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?

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.

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.

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?