Category: Dessert

Funfetti Krembo


Nine years. NINE. WHOLE. YEARS. Somebody pinch me!!!!!! It’s almost like I’ve been pregnant with a blog, and now what? I’ve had a baby? Do I retire now? ha!


I’ve always kind of wondered that actually. Do bloggers actually retire? How does that work? Do you just stop posting? Not that it’s on the agenda or anything. I’d like to do this until I’m old and gray. Oh wait. I AM old and gray. Ok – I’d like to do this until I’m very old, and very gray.

I constantly surprise myself that I still haven’t gotten bored by all of this. I still jump up and down when I nail a recipe, and I do the happy dance when I shoot the perfect photo. I stay up at night dreaming up my next viral recipe and I cry happy tears when the hundreds of photos roll in and it actually happens!

Speaking of tears, I’m crying tears of gratitude as I write this because I am just SO. DANG. GRATEFUL. Grateful to have a job that nurtures me – mind, body and soul. Grateful that any of you even take the time to read this, cook my recipes, message me, share photos with me, and allow me to take a humble place upon your dinner table. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

This year, I was kinda more excited about using sparklers in my photos than anything else! This house was covered in firecrackers and I loved every minute of it! The krembos were a big surprise too, and my kids were so thrilled to come home to such a special treat!


Me? I’ve never been much of a cream person, I definitely prefer salty over sweet, but I love how pretty these turned out, and they are basically a kids cream come true.

Think about customizing them for a party with your sprinkle color of choice, or just bake up a batch of cookies and roll them in whatever fun toppings you have around.

Thank you for sticking around for 9 wonderful years. To many, many more!!

Funfetti Krembo

Yield: 12 krembo (plus extra cookie dough)

12 funfetti slice and bake cookies
1 recipe meringue cream
1 recipe chocolate magic shell
sprinkles, for garnish

Method:

Place the cream in a piping bag with a wide tip. Pipe onto the cookies, creating a mound. Place the cookies into the freezer for 30 minutes – 1 hour.

Pour the chocolate magic shell into a large mug. Place the cookies on a rack set over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pour the chocolate over the cookies to coat. Garnish with sprinkles and set aside to harden, or freeze until set.

For the cookies:
YIELD: 24 cookies

1 1/2 sticks butter or trans-fat-free margarine
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c sprinkles
1/3 cup nonpareils

In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the flour and salt and beat until fully combined. Add in the sprinkles.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into two. Shape each half into an 8-inch log, about 2.5 inches in diameter. The measurements don’t have to be exact. Tightly wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill in the freezer for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove 1 log (or both, if desired) from the freezer and roll into nonpareils. Slice into about 12 equally thick cookies and place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Cool completely.

For the meringue cream:
1 cup sugar
⅓ cup water
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
4 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Place the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and dissolve completely over low heat. Simmer until a candy thermometer reads 235°F.

While the sugar is heating, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy. Once the syrup is ready, carefully and slowly drizzle the syrup into the mixing bowl with the egg whites while the mixer is running. Add the vanilla. Keep whipping the whites until the mixture is stiff and glossy, 5 to 7 minutes.

For the chocolate magic shell:
8 ounces chocolate chips
2 tablespoons coconut oil

Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil over a double boiler, or in the microwave. Stir until smooth.

Related Posts:

8th Blogoversary} Funfetti Tart Number Cake
7th Blogoversary} Funfetti Rice Krispie Bites
6th Blogoversary} Funfetti Raspberry Palmiers
5th Blogoversary} Funfetti Pecan Turtles
4th Blogoversary} Funfetti Cake
2nd Blogoversary} BBQ Brisket
1st Blogoversary} Mulled Wine

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Jelly Donut Linzer Cookies


Woohoo, it’s officially my favorite time of year! Jelly donuts, latkes, fried food and presents, what could be better?! Lets get the Chanukah fun started!


When Upfield reached out to me about their new plant based butter made with olive oil, I was so excited to use it for Chanukah – the holiday where we celebrate the miracle of the small flask of olive oil that lasted in the menorah for eight days in the Holy Temple. I happen to be a big fan of olive oil in desserts (like in these gelt cookies!), although used to not be so much a fan of margarine.


