 15 – 20 minutes.
4. Combine all icing ingredients; mix well.
5. Frost the cake.