A couple of days ago I had the pleasure of going down the shore for the first time since Hurricane Sandy hit. Though parts of it look like a big construction site, there are plenty of restaurants with signs indicating that they are up and running, and that Sandy did not, in fact, get the best of them! It was a site of a community working together to rebuild, a site of hope.

I can’t wait until about two months time, when the water is actually swimmable (wow that’s a word)!! My brother got fried Oreos on the boardwalk, a snack in which I did not partake in but I enjoyed photographing. According to him, they were very, very good. I mean they were covered in a thick layer of powdered sugar so what’s not to like?

And just one last photo that I really liked from the shore before today’s exciting recipe…!

And today’s recipe is…drum roll please…SNICKERDOODLE BREAD!

This bread is every bit as wonderfully delicious and cinnamon-y (I really do utilize the most descriptive adjectives) as the cookie form, but in a wonderful, moist quick bread! My favorite part is the tiny cinnamon layer in the middle!

Snickerdoodle Bread

What you will need:

3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup butter, softened

2 cup sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cup cinnamon chips (1 pkg. Hershey’s) (I left these out)

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Making the Bread:

1. Preheat oven to 350º Spray the bottom of five mini loaf pans (5 3/4 x 3 1/4 x 2 ¼) (I used one large loaf pan) with cooking spray with flour.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and 2 cups sugar, until fluffy, about two minutes. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix to combine. Add flour mixture and mix just until combine. Do not overmix.
4. Coat the cinnamon chips with 2 tablespoons flour and stir into batter.
5. Spoon batter into greased pans (Don’t fill more than 2/3 full.)
6. Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the batter in the pans.
7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into a crack in the center of the loaf comes clean. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Remove from pan and let cool completely before serving.

Thanks for reading, enjoy!

*Recipe from: http://www.barbarabakes.com/2010/04/snickerdoodle-bread-for-great-american/

Part of the reason I love to make so much is licking the batter. I can honestly, 100% say that I enjoy licking the spoon more than I do eating the finished product. There’s something so intensely satisfying about raw cookie dough or cake batter straight off the spoon. So when I was thinking of what I should bake the other day, and was craving cookie dough but didn’t want to go with generic chocolate chip cookies, this happened. By this, I am referring to chocolate dipped cookie dough truffles, pictures above. All the fun of raw cookie dough without the risk of salmonella, and dipped in chocolate! This easy, no-bake dessert is easy and such a comfort food!

These would be perfect as hors d’oeuvres or an easy dessert at a party! You can dip them in white, milk, or dark chocolate and get creative with decorations!

These truffles are truly all the fun of chocolate chip cookies without having to turn on the oven! I used Baker’s “heat and dip” chocolate as the coating. Do not just melt chocolate chips, because that will not work. They don’t have the creamy consistency needed here. (Learned that one the hard way and wasted an entire bag of chocolate chips).

We have these gorgeous hot pink Azaleas that bloom outside of our house and last for about two weeks each spring. They are starting to die, so I used some for picture taking purposes. They really are beautiful!!

Cookie Dough Truffles

What you will need:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
chocolate candy coating
popsicle sticks, cut in half  or toothpicks

Making the Truffles:

• In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
• Mix in milk and vanilla.
• Add flour and salt and mix on low until combined.
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Chill dough in refrigerator for about 30 minutes until firm enough to roll or scoop into 1-inch balls.
• Place rolled balls on a wax paper lined baking sheet and place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. (I had mine in for about an hour so longer is okay, too)
• Melt candy coating following instructions on the package. Remove a couple of balls from the freezer at a time and insert the cut stick into the ball. Dip in candy coating and let any excess fall off back into the bowl.
• Add small sprinkles on top and place on wax paper to set. If the chocolate pools at the bottom of the ball, dot the balls on the wax paper until most of it is pulled off the ball and then place it on a clean spot of the wax paper to set.
• Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week.