When I was in kosher culinary school, we only had a meat kitchen, so all of our butter-based sauces and recipes were made with margarine. We used LOTS and LOTS of margarine. One day, someone came in and said that margarine was molecularly equivalent to plastic, and I never looked at margarine the same way again. We started calling the sauces we made “plastic sauce” and I could barely swallow any of them! But that was my Bubby’s margarine. The margarine of today is different.


I started using a lot of coconut oil in my recipes, but there were times that coconut oil just did not do the job, so I was really stuck. I would say that in the kosher kitchen, the butter conundrum is really the #1 obstacle.


For people who keep kosher, pareve desserts is the hardest challenge. While liquid fats can easily be replaced with oils, fat in solid form has always been a problem. So when Country Crock reached out about their plant-based butter made with oils, I was happy to give it a try.


Regardless if you keep kosher or not, plant-based foods are all the rage right now, and for good reason. That’s why we’ve adopted Meatless Mondays in our house, and we try not to eat so much animal protein. It’s amazing to see all the healthy options available on the market these days and I really believe that this isn’t just a passing trend.


I’m so grateful that Upfield, the company behind Country Crock and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, has transformed our Bubby’s margarine into products that are more natural, with less saturated fats and no trans fats, made with ingredients that are better for our health while still tasting great and working well as a substitute for butter in any recipe.


I LOVE how these jelly donut linzer cookies turned out, and not just ‘cuz they make the perfect cookie for your holiday spread, but because they taste absolutely amazing, are perfectly crispy and still, yes, pareve.


Wishing you and yours a very Happy Chanukah!

Jelly Donut Linzer Cookies
YIELD: 18 cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) Country Crock plant butter with olive oil
1 cup sugar
1 extra large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup raspberry jam
powdered sugar, for dusting

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix with a hand blender until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to mix until combined. Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix and low speed until the dough starts to come together. Press the dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.

Roll the dough 1/4″ thick and cut into 2″ rounds with a cookie cutter. Cut a 3/4″ hole in the center of half of the cookies. Place cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until the edges are starting to lightly brown. Cool completely.

Spread raspberry jam on the solid cookies and cover with the cut-out cookies to form a sandwich. The raspberry jam should peak through the hole (add more if needed). Dust the cookies with powdered sugar.

This post is sponsored by Upfield.

Related Recipes:

jelly ring donuts
pecan lace cookies with raspberry jam
cheese latkes with raspberry sauce
chanukah cookies

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Stuffed Dates with Chestnut Cream

Well hello there! It’s been a while. I caught my breath from the holidays, and behold yet another one is upon us: Thanksgiving.

Giving thanks – it’s something we speak about a lot I think, but not something we put into practice that much. I’ve been working on it a lot lately actually – really getting in the moment with my children, being thankful for the craziness and the messes instead of feeling overwhelmed by them.

It happened gradually really, after making a commitment to feeling more gratitude, I noticed how I started to see the good in things more naturally. My kids became cuter, the mess less overwhelming, and I became more productive because life just felt easier. It’s as simple as that.


Or maybe not quite so simple because life gets hectic, and hard, and sometimes it’s just hard to see the good in things – but it’s almost like a muscle, exercising that part of the brain makes it come more naturally. At least that’s been my experience.


So yes, this Thanksgiving I am actually practicing gratitude and I really have so much to be thankful for! When I picked up my camera to do this shoot, it felt so good to be behind the camera and I took the moment to really appreciate having a job that I absolutely LOVE, one that allows me to express myself creatively, and do the things I love.


While I don’t host a Thanksgiving dinner, I’ve been celebrating at my friend Melinda’s house for the past few years and I always bring a dish with me. This year, I really wasn’t feeling pie, even though that’s what I usually bring.

In the past, I’ve brought Mexican hot chocolate pecan pie, cookie butter pumpkin pie, and baklava pumpkin pie. One year I brought the chicken liver hummus from my cookbook, Millennial Kosher, because Mel is a big liver fan! But this year I wanted something easy yet festive and I knew I wanted to do something with chestnuts.

