My favorite kind of tea is Earl Grey. I probably drink it too much. But don’t worry, I switch between brands so I don’t get sick of it. My favorite? Revolution Earl Grey with Lavender (in a box with a silk bag!). So this “grown up cookie” has been on my list of things to bake for a very long time. Ever notice how that list always gets longer, even during my week off? I need to stop looking at new cookbooks, reading blogs, and watching cooking shows until my entire “to bake/cook” list is checked off. Yeah, sure. Anyway, this is the perfect cookie to bake for a tea/coffee get together with friends, and the perfect end to a meal. Why? Because it’s easy to make. All you need is a food processor and some pantry staples. And some loose earl grey tea (only about a tablespoon). And I have plenty of that in my house (decaf, too!).And of course I make these amazing cookies for a small dinner party, serve them on a pretty long plate, and we finish them, and all along I forget to take pictures! Well, I’ll just have to make them again. I am fully stocked with tea.

These cookies can be made pareve very easily. Just use Earth Balance instead of butter. Of course, you lose that buttery taste, but I really don’t think you’ll miss it. The tea flavor is so strong, anyway. And Earth Balance does a good job with the flaky texture. Added bonus: they’re vegan, too! No eggs in shortbread!

I think I cut these cookies a little too thick. I was a little nervous that they would crack if I cut them thinner, though now I realize that they won’t (or if they do I can just smush them back together). So show me how thinly you cut yours (or, if you roll yours out and use cookie cutters, how’d that work out for you?)

When you first dump the dough onto the counter, don’t panic! Yeah, it looks dry and like it will never come together. All you have to do it smash it together and it really sticks – wow! It’s as easy as adding ingredients to the processor, dumping, piling together, and then refrigerating in a log (that’s probably the hardest part). Another bonus: you can freeze the dough in log form for super easy last minute dessert cookies. Or maybe not everyone’s as obsessed with stocking their freezers as I am?

Chocolate-Earl Grey Shortbread Coins, adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (1/4 ounce) good quality Earl Grey tea leaves
• 1 stick cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup (3 3/4 ounces) all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Place the sugar and tea leaves in the bowl of your food processor and process for a minute, until the leaves are finely chopped.

2. Add butter, flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Process for about 45 seconds, until everything is together. Break down clumps and scrape the bowl with a spatula.

3. Process for another 30 seconds until the dough looks uniform.

4. Dump the dough onto a work surface and knead to bring together.

5. Squeeze the dough into a log about 12 inches long and 1 inch in diameter, and roll back and forth until smooth. Don’t add flour!

6. Roll the dough in plastic wrap and twist the ends to secure it.

7. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

8. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees

9. Remove the plastic wrap and use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 3/8-inch thick rounds.

10. Place cookies 1-inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

11. Bake the cookies for 30 minutes, rotating halfway, until the cookies look dry on top.

12. Transfer the cookies to a rack to let cool completely.

These cookies are really good with some buttercream spread on top. Just saying.

Chocolate Earl Grey Shortbread Coins is a post from: The Kosher Foodies

Way back when this blog was just a baby (and before this baby was around), we shared a recipe for chocolate babka with you. We love this babka recipe. We double it to freeze some. We make it with chocolate, cinnamon, white chocolate, and just eat it up. We impress dinner guests and impress hosts with it. We make it all the time. And we love it all the time. And hope you do to. If you don’t, this is just a friendly reminder that you should.Well, back then we didn’t take such great pictures. I mean, they were nice and all, but we didn’t upload them in big. And we didn’t center all of them. And we shared some boring ones, or not enough pictures, or not final pictures, etc. And we feel bad about it. So today I’m reposting the recipe, but with cinnamon instead. And showing you a picture of the swirl (even though I served it in a tin. So what?).

This cinnamon babka is delicious. Amazing. It’s good as a Friday night dessert, and also makes a perfect breakfast any day of the week. Give it a try, it’s really not so hard. Don’t be scared – the recipe is very forgiving, even though it’s a yeast dough.