Thanks for reading, stay tuned

**Recipe from: http://www.bakerella.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-truffles/

Freshman year of college went by in a flash, and I could not have dreamt up more perfect experience if I tried. If you had told me this time last year that I was going to not only tolerate, but enjoy Rutgers University, I would never have believed it. I actually would probably have shot you down and told you all of the reasons why it would suck and that I was probably going to transfer after my first semester. It was not my first choice school, nor a school I even desired applying to…the thought of attending made me sick, and I was less than thrilled about going off to college than the average high school graduate. (This sounds so morbid)! One year later, I established myself in a huge university and got involved with our daily newspaper, the radio station (WRSU 88.7), and with Jewish life on campus. I kept my grades up and met amazing friends. In a week from today, I will be going to Israel with Rutgers Hillel on Birthright, and I will then spend the rest of my summer working. Hopefully at Carvel. Again. The lesson here is: send in an application to a school you probably won’t go to, because it might make the biggest difference in your life. And make the best of every experience, even if it didn’t pan out exactly the way you were hoping.

After that novel, you’re probably wondering what recipe I have for you today. Some recipes I make are what I would call glamorous and exciting, i.e. the cool mint Oreo brownies or Reeses-stuffed Nutella cookies. This recipe is not as glam-looking, but in my humble opinion, it is a wonderful, gooey, soft-on-the-inside with JUST the right amount of crunch, peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. I know, oatmeal is what freaks you out. Don’t shy away because of that, though. Not only is oatmeal actually delicious, it is an excuse to eat more than just one of these cookies, because despite the butter and sugar, if oatmeal is an ingredient in a baked good, you can classify it as healthy. Well, at least I classify it as healthy.

Trust me, these cookies are divine. The chocolate and white chocolate chips add a fudge-factor to an already great peanut butter cookie. These cookies are best straight out of the oven, or in the next day or two after baked. So eat up quickly! Remember, they’re healthy!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

What you will need:

2 cups quick-cooking oats

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

1 cup Skippy ® Creamy or Super Chunk® Peanut Butter (I used creamy)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 package (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

1 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

Making the Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in small bowl; set aside.
2. Beat butter with Skippy® Creamy Peanut Butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in sugars, then eggs and vanilla until blended. Beat in flour mixture just until blended, then stir in chocolate chips.
3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls on ungreased baking sheets, 2 inches apart.
4. Bake 13 minutes or until golden. Remove cookies to wire rack and cool completely.

Now that it’s summer, and I have fewer responsibilities than I’ve had in a long time, look forward to many new posts and wonderful, sweet summery recipes coming up

Enjoy the start of summer, warm weather, traveling, and being FREE!

**Recipe from: http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Best-ever-peanut-butter-oatmeal-cookies-304267?columns=4&position=3/36&ad=352748,fe0ad2d7-f053-4564-b463-78e37004224c,recipe/search,3,with%20image,http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Best-ever-peanut-butter-oatmeal-cookies-304267

Not only is my mom one of the raddest moms around because of reasons stated on this blog before, (i.e. she pays for all of the ingredients for my baking expeditions and experimentation and cleans up the kitchen after I do an insufficient job) but she’s also super supportive and generally awesome. Every Mother’s Day, my family usually goes out to whatever place my in the city my mom chooses. This year, she chose Talia’s Steakhouse, a kosher steakhouse on the West Side.

The service was slow, but the food was great! And hey, what’s better than a day in the city with the fam? I got chicken kabobs! VERY well-seasoned!

Next time you’re wandering up Amsterdam between 92nd and 93rd, check this place out, it won’t disappoint.

In the spirit of Mother’s Day, I asked my mom what she wanted me to bake for her this year, to which she replied that she preferred anything non-fattening. After sifting through weight watchers and low fat/sugar dessert recipes, I realized that dessert is not meant to be void of fat. In fact, it’s supposed to be the one part of your meal that includes fat. Thus, I went against my mother’s wishes (not the first time) and made these…

These cool mint Oreo brownies are every bit as chocolate-y and decadent and amazing as they look. The brownie batter contains Nutella (a personal favorite of course) and the frosting is a mixture of fluff, homemade vanilla frosting, white chocolate, and mint extract (a tiny bit goes a LONG way). What I loved about this frosting was the thickness that the fluff added. It was truly a perfect consistency. Additionally, if you’ve never tried mint Oreos, they rock. Go buy some. Even if you’re not going to make the brownies. Just get the Oreos.

