Raspberry Rugelach Pajama Party

While the Jewish New Year has come to a close, I'm still celebrating with one more sweet treat. This week, I made my absolute favorite kind of cookie: Rugelach! They can be eaten at any time of year, but my family always put a heap on the table during Jewish celebrations.

Rugelach are relatively easy to make, but the process takes some time. I always decide to make the most time consuming treats at the most impractical hours. Technically, you should cool the dough for 2 hours, and the constructed cookies for another 30 minutes. Having started at about 9pm, I cut that down a bit! I would suggest you start a little earlier in the evening. The perk of cooking at night? Baking PJ party!

PJ's and my adorable baker's helper. 

What are Rugelach?

• Rugelach are tiny, crescent-shaped, sweet Jewish pastries. According to my in-depth Wikipedia research, Rugelach is a word of Yiddish descent, roughly translating to "little twists." I personally prefer the modern Hebrew translation of Rugelach: Roglit, meaning "trailing vines." Who knew cookies could lead to a lesson in etymology? Have I lost you yet? For those nerdy readers who have made it thus far, on to the recipe!

I referenced a few recipes in order to create my own. Compare to NPR's recipe, which I referenced for some ideas about the filling and glaze!

Rugelach:

Amount: Makes 48 cookies

Time: 30-40 minutes of actual work, plus 2 hours to cool the dough balls and 30 minutes to cool the constructed cookies

Ingredients

Dough:

• 8 oz. unsalted butter
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 2 cups of flour

Filling:

• 1 cup organic raspberry jam
• A few handfuls of organic, semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

The jam is the star of the rugelach show. Since the dough contains no sugar,  most of your fruity sweetness will come from your fruit filling. I used Crofter's Organic Raspberry Fruit Spread because 1.) It's delicious, with a naturally sweet flavor ; and 2.) the bear on the front is super cute.

Glaze:

• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon cool water
• sugar for sprinkling (coarse, decorative sugar is best, but I didn't have any, so I just used regular ol' granulated sugar

Directions

Prep:

• Line two to three baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Preheat the oven to 350.
• Fit your standing mixer with a paddle attachment.

Makin' that dough:

• Bring your butter and cream cheese to room temperature
• Gradually combine butter and cream cheese in a standing mixer with a paddle attachment on medium
  
• Once the mixture is creamy and smooth, turn the mixer to low and gradually add the flour
• Scrape the sides and mix until well combined. Don't over mix! The key to successful ruglach is to treat the dough delicately. The less you handle it, the puffier and flakier it will be. 
• Once the dough is combined, divide it into three portions and roll them into balls. Wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• I admit...I didn't feel like waiting 2 hours! I waited 1 hour and it all turned out OK.

While the dough cools, let your baker's helper take a well deserved nap.

Filling time:

• Remove a dough ball from the refrigerator and set it on a floured surface. Roll the ball into a circle, approximately 10 inches in diameter. Make sure your rolling pin is well floured, too.
• Heat you jam in a saucepan on low/medium heat, stirring often. Once it is liquified, take the jam off of the stove.
• Spoon a third of the jam onto the center of the circle, and spread it in a circular motion, moving outward. Imagine you're spreading sauce on a pizza. Do not spread the jam to the edges of the circle. Leave about a 1/4 inch dry dough around the edges. 
  
• Combine your sugar and cinnamon and sugar into a small bowl and mix. Sprinkle a third of the cinnamon/sugar mixture on top of the jelly. 
• If you would like to add chocolate to your rugelach, sprinkle the desired amount over the raspberry filling. Don't go overboard with the chocolate chips, or they will ooze out of the cookies and make them look messy.
• If you use chocolate chips, gently press a piece of wax paper over your mixture so that the chips are slightly pressed into the dough. You can reuse the same piece of paper for the other dough balls.

Slicing and Rolling:

• Slicing: Using a pizza cutter, divide your dough into 16 equal parts.The easiest way to do this is to cut down the center vertically, then horizontally. Next, divide each quarter into four identical slices.
  
• Rolling: Take a slice and roll it from the outside into the center. Place the cookie on a baking sheet. Make sure to tuck the pointy end under the cookie so that it's not sticking out.
• Repeat with the rest of the slices.
• Transfer the cookies back to the refrigerator and let them sit for 30 minutes.
  
