Trio Cookies

Yes, I have about 50 cookbooks lining my living room wall. No, I don't cook from them all. At least a dozen of them I've never made one recipe from. But I love flipping through them, taking one idea from here, another from there, taking inspiration from a chicken dish and turning it into one with turkey or tofu. But there are some cookbooks that inspire devotion - some that when I turn the page, and see a photo, and say "I must make that" - I mean it. Which is what happened when I got the Gourmet Cookie Book - and found the recipe for these adorable jam trio cookies.

 

Chocolate Gelt Cookies

Sure, Chanuka/Hanukkah is all about the frying, but that doesn't mean the only desserts you can serve all week are dripping with oil. Chocolate gelt - another traditional symbol of the holiday -
are just as cute when part of some cute sugar cookies. And they're less likely to melt in your hands!

Mini (Cream-filled) French Beignets

I really only deep fry once a year. Yes, I run a baking blog, which isn't the healthiest of places, but deep frying is the special kind of indulgence that I can only allow for the holiday of Chanuka. So when it's this rare, I have to make it memorable. Enter mini cream-filled French beignets.

 

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

It's been an interesting month here for me at casa Baking and Mistaking. I semi-dealt with a superstorm, had a semi-vacation and survived a semi-war. And what better way to deal with everything than baking - specifically, pumpkin whoopie pies with cinnamon cream cheese frosting?

Mini Dutch Apple Pies

 I'm a sucker for individual desserts. And, I know I'm not the only one, since they always seem to disappear before my eyes when I bring them places (or from the kitchen table). And what better thing to miniaturize than one of the all time classic desserts - apple pie? 

Chocolate-Dipped Potato Chip Cookies

I've always had a thing for sweet and salty. That's why chocolate-covered pretzels are one of my favorite snacks - homemade or bought. So when I stumbled across a few recipes lately for cookies filled with crushed potato chips, I knew making them wouldn't be far off. And thank goodness I didn't wait too long.

Vegan Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes

I'm not a vegan. Not even close. But I do run out of eggs sometimes, and I do like to stretch my baking horizons. These vegan chocolate cupcakes are easy and delicious - you won't miss eggs or milk - or even butter - at all!

From disaster to Oreo cheesecake

Forgive me readers, for I have sinned. If you haven't already noticed, this little corner of the Internet is called "Baking and Mistaking." And while I've been sharing my baking, I haven't been sharing my mistaking. But I would never want you to think it isn't happening. So here's the story of how I turned a total failure at trying to make one thing in to a major success at another. And got cheesecake in the end. So basically a win-win. 

A walk on the savory side

Here's a terribly kept secret - this isn't my only food blog. While I'm elbow deep in chocolate and cakes and cookies (I literally just wiped some chocolate off my elbow earlier today), over at the Jewish Week website, I run a weekly column called The Nosh Pit. There's some dessert there too, but there's also some gloriously savory, simple dishes that I think you guys would like. 

Here's a look at some of what can be found:

Zucchini Parmesan Pasta -

Crispy Baked Mushroom Wontons:

Honey Garlic Chicken and Broccoli:

Beef Lo Mein:

 And much more! Happy snacking.

Blueberry, Lemon and White Chocolate Shortbread

For reasons unbeknownst to me, blueberries are not something widely available in Israel. Or at all. For about the cost of an arm and a leg (or, you know, rent) you can buy some frozen, but I don't think in the year that I've lived here I've ever seen fresh for sale. But when I stumbled across some dried blueberries in the open-air market next to my house (that only cost a leg), and found this recipe at the same time, I knew it was meant to be.

No-bake Oatmeal Coconut Bars

This probably won't come as a groundbreaking statement to most of you, but it is hot. With temperatures passing 90 F almost every day, and without the advanced modern technology of... air conditioning, I'm not jumping to turn the oven on. But, my sweet tooth hasn't waned with the rising temperatures, so no-bake recipes have major appeal. And this bar cookie with oatmeal, coconut and chocolate fits the bill perfectly. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Layered Brownies

If you've been around - oh, a week or two - on this blog, you'll know that I have great affection for the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. And I'm certainly not alone in this love. No, there are many out there who extoll the gift that is this classic pairing (I'm told there is even a candy bar) - and to them I give this gift: Chocolate Peanut Butter Layered Brownies.

Nectarine Crumb Tart

What's the difference between a tart and a pie? I could go on for hours, but right now the difference is that I own a tart pan, and I don't currently own a pie dish. OK they also have different base doughs, and a very different shape... but regardless of what you call it, you won't want to pass up this nectarine crumb tart. 

Cherry Brownie Bites

I bought a few new pans several months ago, and I'm really loving them. Especially my little mini square pan - there's something extra adorable about tiny square baked goods. And when those baked goods are rich chocolate brownies studded with flecks of dried cherry - all the better.

Lemon Cranberry Mini-Muffins

One of my favorite things to do is disabuse people of their food dislikes. Of course I don't practice what I preach (stay away from me olives, tomatoes and fish) but I love asking people what they don't like, then feeding them it and watching them change their minds. 
So when I got avowed lemon and cranberry haters to love these Lemon Cranberry Mini-Muffins, I knew I'd won. 