I chose this recipe because my mom likes peppermint patties and mint-flavored chocolate in general, so I knew she’d be a fan. The other contestants were a white chocolate mint cake and a chocolate cake with a mint frosting and chocolate ganache, but I have better luck with brownies that with cakes, so these won out! And the fam was definitely pleased!

Cool Mint Oreo Brownies

What you will need:

For the brownies:

6 ounces unsweetened or semi-sweet baking chocolate

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons espresso or brewed coffee, optional

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 c to 2/3 c Nutella

For the mint frosting:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

3 to 4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

splash of milk, if necessary for consistency

one 7-ounce jar Marshmallow Fluff

1/8 teaspoon mint extract

8 drops+ green food coloring

12 Cool Mint Oreos + 18 Cool Mint Oreos (almost an entire 17-ounce package), hand-crumbled

3/4 cup white chocolate chips, melted

Making the Brownies:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line 9×13 inch pan with foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside. Alternately, use a 9-by-9-inch pan for thicker brownies, which is my preference.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl for 90 seconds or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Stir in sugars. Stir in eggs and vanilla.  If adding espresso or coffee, add it now; batter will be a bit granular and that’s okay. Stir in flour until just combined, do not overmix. Hand-crumble (12) Oreos over the bowl and fold them in. Pour into prepared pan.

Add the Nutella to the top of the brownie mixture and either just leave it sit on top or marble it with a knife in a zig-zag pattern. Drop about 1/2 cup of green minty marshmallow mixture (recipe below) onto brownie batter and reserve the remainder.

Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until edges pull away from the side of the pan and top and center have just set. Keep these gooey and don’t overbake; brownies will continue to firm up as they cool.

Allow to cool before frosting them or before slicing and serving.

Making the Frosting:

In medium bowl, stir together marshmallow fluff, mint extract, and 4 drops of food coloring, or until light green is achieved.

Make vanilla frosting by combining the following (1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened, 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, splash of milk)

and beating until fluffy (or use 1 cup storebought vanilla frosting – or use entire can if you want a thicker final green layer) and set finished frosting aside. In another small microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate chips (microwave on high for 30 seconds; stir and microwave 30 seconds longer; stir until smooth, taking care not to scorch it as white chocolate scorches easily). Add the melted white chocolate chips and the vanilla frosting to the reserved green minty marshmallow mixture. Stir in 4 drops+ food coloring, or until light green color is reached, and spread over cooled brownies. Sprinkle with 18 hand-crumbled Oreo Cookies, slightly pressing them into the green mixture.

Happy Mother’s Day, Happy Sunday, Happy almost-end-of-finals, and stay tuned! 3 more days until summer and many, many new recipes and posts to look forward to!

As always, thanks for reading!

**Recipe from: http://www.averiecooks.com/2012/02/triple-layer-fudgy-mint-oreo-brownies.html

The weather is gorgeous, the semester is ending, and I completed a 5K this morning in 30:04, better than expected! If you don’t read this blog religiously, you may not remember that my older brother is a marine. This weekend, he got to come home from the base he’s living on in North Carolina, where I can imagine that the food is subpar. I took in upon myself, as the awesome and generous little sister that I am, to bake him cinnamon buns to welcome him home.

I just realized that I can add much larger pictures into my posts. It’s a little overwhelming …but the taste of these cinnamon buns was larger than life! They were sweet and delicious. Although, I do have to give my mom credit for making the dough, because  when I actually read the recipe I realized that it needed to be refrigerated overnight. So she gets half the credit for these coming out so beautifully!

The larger size pictures are growing on me.

These cinnamon buns can definitely be classified as one of the top 5 desserts I have ever made. One day soon I’m going to do a recipe round-up of my top 5 desserts. One day. It will happen. Until then, I will admit that these cinnamon buns were gone in 2 days by my family of five. (In their defense, I brought two over to my wonderful best friend, Melissa).