• Repeat this process with the other two dough balls.

Glazing and Baking:

• Mix one egg with a teaspoon of cool water.
• Brush the tops of the cookies with this mixture.

  

  Action shot! 

• Sprinkle on your decorative baking sugar.
• Put cookies in the oven. About 3/4 of the way through baking, switch the cookies on the bottom rack to the top rack, and vice versa.
• Bake for a total of 20-25 minutes. The cookies should be puffed up and golden brown on top.
• Immediately place the rugelach on a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
• 
• Pair with hot coffee or tea and ENJOY!
  

Spinach Lasagna with Garlic Basil Tomato Sauce

I usually limit my blog posts to trials and tribulations with sweet treats, but when it comes to lasagna my Italian side is shouting to be heard! I've tried out tons of lasagna recipes, and this one is a major favorite. It combines two New York Times recipes and a little wisdom from my mom. Despite not being even the least bit Italian, her lasagna is the best I've ever tasted. In fact, when I called her for tips, she answered the phone "lasagna hotline"!

Yes...it's me. I suggest consuming this lasagna with wild abandon! Manners be damned. Get some sauce on your face and enjoy. I always have.

If you're carb or cheese shy...don't even attempt lasagna. Save this recipe for when you're ready to indulge. Also, if you're considering using bottled tomato sauce, go away. You can't read this blog. I won't be a party to this kind of tomfoolery. 

Simple Basil/Garlic Tomato Sauce:

I followed this New York Times recipe for "Simple Tomato Sauce." I altered the recipe a bit. 

Ingredients:

This recipe will produce about 5 cups of tomato sauce. I always double sauce recipes, because I like to serve lasagna with a piping hot side of extra sauce for anyone who wants more (It's me. I want more.). 

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 2 28 oz. cans of diced plum tomatoes
• 2 sprigs of basil (the recipe calls for 2, but I like a lot of basil so I added a few extra sprigs). I lieu of the basil, you may also use one a bay leaf.
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

Directions:

1. Turn a large pot or straight-sided skillet to medium heat. Warm up the olive oil, add the thinly sliced garlic, and cook until they are a light gold color.  
   
2. Add the chili flakes and cook 'em up for 30 seconds.
   
3. Pour in the tomatoes, with the juices, the whole basil leaves, salt and pepper.
4. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thick...and sauce like. The tomatoes should fall apart. This takes about 30-40 minutes. It will obviously take more time if you double the recipe. Be patient and continue to adjust your heat to keep the sauce at a simmer. If you use whole plum tomatoes, you can use a potato masher or wooden spoon to mash them up. 
   
5. Take the sauce off of the heat.
6. Remove the basil leaves.

Lasagna Recipe:

Again, I turned to the New York Times for my lasagna recipe. Their Italian food guidance has yet to disappoint. I put my own twist on the recipe, so the ingredients and directions below are not identical to the link above.

Ingredients:

• 12 to 16 no boil lasagna noodles
• I can hear the cries of protest from here: "No boil noodles?! Any good Italian girl boils her own noodles." Well, I've boiled my own noodles and used no boil noodles as well. They taste the same and no boil are a lot easier to handle. If you want to use fresh or homemade pasta, though, that would make a difference. Fresher is always better.
• 4 cups of tomato sauce (I always make more than is necessary just in case)
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups cooked spinach, dried and chopped
• 1 and 1/2 cups coarsely grated mozzarella
• I tried grated mozzarella this time around, but thinly sliced fresh mozzarella could also be very delicious. You'll still need about 1/2 cup of grated mozzarella to mix with the ricotta, though. 
• 1 and 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. For Dried pasta: Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and cook them (about 6 at a time) until they are tender but just underdone. Drain and lay flat on a paper towel.
• For no-boil pasta: Open the box and do nothing! Hooray!
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and heat a rectangular baking dish with olive oil. I like to use a large glass baking dish so that you can see whether your lasagna is bubbling when you cook it.
3. Put the ricotta cheese in a large bowl, crack an egg in the middle, and whisk it up until it is a bit fluffy. Add about 1/2 cup of coarsely shredded mozzarella to the ricotta and mix until combined.
   
