Game Day Gobs

My husband and I live together in Central Pennsylvania—otherwise known as Steelers Country. The Steelers are such a big deal around here that even all the folks I know from Ohio are Steelers fans!

The only outlier: My nephew.

He’s a huge Tom Brady fan. Last year he was all about the Patriots. This year it’s the Buccaneers. And somehow, even though I’m not a football fan, I still find a way to be personally offended when he gags and boos at Steelers merchandise.

Of course, he’s absolutely ecstatic that the Buccaneers are going to the Super Bowl this year. And to make it even more special for him, we’ve decided to start a Super Bowl tradition.

The day before the big game, we plan to spend the day together making snacks. Some are as simple as Chex mix, pretzels, and little chocolate morsels. But the most important snack we have planned is gobs.

What’s nice about making gobs together is that my nephew also loves to help out in the kitchen. I’ve combined my family’s recipe with the recipe from my husband’s family to create the ultimate gob. The cakes are light and fluffy, and the icing doesn’t taste heavily of shortening or have the grit of unmixed sugar.

We plan to spend the day together, baking these delightful treats in miniature sizes so that they’re more suited to snacking. Although, I might make a few in the traditional size and pipe some icing onto the top cake in the pattern of the football stitches. I think it will make the day feel a bit more special to him and convey that I really do care about what interests him. I hope he has fun!

The recipe is as follows:

GOBS

Preparation: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. You can also grease the pan, but I have found that parchment works a little bit better.

You will need THREE SEPARATE BOWLS (because the cakes will mystically NOT rise if you only use ONE. I do not know why.)

Prepare FLOUR MIXTURE (DO NOT use your largest bowl!) by combining:

• 4 cups flour (all purpose)
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

In a large mixing bowl, cream together SUGAR MIXTURE:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup crisco
• 2 eggs

In a separate bowl, stir together BUTTERMILK MIXTURE:

• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Add the BUTTERMILK MIXTURE to the SUGAR MIXTURE. Mix until well blended. It will look a little funky at this stage. Then, add the FLOUR MIXTURE SLOWLY. Mix thoroughly. Batter will be thick.

Drop batter by teaspoon or tablespoon onto prepared cookie sheets. You can also get yourself some cheater spoons (Wilton Scoop-It Batter Spoons) for more uniform sizes.

Bake 7 - 10 minutes

They’ll come out of the oven looking like little cakey cookies. Lay them out on a cloth to cool.

FILLING

In a small saucepan, combine:

• 1 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons flour
• pinch of salt

Cook on the stovetop on low - medium heat until thick. Remember to keep stirring. It will burn easily if you don’t.

COOL the mixture for a bit, then add:

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Beat for 10 MINUTES (HOLY COW! WHAT? THAT’S SUCH A LONG TIME! ARE YOU FOR REAL?? Yes, I'm totally serious. Murder it dead on the highest setting your mixer has!) This is a critical step in making sure your filling isn't gritty!

Add:

• 1 cup crisco
• 1 cup sugar

Beat for another 10 minutes, or until it has a nice fluffy texture (here again, just beat the poop out of it! It takes a very long time!). The filling is ready when it forms little peaks and has a nice, smooth texture on your tongue.

When it’s done, just slap a dollop between your little cakey cookies and press them together like a sandwich. Personally, I use a piping bag. It just makes life so much easier for me. And don’t forget the football stitching to make these extra special!

If desired, sprinkle with a dusting of confectioner's sugar.