I’ve been dreaming of making my own chestnut cream every since I had chestnut crepes in Paris a few months ago, so I started there. A cake seemed too overwhelming, so what else to do with it? Well…. I love stuffing dates with all sorts of nut butter and tahini, so why not chestnut puree right? Especially when I cook it down with orange, cinnamon and cardamom – the perfect pairing!

Of course I finished it off with a dip in my favorite chocolate – California Gourmet, to really take it over the top. CHECKOUT THEIR SPECIAL PROMOTION HERE, use code 15BUSYBIB for an additional 15% off your order!

Finished with nutty sesame and some crunchy Maldon and you’ve got a dessert to be thankful for! Happy Turkey Day!

Stuffed Dates with Chestnut Cream
YIELD: approximately 3 dozen

2 3.5oz. bags roasted chestnuts
2 cups unsweetened almond milk (see note)
1 cinnamon stick
5 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed (see tip)
2 strips orange zest
juice of 1 orange
2 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
16oz. medjool dates, pitted
4oz. California Gourmet 48% cocoa chocolate chips
1 tbsp refined coconut oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds, for garnish
Maldon salt, for finishing

Method:

In a saucepan, combine the chestnuts, almond milk, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, orange zest, orange juice, honey and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook over low heat until chestnuts are soft (easy to smash with the back of a spoon), 25-30 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and orange zest. Pour the mixture into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth and creamy, adding additional almond milk, if necessary. Cool completely and place the cream into a piping bag.

Combine the California Gourmet chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small bowl and microwave until melted, or melt over a double boiler.

Pipe the chestnut cream into the dates and dip them halfway in melted chocolate. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and Maldon sea salt flakes. Refrigerate until set.

Store the dates in the refrigerator until ready to serve, or freeze and thaw before serving.

NOTE; I use refrigerated almond milk for a creamier chestnut puree. I do not recommend shelf stable almond milk for this recipe.

VARIATION: for nut allergies, you can use oat milk or other creamy milk of your choice. For sesame allergies, omit sesame seeds.

TIP: If you can’t find cardamom pods, you may use ground cardamom, to taste (start with 1/4 teaspoon).

This post is sponsored by California Gourmet Chocolate Chips.

Related Recipes:

chestnut hummus with herbed pita chips
how to roast chestnuts
ferraro rawcher date bites
marzipan date truffles

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Brownie Toppings & Ideas


I cannot actually believe that the summer has come and gone, I’m back in the city and school has begun! Is it just me, or does summer seem to go by faster when you get older?  It just flew right past me and here I am, at my computer, back to work.

I think I’m mostly shocked because all those projects I told myself I would tackle this summer did not happen, and as productive as I’d hoped to be, I kind of just let go! I was supposed to organize all my photos, go through my emails, file paperwork, start running again, drink more water… but I suppose that what New Years Resolutions are for, and we start early here!

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is just a few short weeks away, which means we are approaching a pretty busy holiday season. The Jewish New Year is followed by Yom Kippur, and then shortly after by Succot, which is a foodfest of epic proportions! There are lots of festive holiday meals, and meal planning is essential to make it through.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I’m not a big planner when it comes to holiday prep, but the High Holidays are an exception. I usually make a double batch of my honey challah, a few loaves of honey cake, mini pumpkin pies for a crowd and Levana’s chocolate mousse to stock the freezer. It’s really the only way because there are simply so many meals and no time to cook them all!

So I’m here with a great dessert hack that will take you little time but wow your guests nonetheless. It involves a cheat in the form of Duncan Hines brownie mix, and even though I’m not usually one to use a prepared cake mix, I have to admit that their brownies really take the cake – pun intended! Even my mom admitted to me recently that she is never making her own brownies again because they’ve really nailed the perfect brownie.

Of course adding your own toppings changes everything and makes it your own. My favorite combo are the tahini swirled brownies (above), which I serve topped with vanilla ice cream, raw tahini, silan and a sprinkle of shredded halva. My guests can never get enough of it!