When you make the babka, be sure to really seal the edges, and that twist it a lot! The more you twist, the more swirly each slice will be. And doesn’t everyone judge the awesomeness of babka by the swirls?

I know in the original recipe we added a delicious streusel topping to the babka. It is definitely a giant plus to have a crunchy topping, but definitely not necessary. I skipped it this time. And I skipped the fake milk, opting for water instead. And it was still amazing. Don’t believe me? Try it and see for yourself already! (Also, I’ve never made this dairy. I can imagine it is even more amazing.) Yes, there are a lot of steps to this, but it doesn’t make it hard. Just time consuming (with two two hour-long rising sessions and some active time in between).

Okay, I’ll stop teasing you. And now the recipe:

Cinnamon Babka, adapted from here:

Makes 2 or 3 babkas, depending on the size of your loaf pan

• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3 teaspoons active dry yeast (or two 1/4-oz packages)
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
• 2 whole large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) Earth Balance, or your favorite pareve butter substitute, cut into pieces and softened
• 5 tablespoons Earth Balance
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Make the dough: mix the water with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes, or until it foams.
2. Combine 1/2 cup of flour to the yeast in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
3. Add the eggs, vanilla, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and beat at medium speed until combined.
4. Switch to the dough hook. Reduce speed to low and slowly mix in the remaining 2 3/4 cups of flour.
5. Increase speed to medium and beat in Earth Balance, a few pieces at a time. Let it beat until the dough is shiny and stringy, about 4 minutes.
6. Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until doubled.
7. Grease and flour 2 (or 3) loaf pans.
8. Combine the cinnamon and sugar.
9. Punch down the dough and cut in half (thirds)
10. Roll out on piece of dough on a well-floured surface into a 12x8ish rectangle (or just as thin as it will get without tearing or sticking) with the long side facing you.
11. Spread half the Earth Balance over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border at the top.
12. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough.
13. Roll the dough into a tight log, making sure to pinch the edges to seal
14. Bring the edges together (like a snake eating its own tail!)
15. Twist the circle twice (or more times) to form a twisted circly log/figure 8/awesome twisty dough and place in the loaf pan.
16. Repeat with remaining loaf/loaves
17. Cover loosely with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise for two hours, until the dough puffs up.
18. Brush with egg wash.
19. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until the top is nice and golden brown

Cinnamon Babka is a post from: The Kosher Foodies

I love baking muffins. I always have to have at least one kind of muffin in the freezer. You know, because they are a great go-to snack, a perfect oops-I-forgot-my-breakfast treat, and an easy addition to a not-big-enough packed lunch. I sometimes even make savory muffins…an extra special treat. My favorite are blueberry muffins, but with blueberries out of season and all, and those bananas hanging on my makeshift banana tree turning browner by the minute, I just knew I would have to make muffins with them (instead of this or this or this).Hey, you would think we would have more muffin recipes since I always have some in my freezer. I have to start blogging all my favorite recipes. Really, how rude of me. But back to these muffins. I decided to make them as healthy as possible, and then add some chocolate chips. Because really, chocolate and banana go so well together I just had to. You can use only walnuts if you want. Protein boost and omega-3s! Even healthier. I opted to use all whole wheat pastry flour. If you don’t like that “whole wheat” taste, swap out for some all purpose. The texture really won’t change, the color will likely be lighter. Don’t put only white flour, though. That defeats the purpose of this super-healthy muffins.  Or do what you want. They’re YOUR muffins.

And now for some super mushy pictures. They don’t look so great while mixing the batter, but they taste delicious. Try them. Really.

Healthy Banana Muffins, loosely adapted from a bunch of sources, but mostly from here because I love Elise’s muffins and always make this recipe.

Makes 16 muffins (because, as you see, I don’t fill them up that much. I guess you could make 12 if you filled up the tins a little bit more than I do)

Ingredients:

• 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/2 cup sugar (I used white. These would be equally delicious with brown)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Smash the bananas in a large bowl (of course I used my mixer because I love it).

