Simply Wanderfull
Don’t you think that a handwritten homemade recipe is one of the most heartwarming expressions of love? Today, I am sharing my Aunt Bonnie’s most cherished recipes. There’s no better way to share love and family history than through recipes that have been cherished and passed down through generations. For me, Aunt Bonnie’s recipes are especially special because they remind me of her warmth and love. Sharing these treasured dishes with family and friends keeps her memory close to my heart and brings us all closer together.
Handwritten recipes are more than just instructions; they’re vessels of love, stories, and family traditions passed down through generations. Whether it’s a stained recipe card or a note scribbled on the back of an envelope, each one holds a piece of history and nostalgia.
Before I get into the recipes, here are some pictures of my beautiful Aunt Bonnie and her family. Bonnie was kind, fun-loving and a real jokester. She always made faces and cracked jokes! She was the life of the party and just simply the BEST. I loved my aunt Bonnie, and she loved me. She always put her family first. She put together these recipes to hand down to her family before she passed away.
I will always be deeply grateful for her, and having these recipes nearby fills me with her warmth, love, and the comforting taste of homemade dishes that instantly evoke cherished memories.
Here is a list of the beloved recipes that my Aunt Bonnie loved to make.
- Reeces Pieces No Bake Squares Recipe
- Cherry Cheesecake Recipe
- Cocoa Bundt Cake Recipe
- Chop Suey Cake
- Secret Slices Recipe
- Carrot Cake
1. Chop Suey Cake Recipe
Chop Suey Cake lol, what a name for a dessert! According to my Aunt Bonnie this was her, “Best Ever Cake” and easy to make.
Aunt Bonnie's Chop Suey Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. Baking soda
- 1 can crushed pineapple 20oz. Can
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
- 1/2 cup coconut
For The Icing:
- 1-8 oz. Pkg. cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 2 tbsp. Milk
- 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
- Chopped nuts if desired for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl (do not use mixer), combine flour, sugar, eggs, baking soda, pineapple and their juices, walnuts, and coconut. Mix with a wooden spoon until moist and combined.
- Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until slightly browned on top. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
For The Icing:
- In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese and butter, together until colour is uniform. Gradually add icing sugar, and milk and stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Using a spatula spread icing sugar onto the cake. Top with walnuts if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes about 20 servings.
2. Cherry Cheesecake Recipe
Here is my Aunt Bonnie’s cherry cheesecake recipe. She rates this recipe as “Excellent”.
Aunt Bonnie's Cherry Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 can cherry pie filling
- 2 packs Dream Whip
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 1 pack cream cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar together. Press into a 9x13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes, let cool.
- To a bowl, add the Dream Whip, milk and icing sugar. Whip until stiff.
- To another bowl, mix the cream cheese until smooth. Add the Dream Whip to the cream cheese and mix it all together.
Assembly:
- Add the cherry pie filling on top of the cooled crust. Add the cream cheese cool whip to the top of the cherry pie filling. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
3. Aunt Bonnie's Carrot Cake
Here’s the recipe for my aunt Bonnie’s Carrot Cake. She is rating this cake as nice & moist.
Aunt Bonnie's Carrot Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1-1/3 cup oil
- 1-1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. Baking soda
- 2 tsp. Baking powder
- 2 tsp. Cinnamon
- 2 cups flour
- 4 cups carrots finely grated
- 3/4 cups nuts
For The Icing
- 1-8 oz. Pk. Cream Cheese softened
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- To a bowl, mix the eggs, oil and sugar.
- To a separate bowl, add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, carrots and nuts.
- Now mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean in the centre.
- For the Icing:
- Mix the cream cheese, icing sugar and butter until blended smooth. Spread the icing onto the cooled carrot cake. Enjoy!
4. Reeces Peanut Butter No Bake Squares
The ingredients will speak for themself with this decadent dessert. There is also nothing better than a no bake dessert!
Reeces Pieces No Bake Squares
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1-3/4 cup icing sugar
- 1/2 cup melted butter
Toppings:
- 1-1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
Instructions
- or the crust, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, peanut butter, icing sugar and melted butter. Press this mix firmly into a 9x9 baking pan. For the topping, melt the chocolate chips and blend in peanut butter. Spread over the graham cracker base. Chill for 2 hours before serving.
5. Cocoa Bundt cake
Here’s a recipe for my Aunt Bonnie’s Cocoa Bundt Cake. She is rating this as: Mmm mmm good! This has to be a good one! lol
Aunt Bonnie's Cocoa Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For The Cake
- 1-2/3 cup flour
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa
- 1-1/2 tsp. Baking soda
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1-1/2 cup buttermilk mix-1-1/4 cup milk, and 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
For The Icing:
- 2 tbsp. Butter
- 2 tbsp. Hershey cocoa
- 2 tbsp. Water
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan. In a large mixing bowl blend flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add all the remaining ingredients. Mix for 4 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl along the way. Pour the batter into a prepared baking pan. Bake 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan and then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely. Drizzle with the Cocoa Glaze.
For The Glaze:
- In a small saucepan over low heat melt butter, add cocoa powder and water. Stir constantly until thickened. Don not boil. Remove from heat, gradually add icing sugar and vanilla using a wired whisk. Whisk until smooth. Add additional water, 1/2 tsp. at a time until desired consistency.
6. Secret Slices
These Secret Slices are a cinch to make and sound so delicious! Aunt Bonnie did not give this a rating but I think they will turn out incredible!
Aunt Bonnie's Secret Slices
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
- 1 cup butter
- 4 tbsp. Coconut
- 2-1/2 cups graham crackers crushed
- 1 pkg. of small white marshmallows
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts
- 1 Store-bought Vanilla frosting
Instructions
- Over low heat, melt the sugar, eggs, vanilla, butter and coconut. Let cool.
- To a bowl, mix 2-1/2 cups crushed graham crackers, marshmallows, and pecans. Now add the cooled wet mixture and stir everything together. Pack into a buttered 9x13 pan.
- Spread the frosting over top the cooled crust. And cut into squares.
I am so happy to be able to share my Aunt Bonnie’s treasured recipes with you here. Coming from a large family with nine siblings, there’s something special about passing down homemade recipes and cherished family memories through a blog post. These recipes not only continue her legacy but also keep alive the wonderful moments I shared with her. Thank you for taking the time to read my article and for your support. Wishing you joy in baking and sharing these family traditions with your loved ones!
wow ! I enjoyed the special efforts you put into this one Jody > something you have been wanting to do for a while . It is a keeper for sure . There is a great feeling when you can put good memories into words . Love you Jody .
Mom J X0
Thank you for your kind words mom💕👏 A special one for sure.
Thanks for sharing with us Jody. A beautiful tribute to Bonnie.
Miss her very much
Love Fran
Thank you Fran💕 I miss her too💕👏
Thank you for sharing this, Jody! She was a fun aunt of yours. That’s so nice. All of the sisters are so pretty—like you! Love Aunt Louise Xoxo
Thank you Louise!!💕👏