Suzie’s chocolate bars are in the oven. For hamentashen or babka there’s nothing finer than Ida’s yeast dough, and for an elegant, flaky, bakery-class cookie I go for Gert’s. They are the baker matriarchs whose names head up the treasured recipes in my mother’s card box, and looking through the recipes is like following the jagged lines of a family tree. Recipes with names in the title are like found treasures, taking you back to a loved-one’s kitchen—that is if you know who the person is. I’m a little hazy on which Suzie made the bars that are in my oven, and I’m pretty sure Ida Cash, an old friend of my grandmother’s, is responsible for the yeast dough, but I do remember my great aunt Gert, and think about her when I make her cookies.

What names are on your recipe cards?

Suzie’s Chocolate Bars

For the crust, mix together, and press into a 13 x 9 pan:

• 1/2 c. butter
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 Tbs. water
• 1-1/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 mins. Remove from oven and sprinkle with:

• 1 12-oz package of chocolate chips

Put back in oven for 1 minute and then remove and spread around the chocolate.

Mix together the following:

• 2 eggs, plus the extra egg white
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 6 Tbs. butter, melted
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups chopped pecans

Spread over the top of the chocolate, return to oven and bake for 30-35 mins. Cut into bars when cool.