3. Add the sugar and mix.

4. Add the oil, vanilla, and egg and mix until just combined.

5. Mix the baking soda, salt, and flour together.

6. Slowly incorporate into the wet mixture.

7. Fold in nuts and/or chocolate chips.

8. Scoop batter into greased or papered muffin tins.

9. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until they turn a super golden brown and a toothpick or knife comes out clean.

Banana Muffins is a post from: The Kosher Foodies

By Melinda Strauss of kitchen-tested.com

Countless blog posts and Food Network episodes are dedicated to answering the seasonal question of how to re-purpose Thanksgiving leftovers. But I want to know what to do with all the extra groceries I bought when I over-shopped for the holiday. Why did I buy 10 cans of pureed pumpkin when I only needed 2? I’ll admit that I always over-shop at the grocery store, and especially for Thanksgiving. I am always freezing raw turkey and whole cranberries, and storing cans in my pantry. On the bright side, I can cook Thanksgiving food throughout the year on a whim or a craving without needing to run to the grocery store! It’s pretty impressive…or at least I think so. For my first post-Thanksgiving-use-my-extra-groceries dish this year, I decided on a Pumpkin Dump Cake with Homemade Non-Dairy Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. Now don’t be afraid of the name “Dump Cake!” It describes the baking process. Everything gets dumped into the pan and then bakes to sweet perfection! The pumpkin filling is creamy and savory while the cake topping is sweet and crunchy. Such a great balance of flavors and textures! Pumpkin dump cake is topped with homemade tart cranberry ice cream that makes my mouth water.Need an idea on how to spruce up a cake mix? Or want to impress your friends with a seasonal cake + ice cream recipe (bonus: it’s pareve!)? Look no further: this cake is pretty simple, while still being super original. And you know how much we love ice cream.

Pumpkin Dump Cake with Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Melinda Strauss, kitchen-tested.com

• 1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin
• 1 ½ cups homemade non-dairy evaporated milk (recipe below)
• 3 eggs, whisked
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg
• 1 box Duncan Hines Butter Golden Cake Mix
• 1 cup chopped candied pecans
• ¾ cup margarine, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until well blended.

3. Pour pumpkin mixture in to a greased 9×13 pan.

4. Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the top of the batter and sprinkle the pecans over the top.

5. Pour the melted margarine over the top of the mix and bake for 50-55 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

6. Cool before slicing. Top with Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (recipe below).

Homemade Non-Dairy Evaporated Milk for Pumpkin Dump Cake

• 3 cups soy milk
• vanilla to taste
• salt to taste

7. Cook soy milk in saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1 ½ cups. This should take around 30 minutes.

8. Add vanilla and a pinch of salt. Cool and store in fridge until ready to use.

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

• 1 cup frozen or fresh cranberries
• ¼ cup water
• 2 cups soy milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup whipped topping
• ½ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ½ cup white chocolate chips

9. In a large saucepan, cook the cranberries and water over medium heat until berries pop, around 15 minutes.

10. Strain the berries and discard the seeds and skins. Cool completely.

11. In the meantime, heat the soy milk in a large saucepan to 175 degrees.

12. Stir in sugar until dissolved and cool.

13. Stir in the whipped topping, juices and cranberries.

14. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions, usually around 20 minutes.

15. At the 15 minute mark, or a few minutes before the ice cream is done churning, add the chocolate chips.

16. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and allow to firm up in the freezer for 2-4 hours before serving.

I hope you enjoy eating this post-Thanksgiving dessert year round, and maybe you’ll even serve it at your Thanksgiving table next year.

Bio: Melinda Strauss, a food blogger from Woodmere, New York, loves to be adventurous and daring in the kitchen. Melinda hopes to inspire her readers by adding fresh twists to simple recipes and bravely using unusual ingredients in an accessible way. She especially loves to take recipe requests from fans, so visit Melinda on her blog kitchen-tested to find her recipes and share your reviews.