Ch-Ch-Ch-Cheesecake

This Sunday is the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, which means a lot of things to a lot of people, often most especially: Cheesecake. While most Jewish holidays are celebrating with traditionally Jewish dishes like chicken soup and brisket, celebrations on Shavuot are enhanced by dairy foods - blintzes, cheeses, lasagnas and of course, cheesecake. Here are a variety of exceptionally tasty recipes - so you can find the perfect cheesecake for any sweet tooth. 


Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake

 2. Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

 3. Lime Strawberry Cheesecake

4. Cookie Dough and Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Bars

The best cupcake... for a BBQ

A few weeks ago here in Israel was Independence Day, and it's celebrated here much the same way it is the US... with barbecues! But of course after everyone has had their fill of hot dogs and hamburgers, they manage to make room for something sweet - and that's where these adorable cupcakes came in.

Cinnamon French Toast Cookies

I suppose I could be called a little schizophrenic when it comes to baking. There's one side of me that likes to take on ridiculously ambitious projects, with tens of complicated ingredients and odd-sounding combinations that make some people think twice before taking a bite. But there's another side that likes to bake simple people-pleasers, and these definitely fall in to that category.

Lemon Sticky Buns

There are desserts meant to be eaten with a fork and knife. Some need a spoon, others a straw. But some desserts are really meant to be grabbed with both hands - however sticky, gooey and messy they may be. This is one of those desserts.

Don't be Afraid

OK, it's almost Passover. If you  believe the media hype, terrified Jewish housewives and Passover greeting cards, it's a week of crunchy dry cardboard and brick-like cakes. Plus brisket of course. 
But it's not true! Even without the flour - and without making a cake from matzah meal - you can have delicious, light, gluten-free desserts that you'll find yourself dreaming about year-round. 

Clockwise from top left is Strawberry-Lime French Macarons, Lemon Meringue Thumbprint Cookies, Raspberry Almond Chocolate Macaroons and Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Ganache. 

Clockwise from top left: Candied Orange Peel, Coconut Lace Cookies, Apple Chips and Peppermint Patties.

Clockwise from top left: Chewy chocolate cookies, Strawberry sorbet, chocolate mousse cups and lemon ice cream. 


Everything on this page is flour-free, gluten-free and completely delicious!


Have a happy Passover!

Chocolate Financiers - Gluten free and Passover friendly!

I have started and abandoned at least three posts over the past couple weeks. Inevitably - life: school, work, friends, errands, laundry - gets in the way. And now - now it's almost Passover! As the four hours I spent cleaning yesterday can attest, the yearly tradition of removing any products with flour from your home - and baked goods! - is almost here. So while I have tons more flour-packed goodies to share with you, the next couple weeks Baking and Mistaking is going gluten free! And there's no better place to start than these delicious chocolate financiers. 

Pomegranate Tartlets

I have a mild obsession with pomegranates. Those juicy red seeds, bursting with flavor - I've been known to eat a whole one myself. And end up with red-stained fingernails. But I don't bake with them a whole lot, since they're not the easiest fruit to incorporate in to dessert. Enter these tarts - with a pomegranate flavored pastry cream base and a topping of fresh pomegranate arils - they just hit the spot.

Hamantaschen, Hamantaschen, Hamantaschen

Hamantaschen - the traditional three-cornered cookie eaten on the Jewish holiday of Purim - have a terrible reputation. And there's a reason for that. I would say 90% of the hamantaschen I've eaten from bakeries and stores and even other people's homes have been terrible. Dry, tasteless, crumbling and with unappetizing filling, they seem a difficult thing to master. But they shouldn't be. After all, what distinguishes hamantaschen is their shape, not any particular dough or filling. So why not enjoy some seriously tasty varieties this year? 

Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

Do you ever see a picture of a cookie and you just have to have it? Well that's what happened when I spotted these "Sandies by the Sea" in a recent issue of Cook's Country. But I wasn't really happy with any part of the recipe, more just the inspiration, so I set about to create my own, delicious, version.

Iced Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cupcakes

After six months of pastry school,  working with pulled sugar, wedding cakes, entremet, laminated doughs and the like, it is nice to go back to simple. And while these iced chocolate chip oatmeal cupcakes are simple, they're sweet, moist and packed with flavor. 

Cream Puffs and Eclairs

Cream puffs, eclairs, profitore rolls - even a croquembouche - all start from the same basic dough. And while it's fairly simple, it's really nothing like most cake or cookie doughs at all. It starts in a pot, then moves to a mixer, then a piping bag, then the oven. There's a fair amount of work involved, but the end result: Delicious.  

 

Six months later...

So about six months ago I told you I was dropping everything, moving country, and going to pastry school. Well, I did, and I spent six months creating breads, cookies, cakes, tarts, mousses, petit fours, chocolate truffles, candies, decorated cakes and even some pulled sugar. And last week, I had a week-long exam to test everything I'd learned over the semester. Here's a look back: