Tandy Takes

I’m not sure where this exact recipe came from (most likely it was a spoken recipe passed down to my Grandma from God only knows who). I believe Tandy Takes originated in Philadelphia -they later changed the name to Kandy Kakes, but my family continued to use their original name.

Growing up, these were a staple in my grandma’s house. Every time we would travel to Allentown to visit Grammy and Poppop, she would have a freezer filled with these. And we would always eat them after breakfast (which usually consisted of Reese’s Puff’s because…well….it was Grammy’s house). And that’s truly not an exaggeration – every single breakfast we would have them! Now whenever I make them, I think back to those memories.

These are a crowd pleaser for everyone on every occasion. Although they are time consuming, they are easy and simple to make. The end product is a spongy white cake topped with creamy peanut butter and a layer of melted chocolate that cracks when you bite into it. I hope you enjoy these as much as my family does!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 2 Tbsp melted butter
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 jar peanut butter (I like to use Reese’s brand)
  • 8 oz chocolate
  • 1 Tbsp shortening

Instructions:

  1. Combine sugar, oil, and melted butter
  2. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition
  3. Add remaining ingredients except peanut butter, chocolate, and shortening. Mix well and spread into greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
  4. Once cake is done (toothpick comes out clean and edges are slightly brown), spread entire jar of peanut butter over hot cake. Chill in refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
  5. Melt chocolate in double boiler and add shortening. Mix and pour over chilled cake. Return to refrigerator.
  6. Cut into bars. Makes 32 (2×2 inch) squares

Landing

When we first found our house, it was only halfway finished. Luckily, we were able to talk to the builder and have a few things changed and added. One of those things was our landing. Instead of having it carpeted, we opted to continue our hardwood floors up there. We ended up with a big open space, and we had no idea what to do with it.

We considered making it an office – but I didn’t like the idea of having a desk and a bunch of office supplies that I couldn’t shut the door on. We also thought of making it into a game room – but I didn’t like that idea for the same reason. This area has such good natural light from the large windows, and we finally settled on making it a “sitting room”.

Will’s grandfather had given him this flag years ago – it had flown over the Capitol at one point, and it is very sentimental to Will. We decided to make that our focal point for the area. I was certainly out of my comfort zone, as I tend to gravitate towards neutral decor. I tried to make the space a bit more masculine than my usual style, in order to compliment the framed flag.

I purchased most items specifically for this space, but there are a few sentimental items. The sheep hide came from Will’s grandparents farm (and it is perfect for covering up the hole in the chair that one of our dogs bit). I stole the dog pillow from my mother-in-law’s house, and the framed moss picture came from a client Will had – I thought the earthy tones and wood frame were a perfect fit for this area.

95% of the plants in our house are fake. I have a black thumb. I can’t even keep mint (a weed, by definition) alive. But – the two plants in the white pots are real! I don’t touch them – I am under strict orders to leave them alone and Will waters them weekly. Thankfully he has been able to keep these two alive!

One thing our house lacks is storage space. The coffee table is actually hollow, and the perfect space for storing extra blankets or pillows. We also have a closed door buffet table on the other side of the room (not pictured) that we can use for more storage.

After all that – this space has become one of my favorite areas in the house. We ended up with a cozy, comfy space to have a glass of wine in the evenings or read a book during the day.

coffee table // similar club chairs // similar floor lamp // marble side table // wood and marble side table // similar ladder // pouf // similar rug