Guest Post: Pumpkin Dump Cake with Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is a post from: The Kosher Foodies

I have been wanting to make this cake ever since I bought this cookbook, and that was a while ago. But first I didn’t find kosher mascarpone cheese, then I didn’t have an occasion to bake it for, and then I had a baby who didn’t really allow me to do much multi-step cake baking. Well I baked it. It took a while. I juiced lemons one day, made curd another, worked on the frosting the next morning, and that afternoon finally baked the cakes. So it took a while, but it was done, decorated, and waiting in the fridge to eat. I wanted to skip lunch and just eat cake.To be honest, this cake got mixed reviews. Some loved it for the dense cake and fluffy frosting. Others took one bite and said, “too tart!” I thought it was great. Of course it’s tart, it has lemon everywhere. A lemon simple syrup soaks the cake. There’s lemon curd mixed into the frosting and between the cake layers, then more on top for decoration. So if you don’t like tart desserts or lemon flavor, skip this one. Or make it with passion fruit or oranges. Otherwise, I highky recommend it.

This cake has a bunch of steps, so read through all the directions before you attempt it. It also needs to cool completely before assembling and to sit in the fridge for a while to set, so plan ahead.

The original recipe called for baking the cake in 2 layers and cutting each of those in half to make a 4 layer cake. I skipped that and only made 2 layers. If you do it my way, you’ll definitely have extra cream. It’s delicious on top of sugar cookies, so bake up a batch of those to serve with the leftovers. Or eat it plain.

The original recipe also called for piping fancy rosettes on top. I skipped the pastry tips and just put a thick layer of cream and piped a lemon curd design over the top. I was still told it was hundred dollar cake worthy, so I don’t feel bad for skipping that labor intensive step.

A note about mascarpone cheese – when I sent my father shopping for ingredients to make this cake, he said, “I’m not buying that, I don’t even know what it is. And eew, cheese!” Well it’s not a smelly aged cheese. It’s an Italian cream cheese. It’s thick, creamy, and spreadable and delicious to use in desserts.

Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake, adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking

For the Lemon Curd:

• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 cup strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces

For the Cakes:

• 6 large eggs, separated
• 7 tablespoons plus 7 tablespoons sugar
• 1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour

For the Lemon Syrup:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the Mascarpone Filling:

• 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 7 tablespoons sugar
• 1 pound mascarpone

Directions:

1. Make the lemon curd (can be made up to three days in advance!): fill the bottom of a double boiler with at least 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Make sure the water is at least 2 inches below the top portion of the double boiler (read: glass bowl on top of pot).

2. Off the heat, place the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar into the top of the double boiler and whisk until blended. Add the lemon juice and mix well.

3. Reduce the heat of the double boiler under water is at a gentle boil.

4. Place the egg mixture over the water and cook, stirring constantly but leisurely, scraping the edges so the eggs don’t scramble, until the curd is very thick, about 7 minutes or 180 degrees on the thermometer.

5. Immediately strain the curd through a strainer set over a medium bowl. Use a spatula to press it down.

6. Add the cold butter pieces to the curd, burying them so they melt quickly. Wait one minute.

7. Whisk until butter is completely melted and blended with the curd.

8. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface and place the bowl in a larger bowl with ice water. Place in fridge when cool.

9. Make the cakes: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Fit two 9″ round cake pans with parchment, but do not grease.

10. Whip the egg yolks and 7 tablespoons of sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer on high speed until thick and very light in color, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a separate bowl (OR this is when having a second mixer bowl, like me, comes in handy!).

11. With the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed to soft peaks. While the mixer is running, gradually add the remaining 7 tablespoons of sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

12. With a spatula, fold one third of the egg whites into the beaten yolks.

13. Using a fine mesh strainer, sift half the flour over the top and gently fold in.

14. Repeat with the remaining egg whites and flour. Fold until no streaks of white remain.

15. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans.

16. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the tops are golden, firm to the touch, and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on racks.

17. Make the syrup: Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the liquid is clear.

18: Remove from heat and cool completely. Stir in the lemon juice.

19: Make the mascarpone filling: Place the cream and sugar in the mixer bowl and whip until soft peaks form.

20. Place the mascarpone and 1 cup lemon curd in a large bowl and stir until blended (it should be the consistency of pudding).

21. Gently fold in the whipped cream until the mixture is homogenous and thick.

22. Transfer 2 1/4 cups of filling to a medium bowl. Then transfer half the remaining mixture to another bowl, and keep the remaining in a bowl. Refrigerate all three bowl of mascarpone.

23. Unmold the Cakes: Unmold the cakes by running a thin knife or spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen. Turn upside down and give the cake a sharp rap on the table to release. Repeat with second cake.

24. Turn the cake right side up, leaving the parchment paper attached. Repeat.

25. Level the cakes, if necessary.

26. If you want to make a 4-layer cake, do this. If you make a two layer cake, skip this step: Using a serrated knife, slice each cake horizontally into two layers. Set one of the bottom layers to use last, and remove parchment from the other bottom layer.

27. Assemble: Place a cake layer, cut side up, on a serving plate. Brush the cake with 1/4 of the lemon syrup. With an icing spatula, spread 1/3 of the mascarpone filling on top. Place 3 tablespoons of the remaining lemon curd on top of the filling and spread evenly to the edge.

28. Place  second layer on top, cut side up, and repeat with the lemon syrup, mascarpone filling, and lemon curd.

29. Place third layer on top, cut side up, and repeat with the lemon syrup, mascarpone filling, and lemon curd.

30. Top with the last layer of cake, placing it bottom up (cut side down). Remove the parchment paper. Moisten with remaining lemon syrup. Use your clean icing spatula to spread the mascarpone reserved for frosting over the cake. Spread the top thinly and make the sides thicker.

31. Spoon the piping mascarpone into the pastry bag (or plastic zip top bag) and pipe rosettes over the entire top of the cake, starting around the outside and working your way in. Or just spread the frosting neatly over the top.

32. Put the remaining lemon curd into a plastic bag and make a very small snip in the corner. pipe a center of lemon curd on each rosette or a design over the top of the cake.

33. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Slice with a thin, sharp knife and SERVE!

Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake is a post from: The Kosher Foodies

Today’s the first day of Autumn! I’m still sharing this summer produce recipe, okay?

Summer produce. Yum! Too much fresh produce that you can’t finish? Eew. That’s probably where pies, crisps, tarts, and cobblers came from, actually. And boy, do I love baking with fruits! After making a whole bunch of lattice-crust pies, I decided to take a different route with these plums, and this cobbler was born!

This is a very easy recipe. So make it, you won’t be sorry. You can easily spread out the dough making and the actual cobbler making over two or three days, making it even easier. If I can do it with Richie around, I’m sure you can manage to find some time for it, as well.

One of the best parts of this recipe is that it’s easily adaptable and changeable. If you don’t have plums, use peaches. Or apricots. Add some blueberries in the mix, or use brown sugar instead of granulated. I happen to love the plums in this recipe because of the bright color of the end product. They also have a great sweet and tart flavor that I love…and other people love it, too. I know because it was a hit with all my visitors!

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe scones
• 6 plums, halved, pitted, then sliced into about 6 slices
• 1/2 cup sugar (more or less, depending on the sweetness of the plums)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons corn starch (or 4 teaspoons all purpose flour)
• 1 egg + 1 tablespoon milk or cream, for eggwash
• 2 tablespoons sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1. Make the filling: Place plum pieces in a large bowl and taste one slice. Add sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and corn starch/flour. Toss until the slices are evenly coated.