My kids are partial to my smores brownies, so I usually make make two pans, but when I saw this brownie pan with dividers,on Amazon, I realized I could do a bunch of toppings at once! It was just a fun project and my kids loved trying all the different flavors.

Of course, since we have a peanut allergy at home, I kept all these toppings nut free, but feel free to experiment however you’d like. Peanut butter swirled brownies would be epic too!

Lets bring on the holiday prep!

Brownie Toppings & Ideas

Start with Duncan Hines brownies or your favorite brownie mix. I prefer to follow instructions for the fudgy brownies and underbake it just a little.

To make an assortment of toppings as pictured, use a brownie pan with dividers, pour the batter into the pan (I doubled the recipe) and then place the divider into the pan. Add toppings of choice and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Featured recipes:

black forest: cherry pie filling + dark chocolate squares
tahini: swirl in raw tahini + sesame seeds (halva optional)
oreo: top with crushed oreos
salted pretzel: top with pretzels and sea salt flakes, add melted caramel if desired.
granola: top with your favorite granola
smores: top with chocolate chips and crushed graham crackers. After baking, add marshmallows and broil until browned.
sweet and salty: top with crushed bugles or corn chips (I use Apropo, the Israel version of Bugles)
Lotus: swirl in melted cookie butter and top with crushed Lotus cookies

Other ideas:

funfetti: add colorful sprinkles
streusel: add your favorite streusel crumb
cheescake: swirl in your favorite cheesecake batter
cereal: add cheerios, corn flakes or your favorite cereal
chocolate chip cookie: add your chocolate chip cookie dough
pumpkin: swirl in pumpkin pie filling
coconut: add shredded coconut to the brownies and top with coconut flakes|
apple pie: top with apple pie filling and streusel crumbs

Related Recipes:

Mexican hot chocolate brownies
black bean brownies

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Amaretto Affogato

What is Affogato? Italian for “drowned”, an affogato is an is an Italian coffee-based dessert. It usually takes the form of a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream topped or “drowned” with a shot of hot espresso. If you’re a coffee fan like me, it’s basically a small taste of heaven!

I’ve had affogato many times, but on my recent trip to Antwerp, the local Italian restaurant, Confetti, served it with a splash of amaretto and it was literally NEXT LEVEL amazingness. Like you need to make it. Like NOW. (Is it too early for alchohol?)

Start with some good quality gelato. It melts more slowly than ice cream. But ice cream works too. And you can even experiment with different flavors, but I like vanilla here. My little trick it to scoop the ice cream in advance and freeze them so they’re nice and solid when you serve!


Then pour that beautiful nutmeg-colored golden caffeine syrup, also known as espresso, over the ice cream and watch it do it’s beautiful dance down the sides of your cup. Am I being overly dramatic? Maybe a little, but AFFOGATO. IS. EVERYTHING.

If you’re like me, you might even watch to catch it in slow motion!


YASSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Caffeine addict much?!)

Then pour a generous glug of amaretto over it and enjoy the best drink of life!! Chag Sameach everyone!!

Amaretto Affogato

2 scoops vanilla gelato or ice cream
1 shot espresso, 3 tbsp strong brewed coffee or 1 tsp instant espresso dissolved in 1 oz. water
splash of amaretto (1-2 tbsp)
crushed amaretti cookies (or Lotus cookies)
chocolate shavings

Method:

Place two small scoops of ice cream in a glass (I prefer to freeze scoops in advance so they are ready to go and melt more slowly!), pour the shot of hot espresso over the ice cream, and then add the amaretto. Top with crushed cookies and chocolate servings and serving immediately.

NOTE: You can also use a double shot of espresso or 2 tsp instant espresso dissolved in 2 oz. of water, depending on what you like.

VARIATION: You can use other types of liquor such as liquor Kahlua or Frangelico or other types of ice cream such as chocolate or coffee.

Related Recipes:

tahini frappuccino 
gelt hot chocolate
donut milkshakes

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