4. Add a large spoonful of tomato sauce to the bottom of the dish and spread it around. I like to add a few spoonfuls so that the bottom is coated. If you've made extra sauce like I always do, you can be liberal with it. 
5. It's time to build your lasagna! Have your ingredient stations easily accessible. This is where my mom's "lasagna hotline" came in handy. She suggested that I put a layer of noodles (four in my case) in the bottom of the dish, horizontally, overlapping them slightly. Then, break a noodle in half and add each half to the end of the dish and lay it vertically. You can also use tiny noodle pieces to ensure that the far ends of the dish are covered. Structural integrity is key, people. 
6. Top the noodles with a layer of tomato sauce, 1/3 of the spinach, and 1/4 of the ricotta mixture. You can use your finger to spread it evenly. Next, add the mozzarella and the parmesan. Sprinkle  salt and pepper before adding the next level of noodles. 
   
7. Repeat layers twice, top with remaining noodles, tomato sauce, ricotta mixture, mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover the top with cheese. Seriously. Feel free to grate some more cheese if the top is looking sparse. 
8. Bake until it bubbles and the cheese is melty and light brown on top. This should take about 30 minutes. More time is needed if you use tons of sauce and cheese like I usually do. Take it out of the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before you serve.
9. Serve with a side of extra sauce, crispy garlic bread, and a bold Italian table wine.  Eat with friends!

Honey Cake for a Sweet New Year

It's Rosh Hashanah, that time of year where we celebrate the beginning of a sweet new year with honey soaked treats. I thought it was the perfect time to try out a "Honey Tea Cake" recipe from on of my favorite cookbooks: "Miette, recipes from San Francisco's most charming pastry shop." Eric and I brought this cake, along with a giant spinach lasagna, to our lovely friends who just had an adorable baby boy! I can think of no better way to celebrate the new year than meeting a brand new baby and breaking bread (lasagna) with good friends.

At the dinner table with adorable baby Cooper!

First, a note about "Miette" by Meg Ray. The book has a wonderful section entitled "Cake-Baking Essentials." I read through these pages before baking the honey cake, and it came out fluffier and more perfect than any cake I've made to date. Here are some of the cake-baking tips I've collected from this book, and throughout my baking trials and tribulations:

• Greasing the pan to perfection: Liberally butter your baking pan and coat it with all-purpose flour. Flip the pan upside down and tap out any excess flour. This technique will help ensure that the cake doesn't stick to your pan.
• Don't open the oven during baking: This is a tip I need to remind myself of over and over again. I'm always tempted to take a peek at my cakes, but opening the oven could result in the dome sinking, along with your hopes and dreams of a perfectly shaped cake. If you need to peek, turn the oven light on.
• Pay attention to mixing speeds: If a recipe calls for a batter to be mixed on medium speed for two minutes, set the mixer to medium speed and set your timer for two minutes. This kind of attention to detail will help ensure that your mixture has enough air in it. Want a fluffy cake? Use an oven timer.

These are just a few of the many tips I've picked up along my baking journey. I'll make sure to post more in future posts. Just another reason to stay tuned to the Sweetest Years! Now, on with the Honey Cake.

Honey Cake:

This recipe makes two 8 inch loaves.

Ingredients:

• 2 and 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 large egg yolks
• 2 large whole eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1 cup plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup of honey, warmed and combined with 2 tablespoons of water to make a syrup

Note: This cake is all about the honey! I chose to use a wildflower honey, but if you prefer a more herbaceous flavor, stick with a clover honey. Quality is key, so make your decision carefully.

Directions:

1. Prepare your pans (see "greasing the pans to perfection" above).  

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl.
3. In another bowl, combine egg yolks, whole eggs, cream and vanilla.
4. Fit your mixer with a paddle attachment and mix the dry ingredients with the sugar. Combine on medium for 30 seconds. Turn speed to low, add butter and half of the wet ingredients, and beat for approximately two minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and mix for 2 minutes (this makes the mixture fluffy!). Turn the speed to low, add the rest of the egg mixture, and beat until just combined, about two to three minutes longer.
5. Pour the mixture evenly into your two pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The tops should be golden. I didn't have any toothpicks on hand, so I inserted a chopstick into the loaves and made sure it came out clean without any batter on it! This creates an ugly hole in the top of your cake, so buy some toothpicks!
   

   

   My baker's helper, Penny Lane Rosen, smelled something delicious and thought maybe she could sneak some honey tea cake of her own!