2. Pour into pie pan.

3. Dust your work surface with flour and roll out the scone dough until it’s about 1/8 inch thick.

4. Cut out circles and arrange on top of plum slices.

5. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

7. Make the egg wash by whisking together the egg and milk or cream.

8. Brush top of tart with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

9. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the top is browned and the fruit is bright and bubbly.

10. Serve warm or at room temperature. It’s especially good with ice cream.

Plum Cobbler is a post from: The Kosher Foodies

Ever been to Momofuku Milk Bar? Well I have. And while I didn’t like the coffee milk, I loved the different kinds of cookies they offered! My favorite? The corn cookie…but I couldn’t find that recipe. So these will have to do.

These compost cookies, which were featured on Regis and Kelly, are awesome. You cream the butter and sugar together for TEN minutes. That’s right, ten whole minutes, until the sugar dissolves into the butter and the entire mixture becomes white and thin. It makes for an awesome texture. And very spready and thin cookies (which is why it’s important to cool them before baking. Don’t skip that step). What a creative idea! The best part is that you can put whatever you have on hand into the batter to make them your own! I, of course, don’t have much in the way of junk food in my pantry. Candies? Nope. Chips? Nope. Pretzels? Nope! So I put an assortment of nuts and chocolate, which a handful of cereal added in. They turned out pretty awesome regardless of the fact that I don’t have snacks.

Of course I had to make this recipe a little bit healthier than posted. So I swapped some of the flour for whole wheat and got rid of the corn syrup – I used brown rice syrup instead. You don’t have to do these same substitutions, just use what you have on hand. That’s the beauty of a compost cookie, anyway.

Oh, and Zeke said these were the best cookies he’s had in a long time. And he ate the last of the batch, so it hardly had any of the add-ins in it. I’m going to make them pareve next time I want to impress my shabbat or holiday hosts.

Compost Cookies, adapted from Momofufu Milk Bar:

Makes about 25 cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (I used dark brown)
• 1 tablespoon brown rice syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups of your favorite baking ingredients + 1 1/2 cups your favorite snack foods (that’s 3 cups total of add-ins. I used 1/2 cup pistachios, 1/2 cup slivered almonds, 1/2 cup peanuts, 1/2 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup Cinnamon Life cereal. Be creative here if you can – some people put pretzels, potato chips, Oreos, Doritos, candy bars, etc. I made mine nutty and delicious – I like to think they’re more healthy because of it.)

Directions:

1. Add sugars, brown rice syrup, and butter to the bowl of your stand mixer. With the paddle attachment, mix on medium for about 2-3 minutes, until combined and creamy.

2. Add eggs and vanilla and scrape down the bowl.

3. Turn the mixer up to medium high and mix for 10 minutes. Set a timer. The batter will become thin, silky, and light.

4. While this is mixing, combine the dry ingredients and prepare your add-ins.

5. Turn off the mixer and add the dry ingredients, mix on low for about a minute (or less) until just combined.

6. Fold in the add-ins with a rubber spatula.

7. Scoop the batter onto parchment lined baking sheets, making sure to leave about 2-inches of space between the cookies. These will SPREAD a lot while baking.

8. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour (but will keep in the fridge for a week and the freezer even longer).

9. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

10. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the cookies spread and the tops are browned.

11. Cool completely before removing from baking sheet.

Oh, and the last cookie without lots of add-ins definitely spread too much. So make sure you mix well and really have stuff in that batter, or else you’ll end up with one giant cookie.

Compost Cookies is a post from: The Kosher Foodies

I don’t remember the last time I ate an Oreo. (I really don’t remember the last time I ate a Hydrox, either. Remember when Oreos weren’t kosher and we had to eat the fake ones?) Well, the thing is, Oreos are really good. How can you go wrong with chocolate waferish cookies and a delicious cream filling?! And I happened to be craving them. While a normal person would go out and buy Newman-Os, Stephanie and I decided to bake our own!

These were actually more of a mix between whoopie pies and Oreos, since the cookies were not quite as hard as Oreos. Either way, they were a big hit. We made half with mint filling and half vanilla. Next time we’ll use food coloring for the mint to differentiate. You can also make the filling any color you want, to fit with a party’s theme or just because sometimes it’s more fun to have colorful food!

These were SO easy to make. We used a stand mixer to make them, but they don’t seem too hard to make with some muscles in a big bowl – you’ll probably want some help mixing that cream till it’s fluffy, though. Call a friend. And you can even make the dough in a food processor if you prefer.

Homemade Oreos, adapted from KitchenLab:

For the chocolate wafer cookies:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 sticks butter
• 1 egg

For the filling:

• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 stick Earth Balance shortening
• 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla and 1 peppermint)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

3. While on low speed, add the butter and the egg. Mix until the dough comes together in one mass.

4. Place teaspoon sized balls of batter on parchment paper, about 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly with wet hands.

5. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once halfway through. Let cool on cooling rack before assembling with the cream:

6. Place butter and shortening in the bowl of your stand mixer (good thing I bought an extra bowl for my KitchenAid!). Mix on low speed and add butter and extract.

7. Once incorporated, mix on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

8. Place teaspoon size dollop of frosting in the center of one cookie and flatten. Place another cookie, about the same size, on top. Smash together the cookies lightly until the filling is spread evenly between the cookies. Repeat until all cookies are sandwiched. Eat the extra cookie. The original recipe uses a pastry bag, and while it probably makes the cookies much neater and all, I don’t have a pastry bag. But I do have fingers, so I just used those. Do it however you wish.

Oreos is a post from: The Kosher Foodies

What do you do with summer fruit that’s going to be bad tomorrow? You make pie, of course! Honestly, I can’t decide if I like most fruits raw or cooked (baked, barbecued, you know). So when both Dad and I came home from the supermarket with giant bags of summer peaches, there was no way they were all getting eaten. At the end of the week there were exactly six left to make this amazing pie! I also had a few raspberries, so I threw them in here. The recipe called for nectarines and blackberries, but hey, this substitution worked just fine.

I am not a lattice pro, so I actually didn’t make as  many stripes as I should have. Next time I will. It’s actually not  so hard, and when you have a crimpy ravioli cutter people are impressed by your pie making skills. I served this to my mom’s cousins and friends at the pool, which is why I used the tart pan and not a pie one. In the end, it was actually easier because cutting it was so much easier! Just pop off the sides and slice with a knife. I think I’ll start using tart pans for all my future pie baking.

Don’t be intimidated by pies! If I can make this while sleep deprived while the baby naps (cause really I should have been napping, too) , you can find time to make it!

You wanna hear a secret? Not only does this pie make a scrumptious dessert (especially with ice cream on top), it also works as a quick breakfast! Just slice a piece and microwave for 30 seconds, because warm pie is yummier than room temperature pie any day.

Adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking:

Ingredients:

• 2 recipes Flaky Pie or Tart Dough
• 6 ripe peaches
• A handful of raspberries
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar (for sprinkling)

Directions:

1. Make the pie dough, if you haven’t already.

2. Split the dough in half and press one half into the pie or tart pan (I like using tart pans better because it’s easier to slice the pie/tart afterwards).

3. Roll the other into a disc and refrigerate while you make the filling:

4. Cut the peaches in half and remove the pit. Cut each half into five slices and add to large bowl.

5. To the bowl, add flour, sugar, lemon juice, and raspberries. Mix with a spatula until the fruit is evenly coated.

6. Add the fruit into the tart shell and refrigerate.

7. Roll out the disc of dough for the topping into a 1/8 inch wide rectangle, about 14×12 inches. Using a ravioli cutter, cut 1-inch thick ribbons.

8. Lay half the ribbons in one direction. Fold back every other ribbon, and place one ribbon perpendicular to those. Replace the ribbons. Fold back the ribbons that you did not fold back last time (every other one) and place another ribbon. Repeat until the entire top is covered.