Making the Cinnamon Buns:

What you will need: 

• 1/4 cup warm (105° to 115°) water
• 1 package (1/4-ounce)  active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , plus more for greasing
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 to 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour , plus more for dusting

• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) coarsely chopped pecans

Directions:

To make dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine warm water, yeast and 1 tsp. sugar. Stir to dissolve and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add milk, butter, remaining sugar, egg yolks, orange zest, salt and 3 cups flour and mix on low speed until blended. Switch to a dough hook and then, again on low, slowly incorporate 1 cup remaining flour. Increase speed to medium, kneading dough until smooth and slightly sticky (adding last 1/4 cup flour if too wet), 3 to 5 minutes. Remove dough from mixing bowl, shape into a ball and place in a large, greased bowl. Turn to coat and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. After dough has risen, punch down. Turn out onto a lightly floured cutting board and let sit 20 minutes.

To make filling: Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt butter; keep separate.

Roll dough out into a 12″ x 18″ rectangle. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Starting with the long side, roll dough into a cylinder. Place seam side down on a flat surface and cut crosswise into 15 slices.

To make topping: In a 1-quart saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, honey and corn syrup over low heat; stir until sugar and butter are melted. Pour mixture into a greased 9″ x 13″ pan and sprinkle pecans on top.

Place dough slices, flat side down, on top of prepared topping. Crowd them so they touch. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 375°. Bake buns until golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove pan from oven and immediately invert onto a serving tray or baking dish. Let buns cool slightly and serve warm.

*What I did differently was I had my mom just make the dough, which was refrigerated overnight, and I rolled it out, filled, and baked them all in the same day.

**For the glaze, I mixed 2-3 cups of confectioner’s sugar with about 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1-2 tablespoons of milk. You can play around with this and add more/less milk depending on how thick/thin you’d like the glaze to be.

***Recipe from: http://www.oprah.com/food/Gooey-Cinnamon-Sticky-Buns

This post is devoted to how messy my (mom’s) kitchen gets when I bake, and the ongoing struggle that my mother and I deal with over what the definition of a “clean” kitchen is. More often than not, I believe that I have thoroughly cleaned the kitchen, only for my mom to come downstairs and ask me when I plan to start cleaning…so that gets awkward. Anyways, just to show you all where she’s coming from, the kitchen DOES indeed look like a small tornado hit it while I’m baking…

I know you all deeply wonder about the “behind the scenes,” or what it looks like before you get a finished product like this…

or this

By now, you’ve forgotten all about my messy kitchen, and your mouths are (hopefully) watering due to these Reeses-stuffed Nutella cookies. You heard that correctly. The batter contains almost a cup of Nutella, while the cookies themselves have a Reeses cup inside.

What could physically be better and more decadent than these? I really can’t answer that, but please let me know if you find something!

Nutella Cookies

What you will need:

• 1/2 C butter, salted, at room temperature
• 1/2 C brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1 C cake flour
• 1/2 C all purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 C Nutella (I used 1 cup)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 C semi sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Making the Cookies

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Line baking sheet with parchment paper
• In a bowl beat butter until soft, about one minute
• Add in sugars and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes or until soft and fluffy.
• Add in vanilla, egg and Nutella. Mix together well.
• Add in flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just incorporated.
• Add in chocolate chips.
• Bake for 8 minutes

To add the Reeses, roll the cookie dough into a ball and place a mini Reeses cup in the middle, then take a much smaller ball of dough and press it over the Reeses to cover it completely. Flatten the cookie slightly before baking, and make sure that the Reeses is completely covered.

I actually have to apologize that I was in such a rush to get back to school on the day I baked these that I totally forgot to take pictures of a half-bitten cookie in order to show off the middle! You’ll just have to make them yourself! Enjoy!

P.S. Thanks mom for letting me make a mess of the kitchen every time I come home, AND for supplying me with all of the ingredients I need! Love you! (I’ll have a list on Friday)!

*Recipe adapted from: http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/chocolate-chip-nutella-cookies/

It was definitely a long time coming, but spring weather is FINALLY, finally here! My campus is looking so alive these days, with kids actually stepping out from their dorms to enjoy the fresh air (something kids in my generation are criticized for not getting enough of). I plan to spend as much time outside as I can in the next week, culminating on Friday in the Color Run! It’s basically a 2 1/2 mile run where colored cornstarch is thrown at the runners from the sidelines so in the end, you’re covered head to toe in the rainbow! I am SO excited.

The recipe I have for you today is very much in the spirit of spring! These key lime pie cupcakes are light and refreshing, topped with coconut and macadamia nuts, which my mom warned me against wasting because of how apparently expensive they are.

I was especially happy with how these photos came out. These cupcakes were SO worth going home for the day to bake! I’m not so much of a lemon/lime/coconut person, as I much prefer fudgy chocolate deliciousness, but I like to vary my baking, or else all you’d see on this blog would be brownies on brownies on chocolate cake.

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

What you will need:

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup speculoos spread (Biscoff-type)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup cup whole milk

Key Lime Curd
2 large egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated key lime zest
1/4 cup fresh key lime juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Frosting
8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ounces white chocolate, melted
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped toasted macadamia nuts
1/4 cup toasted flaked coconut

Making the Cupcakes:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 12 muffin cups with liners; divide graham cracker  into bottoms.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.  In a large bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together speculoos, sugar, egg, oil, sour cream and vanilla until well combined – about 1 minute.  Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in flour mixture, alternating with milk, until just combined.  Divide batter into cups.  Bake 15-17 minutes or until well risen, and light golden brown.  Cool 5 minutes before transferring cupcakes to wire racks to cool.

To make the key lime curd, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, lime zest and lime juice over a double boiler.  Whisk and cook until until mixture becomes thick.  Transfer curd to a medium bowl and whisk in butter until combined.  Cover and chill in refrigerator until cold.

To make the frosting, in a large bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and butter until creamy – about 1 minute.  Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and white chocolate until combined.  Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes, or until creamy.

To assemble the cupcakes, remove “core” from cupcakes using a knife (this is to make room for the filling).  Place the key lime curd in a piping bag and pipe into the centers of cupcakes.  Place frosting in a piping bag and decorate tops of cupcakes.  Sprinkle toasted macadamia nuts and coconut on top (optional).

Enjoy this recipe, enjoy the spring and the warmth, and as always, stay tuned! Some excellent posts are coming soon!

*Recipe from: http://www.sugarplumblog.net/2013/03/key-lime-pie-cupcakes_27.html

In the spirit of Passover, I tried chopped liver for the first time today and survived to tell about it! Not that there is much to say on the topic, other than it’s not as bad as it’s reputation (like tuna)! So here’s to trying new foods and liking them!

Baking without flour is yielding far better-tasting desserts than I ever thought possible! Take these orange chocolate cookies, for example. After dumping an almost-full bag of semisweet chocolate chips into what I thought was weird tasting batter, they became fudgy! It’s all about the chocolate chip to batter ratio (where the amount of chocolate chips should exceed the amount of batter). The batter was a tad runny, but other than that, these cookies were perfectly good! I did make a few slight changes to the original recipe. Instead of grating orange zest, I cut open the orange and juiced half of it into the batter. In addition, I added cinnamon and dark brown sugar to make it a bit sweeter. (Always taste your batter before baking)! Instead of peanut butter, I used cashew butter (for Passover), which has a duller taste but worked really well in these cookies. I also added 1/2 a cup of matzo cake meal in order to thicken it up a bit. You could definitely have fun with this recipe, adding raisins, cranberries, and/or nuts! Enjoy!

Flourless Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

What you will need:

2 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter (I used cashew butter)

2 tsp. finely grated orange zest

2 cups semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips

I added:

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 cup cake meal

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

Making the Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two large baking sheets.

Beat eggs.

Add sugar.

Stir in peanut butter and orange zest and mix well.

Add chocolate chips.

Spoon onto baking sheet. For large cookies, use the back of the spoon to smoosh the dough down in the center for even cooking.

Bake for 15 minutes. When you take them out they will be springy to the touch.

Let cookies set for at least 5 minutes (or they’ll fall apart and be burning hot inside).

Stay tuned- Only another few days until I can start baking ‘normally’ again! I have some great looking spring dessert recipes coming soon!