   
   
6. Immediately pour the syrup onto the loaves and let them sit for 20 minutes. Then transfer them to wire racks and give them another 20 minutes to cool. 

Eric combined this buttery cake with vanilla greek frozen yogurt. He combines everything with ice cream...everything.

Quote from the U.S. Copyright Office: 

“Mere listings of ingredients as in recipes, formulas, compounds, or prescriptions are not subject to copyright protection. However, when a recipe or formula is accompanied by substantial literary expression in the form of an explanation or directions, or when there is a combination of recipes, as in a cookbook, there may be a basis for copyright protection.”

As such, I have not posted the precise "explanation or directions" from the Miette book. The directions and photos represent my own experience creating this recipe.

The Sweetest (3) Years, Pizza Parties, and Super Double Chocolate Cookies

I've returned! I can't believe my last post was over a year ago. I'm happy to be back and sharing my adventures in baking. I am creating this post one day before our 3 year wedding anniversary. These past 3 years have been filled with amazing adventures and sweet treats!

When my husband Eric called me yesterday and told me that his class would be having a pizza party, I 1.) was once again envious of his job, and 2.) knew it would be a great opportunity to share some super (super) chocolate-filled treats! I turned to my favorite cookbook, "the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook" for a delicious recipe, which I altered just a bit.

Ingredients: 

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
15 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped (I used whole foods dark chocolate chunks and a small amount of a Ghiradelli baking chocolate bar, for a mixture of textures and flavors)
2 eggs
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

A baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Sweet Tip: I'd use 2 sheets to ensure that the cookies don't goop into each other. Sure,  yes, "goop" is a verb!

Baking Blunder #1: I used a non-stick sheet, greased with unsalted butter, but the cookies still stuck! I'd recommend using the parchment paper.

Makes: 12 (I doubled the recipe and found that it made closer to 30 cookies)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees 

2. Set out all of the ingredients beforehand. This recipe can get super-sticky, and you don't want to be measuring out salt and baking powder when your fingers are covered in dark chocolate goodness!

3. Cut the butter into large cubes and put the butter and half of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. I used dark chocolate chunks for this part of the recipe. Make sure not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Leave the mixture on until super smooth (no chocolate chunks should remain).  I used a stainless steel pan over my saucepan and it worked out well.

4. Combine the eggs, sugar, and vanilla in your pretty pink mixer with a paddle attachment. Beat until well mixed.

5. Pour the chocolate mixture into the butter/sugar mixture and beat on a slow speed until well combined.

6. Sift the flour into a separate mixing bowl. Add the sifted baking flour and salt.  

7. Stir the flour into the chocolate sauce in a few separate portions. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to combine any unmixed ingredients. 

8. Add remaining chocolate! I used a mixture of dark chocolate chunks and coarsely chopped pieces of a Ghiradelli baking chocolate bar. Mix it up!

9. Drop equal amounts of cookie dough on your baking sheet. 

Sweet Tip: The recipe says to drop 12 equal portions, but I would do closer to 15 and use 2 baking sheets to avoid the cookies gooping together. 

Sweet Tip: The mixture is a little thin. If you let it sit for a couple of minutes before portioning out, it should be a little easier to manage.

10. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Check on your treats about 10 minutes in. You'll know they are ready when they develop cracks and look a bit shiny. Let 'em cool on the sheet before moving them to a wire rack. 

Baking Blunder #2: I tried to remove my cookies from the baking sheet too soon and they stuck! Give them some time to cool. 

 11. Make yourself a cup of piping hot light brew coffee, add some creamy almond milk, and pair with a giant, warm, double chocolate chip cookie. You can thank me later.

Strawberry, Greek Yogurt, Honey Muffins

This week's recipe comes from...me! My confidence in baking has built up over the past few months, so I thought I'd fashion a muffin recipe of my own. I browsed through various yogurt muffin recipes and tried to replace less healthy ingredients with healthier alternatives. While these muffins are packed with whole wheat flour, non-fat Greek yogurt and delicious strawberries, they still boast a little sugar. Feel free to decrease the amount of sugar you use for a less sweet, even healthier muffin. These are wonderful for breakfast but decadent enough for desert, especially if spread with a layer of greek yogurt and topped with fresh fruit.

Makes: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

Star ingredient!

