Strawberry Cheesecake Hamantaschen

Yep, you heard me. Strawberry, cheesecake, hamantaschen. Head in to the kitchen right now and make them. You won't regret it. A buttery crisp shell with a rich filling of strawberry jam, cheesecake and a sprinkle of graham cracker (or Lotus cookie) crumbs - these are just one perfect bite. So what are you waiting for?

Chocolate Mint Pi(e)s!

Hey y'all, it's Pi(e) day! That's right, March 14, 3.14, the day when nerds and geeks mark the glory that is mathematics - and also pastry. Since the most digits of pi I have memorized are in fact... 3.14 - I can't quite claim geekdom. But pastry... pastry I can do!

Mexican Churros for Hanukkah!

If your arteries aren't completely clogged yet on this second day of Hanukkah, then come on into my kitchen for a journey to a different kind of fried treat - the churro! Since traditional holiday foods are all about one thing - the oil - there's no need to stick to the classic sufganiya (jelly doughnut). (Latkes should stay latkes though, don't even get me started). So this year I tried this classic Mexican street food - with delicious results.

My Everything Cookies

It's true, I've come out of my blog semi-retirement laziness to share these cookies with you. Because these cookies - they are my everything*. And they have everything in them. No, really, try me.

The look on some people's faces when I listed the things I'd crammed inside these cookies was comical. But one bite, and pretty much everyone I encountered was a convert. So what's in 'em? Well there's chocolate - dark and white. There are potato chips, pretzels, oats, a touch of honey and crushed up cookies. There you have it. 

Cream Cheese Danishes

If you're looking to make a cheesecake this Shavuot (or, you know, Wednesday), then boy do I have you covered. But if you're looking for maybe something a little different this year, then step on into my kitchen, to discover the wonder that is soft, fresh, homemade cheese danishes.

Cheesecake for Everyone!

Next Sunday is the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, celebrating receiving the Torah, but celebrated in large part by eating cheesecake. (OK, I'm simplifying, but this is a baking blog, so I gotta get right to the food.) Cheesecake - and any dairy desserts really - are something I rarely make throughout the year for a variety of reasons. But once a year, I like to go allllllll out. So if you're looking for an epic cheesecake for this year's holiday, look no further. 

Lemon Crumble Tart

No matter what the season, I love lemon desserts - the bright, mouth-puckering flavor and the tangy sweetness are the perfect way to end any meal. And when people think of a lemon tart, they almost always thing lemon-meringue, but I just don't love meringue that much. I still wanted something to top the creamy lemon curd in my tart shell, so I dreamed up a lemon crumble tart. And my dreams are good. 

Lemon Meringue Nests

Those of us who write Passover recipes - myself included - are often guilty of saying that a recipe is "perfect for year-round" - even when we know we'd never really make it except during the week of Pesach. But this dessert? This is one I actually do eat year-round, and it's such a favorite in my family that we request is for special occasions as well.  

The whole thing is served and eaten frozen, so it's a perfect make-ahead dessert that is just as tasty a week later. The meringue is the perfect combo of crispy and chewy and the lemon filling is sweet, tangy and creamy. Traditionally we make it as two large rectangular sheets of meringue with the filling sandwiches between, but I find the mini version much cuter and actually easier to handle without fear of shattering the meringue.

Celebrate Pi(e) Day with Strawberry Hand Pies

Tomorrow, March 14, is, of course, International Pi(e) Day! For those of you not sufficiently nerdy, March 14, or 3.14, is when the date correspondents with the first digits of pi, the mathematical figure. So of course we should celebrate with pie! Or, in my case, mini pies!

Here in Israel, strawberries are in season in the winter and hitting their peak right about now, luckily for me! Of course you could follow this basic template for a wide variety of fillings - including even jam if you want to keep the strawberry flavor. I've made them with apples and peaches to great success. 

Caramel Apple Hamantaschen!

Was last week's Puff Pastry Hamantaschen too much of a departure from tradition for you? I'm back now with another fun recipe for the traditional Purim treat - that's a little bit more classic, but with a twist. Yup, here are caramel apple hamantaschen - a classic dough filled with sweet, caramelized apples for an upgrade for your holiday meal. 

My classic sugar cookie dough hasn't let me down yet, and it plays the perfect role here too. Crisp, a hint of crumbly, the right balance of sweetness and easy to work with. I filled them with apples that cooked down in a caramel sauce until just perfect. 

While you don't want to use the liquid from cooking the apples in the filling before baking, for fear it will spill and ooze out of the hamantaschen, keep it for post-baking to add an extra punch of flavor to them. Add a teaspoon or so of the liquid into the center of the hamantaschen right before serving - not before as it could make the dough get soft. Because of the high water content in the filling - as with any made with fresh fruit - these are best day of, but will still be very tasty - just slightly softer - the next day.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Puff Pastry Hamantaschen

If you read any Jewish food blogs these days, you're likely inundated with recipes for hamantaschen - the traditional three-cornered treat for the holiday of Purim. All sorts of fantastical fillings wrapped up in a cookie crust are on offer. But why just play with the filling? Who says the crust must be cookie dough? Nobody, that's who. So if you're in for an adventure and a twist on tradition, try these puff pastry hamantaschen - store-bought dough, delicious no-bake filling, pure bliss. 

Gooey Crispy Chocolate Braid

People often ask me why I bake more than I cook. (Though volume-wise, that might not be true, I do have more of an excitement for the pastry arts). There are many reasons, but part of it is the element of aesthetics: Though savory food can be beautiful, there's something about desserts and pastries and all things baking that has even more visual appeal. The oohs and aahs over something that looks like it took hours are always fun sounds to hear. So this recipe - that looks super fancy but is really effortless and simple - is the perfect one to keep in your back pocket. And with Valentine's Day coming up, another chocolate recipe is never a bad idea. 

I take the cheater's way out with store-bought puff pastry, which makes things really quick and easy. Just make sure to defrost your puff pastry well in advance - stick it in the fridge the night before you want to use it, or leave it for several hours on the counter. Don't be like me, and end up aiming a hair dryer at the still-frozen log as time slips away!

Peanut Butter Brownie Pie

There's something about the cold winter months that encourages the deepest indulgences. Ones you may regret come summer, but ones that make frigid weather and snowy streets slightly more bearable. The most indulgent, of course, is chocolate, and this gooey chocolate brownie pie, topped with a peanut butter swirl, might take the prize for extravagance. 

Brownie Dreidels for Hanukkah!

Are you up for a rousing game of dreidel? How about of brownie dreidel? With just one sheet pan of brownies you can make dozens of these adorable 3D spinning tops to celebrate Hanukkah (or Hanukka, Chanukah, Chanuka or however you spell it). 

The idea is fairly simple - a brownie square with the ends trimmed off, a pretzel stick handle and some icing letters. For the most sophisticated look, you can dip all the dreidels completely in chocolate before pipping on the letters, or just coat one side, or leave the brownies au naturel.

You can use any brownie recipe you like, including a box mix, but I chose this particular recipe because it is fudgy and dense and sturdy enough to stand up to the dipping and pretzel handle. It is also delicious.

Mini Pumpkin Pie Cookies

This place sure looks familiar. I'm back - and I've brought with me the perfect dessert for your Thanksgiving table - or pretty much any of the other 364 days of the year. I present: mini pumpkin pie cookies. A crisp cookie shell, sweet pumpkin filling, and crumbly streusel topping in an adorable bite-sized container will be a welcome addition to any meal, snack or... breakfast. 

I used a mini-muffin pan for these to keep them in the tiny size I wanted, but if you wanted larger ones - and to save a little time - you could certainly use a muffin tin or other tart pans. I know there are a few different components to this recipe, but - like I did - you can make the dough and the topping a day or two before and store in the fridge - and the filling takes about two minutes to mix together.


Because they're so tiny you don't need all that much of the pumpkin puree - if you buy a can you'll likely have 2/3 of it leftover. What to do with that? How about pumpkin whoopie pies, pumpkin pie bars or pumpkin snickerdoodles?

 

I know I've been a bit absent around here lately, but I'm still pretty present around other corners of the world wide web: find me on Twitter or Instagram, and you can find my recipes over on the New York Jewish Week website; recent entries include a mushroom-leek phyllo tart, a feta-sweet potato flatbread and salted chocolate-drizzled popcorn.

Pretty, Dainty, Linzer Torte Cookies

When people find out that I have a baking blog, or that I took a six-month course on pastry, they very often all ask the same question: Do you also know how to cook?
The answer is yes, I do know how to cook, and I do enjoy it (and write about it as well), but baking and pastries will always have a special place in my heart. Cooking and baking are at the same time very different and very similar, but one thing that really sets dessert apart is the emphasis on aesthetics, which is one of the things I love about it. Savory foods can definitely be pleasing to the eye, but there really is no such thing as an ugly dessert. And these cookies right here? These cookies are adorable.

Perfect Passover Treats

It's that time of year again: When I have to put away all the flour and start experimenting in the kitchen. That's right - Passover starts on Monday night, but never fear, I have a bunch of recipes that will make you forget you ever thought you needed flour to make dessert.

1. First up and new this year are these Lemon Meringue Nests. This is actually a family favorite recipe that we eat all year round, which tells you how good it is! Recipe here.

2. From last year: Almond Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies - delicious and cute looking at the same time. 

3. Flourless Chocolate Cookies - I'm already dreaming about trying these cookies again - they're rich, chewy and chock full of chocolate flavor. 

4. Candied Orange Peel - So simple, so delicious, so waste-free! Perfect for Passover. 

5. Flourless Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Ganache - A real showstopper for the end of your seder meal - also great for snacking at any time! 

6. Raspberry French Macarons with Chocolate Ganache - If you're feeling adventurous this Passover, definitely try your hand at making French Macarons. Don't worry, I'll walk you through the whole process. 

 

Lime, White Chocolate and Coconut Cookies

For most of the US, winter is not a time with a lot of fresh fruit around. Apples and oranges, sure, but those beautiful berries are mostly in hibernation until the warmer months. But that doesn't mean you 
can't have delicious pops of flavor in your baked goods! Enter citrus.

Homemade Cronuts - Happy Chanuka!

Unless you've been living under a rock this past year, you'll know that the biggest craze in pastry these past few months has been the "cronut." The what? A cross between a croissant and a doughnut, it all started at a bakery in New York and has since inspired a million copycats, an underground market but sadly, very few Halloween costumes. Now, a food this indulgent isn't something I can really justify eating, except for once a year: Chanuka (aka Hanukkah, Chanukah and Hanukka) - the festival of lights (and fried foods).

I did it. I made schmaltz cookies!

Well this place sure looks familiar. I know, I know, I used to be around here alot more often, but, well, time got away from me. And while I can't make any promises for the future, I certainly do miss blogging and will do my best to be a more regular presence. But anyway - back to the topic at hand. I made schmaltz cookies. Schmaltz oatmeal cookies, to be precise. Now pick your jaw up off the floor and keep reading.