*Recipe from: http://glutenfreepantry.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/flourless-orange-chocolate-chip-cookies/

I hope that everyone is having a chag sameach so far! The amusing thing about Passover, and something I was thinking about when I opened my pantry this afternoon, is how many different ways matzah is disguised to make it seem appealing. For example, I have a box of “mint chocolate matzah cookies,” which are really just matzah cut into small squares covered in chocolate. Same goes for the “chocolate leaf” cookies (matzah cut into shapes resembling leaves covered in chocolate), as well as two boxes of wannabe Oreos, or “chocolate sandwich cookies” that taste like matzah meal. There are only so many ways of coating matzah in layers of chocolate to try to make it good. So, if you’re already sick of it, I bring you (another) Passover cake that does not look or taste like matzah…

This flourless apple cake is super moist, and the walnuts add an outstanding crunch to it. I had no luck finding kosher for Passover nutmeg, ginger, or mace, so I overcompensated with the cinnamon that I do have. Cinnamon’s the best anyways! So add a lot. It might even mask the taste of the cake meal if you add enough! But in all seriousness, I would bake this cake any time of year, it definitely does not taste like Passover cake. (Speaking of Passover cake, I really don’t give store-bought cake the credit it deserves. My absolute favorite kosher for Passover cake is store-bought seven layer cake, and I have yet to try a home made cake that beats that out. So you do not need to go experimenting with Passover baking if your local A&P has a substantial Passover isle).

Passover Apple Cake

What you will need:

Nonstick cooking spray

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon mace

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3 large eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil, plus more for baking dish

3/4 cup matzo cake meal

5 medium apples, such as Golden Delicious or Crispin, peeled, cored, halved, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 5 cups)

Making the Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack set in the center. Lightly spray an 8-inch-square glass baking dish (I used a springform pan) with cooking spray; set aside.
2. Mix together walnuts, 3/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, and ginger in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk, beat eggs on medium speed until well combined. Beat in remaining 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, until mixture is thick and foamy. With the mixer running, slowly pour in oil. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Stir in matzo cake meal.
4. Pour half of the batter into prepared cake pan. Sprinkle over half of the walnut mixture and half of the apples. Pour over remaining batter and top with remaining apples; sprinkle over remaining walnut mixture. (I didn’t layer the batter, apples, and cinnamon and sugar mixture. Instead, I poured the batter, then half the cinnamon and sugar mixture, then arranged the apples, and poured a little more of the cinnamon and sugar over the apples).
5. Transfer cake to oven and bake until the sides of the cake pull away from the baking dish very slightly and topping begins to caramelize, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove cake from oven and let stand for several hours until completely cool, before cutting. Keep cake covered tightly with plastic wrap for up to 2 days, as the flavor improves with age.

    

   

    

   Stay tuned for my last Passover dessert recipe of the week coming soon! Thanks for reading!

   

   

   *Recipe from: http://www.marthastewart.com/328001/passover-apple-cake

It’s no secret that most kosher for Passover desserts are typically sub-par. When one is forced to use ground up matzah in place of flour, cakes, cookies, and brownies typically turn out mediocre at best. There are, however, exceptions to this rule. This chocolate expresso cake is made sans matzah meal or anything of the sort. It’s mostly sugar and egg whites, which gives it a meringue-like taste/texture. I was disappointed to watch it sink after I took it out of the oven, but if you can overlook the aesthetics of the cake, you’ll be happy to find that it’s edible! Not only edible, but actually good. And it passed the little brother test (he was scared to try it, but after some convincing, he liked it)!

Between all the matzah, macaroons, and other various delicious passover snacks I know you’ll be enjoying throughout the week, I hope this cake can satisfy your sweet tooth!

Passover Chocolate Expresso Cake

What you will need:

• FOR THE CAKE

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or nondairy margarine, plus more for pan
  • 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons instant espresso powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• FOR THE GLAZE

  • 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter or nondairy margarine
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream or plain milk
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Making the cake: 

1. Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, and line with parchment cut to fit. Melt butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
2. With a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Add espresso and salt, and beat for 1 minute. Add vanilla and chocolate mixture, and beat for 1 minute.
3. In a clean bowl and with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites until foamy. Slowly add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a rack. Remove pan sides. Carefully lift cake with a spatula, and remove parchment.
5. Make the glaze: Place chocolate, butter, and vanilla in a bowl. Bring remaining ingredients to a boil, stirring, and pour over chocolate mixture. Whisk until smooth. Serve glaze warm with cake.

    

I hope I succeeded in making passover cake look artsy. Enjoy the holiday and stay tuned later in the week for my passover apple cake!

*Recipe from: http://www.marthastewart.com/315638/chocolate-cake-with-espresso-glaze