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon honey

2/3 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt

2/3 cup skim milk

2/3 cup fresh strawberries, cut up into chunks

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line a muffin tin with paper liners and spray the liners with a little cooking spray.
• Sift flours into large mixing bowl
• Add sugar, baking soda and baking powder. Mix well
• Fold in yogurt.
• Add honey and skim milk to the bowl. Mix.
• Throw in your strawberries and give it one more mix.
  
• Spoon the mixture evenly into the liners. They should be about 2/3 full.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until tops of muffins are golden brown.
  
• Let the muffins cool for at least a few hours. 

Baking Blunders:

I only made one baking blunder this week! Make sure not to be like me and insist on trying one right out of the oven. Muffin batter, and strawberry muffin batter in particular, will stick to the paper liners when muffins are still warm. This left me with nothing but a muffin top to sample. Unless "Top of the Muffin to You!" is being revived, there's no market for muffin tops worth entering right now. Wait at least a few hours until sampling these treats.

Kate Spade and Some Whole Wheat, Cinnamon Spiced, Apricot Cookies

This weekend, my husband and I had the great pleasure of attending the wedding of two of our most wonderful friends. He was the "best man," and as wife of the best man, I got all of the perks and none of the stress that goes along with the position. I had no speech to learn and I still got to sit at the same table as the beautiful bride and beaming groom. I also got to be on the arm of a tuxedo-clad man who was unabashedly displaying his dance moves on the crowded dance floor.  Here's the look I sported for the lovely weekend:

Pictured: Lovely man on my arm. This Kate Spade collared dress is currently one of my favorite pieces in my wardrobe. For the most part, any "Kate Spade" items have to be on sale for me to justify a purchase
This dress was no exception. I love a good sale! Join the mailing list and look for the 75% off days.

After a weekend of "I'll have the steak" and "I love open bars!", the two of us were happy to cuddle up on the couch with our puppy and recover. I thought we could use something sweet, warm, and healthy to snack on while we stocked up on new Fall TV. This recipe is from a great cookbook called "The High Energy Cookbook: good-carb recipes for weight loss, health, and vitality" by Rachael Anne Hill and photographed by Nicky Downey. It's full of breakfast, lunch, dinner and desert recipes and even has a large section defining and explaining the benefits of a "good-carb" diet. Let's get started!

Whole Wheat, Cinnamon Spiced, Apricot Cookies

I want to note that these cookies turn out to look and taste more like a biscuit. They are heartier and, in my opinion, more satisfying than a traditional cookie.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour & extra for dusting
• 1 cup & two tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3-4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 & 1/2 tablespoons polyunsaturated margarine (I used butter!)
• 1/3 cup dried fruit (I used dried apricots, chopped them, and used a little over 1/3 cup)
• 2 eggs
• About 2 tablespoons of skim milk & extra for brushing (I started with 2 tablespoons but poured in a little extra to keep the dough together).

Directions:*

• Sift the flours into a large mixing bowl.
• Add cinnamon, brown sugar, baking powder.
• Stir!

• Break the butter into small pieces, add to the dry ingredients and, using your fingertips, work the butter into the mixture.

• Stir in the dried fruit.
• In a smaller bowl, beat the two eggs and add the skim milk.

• Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix. (The cookbook says to mix with a "round-bladed knife." I did't have one of these, so I went over the mixture with a regular old knife to break up clumps, and afterwards kneaded the dough with my hands.
• Before transferring the dough to my floured surface, I added a little more skim milk to the mixture to keep the dough together. Don't add too much, though, or your cookies will lose their crumbly feel.
• Roll the dough out on the floured work surface until it is about 1 inch thick. 

• Cut out circles using a 2 & 1/2 inch cookie cutter and transfer them to a prepared baking tray.

Cookies and skim milk for brushing.

• Brush the cookies with skim milk and add a light dusting of whole wheat flour to the top.
• Bake at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes. They should appear golden brown and well risen.
• These can be served warm or cold.
• The book suggests splitting in half and serving with a low-fat spread and sliced strawberries. I decided to add a dollop of greek yogurt  and top it with sliced raspberries. It made them look like tiny cakes!

Warm cookies on the kitchen counter? I may not cook, but look at me developing "domestic-like" skills!

*These directions were not taken directly from any cookbook. So as to avoid any copyright issues, I've fashioned the directions myself. (This is what happens when lawyers bake cookies and blog about them!).