9. Refrigerate tart for 30-60 minutes.

10. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

11. Prepare egg wash: combine egg yolk and heavy cream and brush on top of lattice, making sure to cover all the dough.

12. Sprinkle the tart with the 2 tablespoons of sugar.

13. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

14. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 40 minutes before serving.

Lattice-Top Peach Tart with Raspberries is a post from: The Kosher Foodies

I wanted to make something different for Shavuot. The picture of this tart in the cookbook The Art and Soul of Baking just jumped out at me, and I knew I had to try it. Also, I love nutty crusts. When I read through the recipe and saw that it called for cherry or berry juice, I knew I wanted to make this tart even more sour and use POM!

This dough was easy to make. I bought hazelnuts in the bulk bin of a kosher store and it was actually my first time ever buying hazelnuts! They’re really yummy, by the way. I think I’ll use the little bit I have leftover to mix into some homemade chocolate ice cream, but that’s another post.

Oh, and also, who doesn’t love linzer cookies? This pie isn’t exactly one giant linzer cookie, but it kinda looks like one and reminds me of one…maybe it’s the name?

So when I made this, I really didn’t plan ahead. It takes a while, so give yourself two hours for the filling and baking part, and I suggest making the crust in advance, as well. It keeps wrapped at room temperature for a few days and in the freezer for a few weeks – oh, how I love the freezer!

Sour Cherry Linzer Tart, adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking:

For the crust:

Ingredients:

• 1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Finely grated zest of 1 large orange
• Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
• 1¹⁄³ cups all-purpose flour
• ¹⁄³ cup (1½ ounces) whole natural almonds
• ¼ cup (1 ounce) whole hazelnuts
• 1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. In your food processor, combine the flour, almonds, hazelnuts, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, and salt. Process until the nuts are finely ground, about 45 seconds.

2. In your stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, about three minutes.

3. Add the nut/flour mixture to the butter and mix on low speed until combined.

4. Split the dough into 2 portions, one slightly larger than the other.

5. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

6. Press the larger portion into a tart pan, making sure to cover the bottom and all the sides.

7. Place the smaller piece into a pastry bag or zip-top bag. [At this point, you can double wrap the doughs and freezer them or continue making the pie.]

For the filling:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cherry or berry juice – I used pomegranate juice!
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 3-inch cinnamon sticks
• ½ vanilla bean (or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract)
• 1 cup (8 ounces) firmly packed dried sour cherries
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Combine the juice, sugar, and cinnamon sticks in the small saucepan. If using a vanills bean, split it and scrape the seeds into the pan, add the pod, too.

2. Add the dried cherries.

3. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the cherries are plump.

4. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Discard the vanilla bean and cinnamon sticks, and return the juices back to the saucepan.

5. Bring the juices to a simmer.

6. In a small bowl, mix the corn starch and water until smooth.

7. Add the saucepan and whisk constantly, cooking until the mixture thickens (about a minute).

8. Pour over the cherries and mix together to blend. If you’re adding vanilla extract, here’s the time to do it.

9. Cool the mixture either in the fridge or in a bowl of ice water.

10. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

11. Pour the filling into the dough, making sure it’s flat and even.

12. Using the pastry bag, pipe a lattice pattern: pipe straight lines about an inch apart in one direction, then pipe slanted lines of dough over them, to create a diamond pattern. You will have extra dough. [You can make cookies out of this dough - but don't forget them in the oven and BURN them like I did!]

13. Bake tart for 40-45 minutes, until filling is bubbly and the dough is slightly browned.

The problem with sharing all these holiday and Shabbat posts with you is that you don’t get pictures of the sliced finished product – doesn’t mean they’re not amazingly delicious! If you tried one of our recipes and noticed we don’t have a slice photo shared, feel free to email one to us! We love pictures and really love seeing people enjoy our recipes!

Sour Cherry Linzer Tart is a post from: The Kosher Foodies