Seems every couple of years there’s a new “it” pastry in New York City, from the humble cupcake of the early 2000s, to the cronut frenzy of 2013. (Remember when those babies were selling on the black market for $100 a pop?) Well, good news, Jews and gentiles: it looks like 2015 is shaping up to be the year of the “doughka,” which is exactly what it sounds like, A BABKA MADE FROM DONUT DOUGH. (Cue singing angles and all caps.)

I know, I know—the concept is so mind-blowingly delicious you’re wondering, “Why didn’t I think of that?” But, alas, you didn’t. Fany Gerson—the Mexican-Jewish dessert genius behind Dough and La Newyorkina—did, so she gets all the glory and gelt and long lines of disgruntled tourists!

There are three flavors available at Dough’s Flatiron outpost right now, quoth Grubstreet: “Mexican chocolate, filled with a bittersweet-chocolate spread, and dusted with Mexican cinnamon-sugar and Mexican chocolate; Lemon & Olive Oil, studded with candied lemon, rolled in lemon sugar, and brushed with olive oil and a touch of salt; and Sticky Banana, which is a sticky-bun-meets-babka situation stuffed with cinnamon, toasted pecans, and a sticky frosting.”

But if you’re not in New York City—or if you’re partial to a more traditional babka—here are seven of our favorite recipes that you can try at home right now:

1. Smitten Kitchen’s Better Chocolate Babka (these pictures are just to die)
2. The Nosher’s Nutella Babka
3. Lazy but delicious: Babka Bread Pudding (with store-bought babka)
4. The Babkallah, Bon Appetit’s Challah-Babka hybrid
5. Nothing traditional about this Pecan Pie-flavored babka, but it sounds amaaaay-zing
6. And this is literally a Babka pie. My God. Yes.
7. Last but not least, our very own recipe for chocolate and cinnamon babka cupcakes. That’s, like, 17 food trends in one bite.

Let the babka revival begin!

(Image by Alpha, via Flickr)

The post Could New York City’s Next “It” Pastry Be a Babka/Donut Hybrid? appeared first on Jewcy.

Having a traditional, sweet dessert on Rosh Hashanah is almost a bit passé: you need a little something extra for it to be amazing. Maybe I’m just getting older, but I’ve come to realize that apple dipped in honey isn’t quite hitting the spot, and neither is your run-of-the-mill honey cake or apple pie. Life is a bit too complicated for things to just be “sweet,” and I think the finale of the Rosh Hashanah meal should reflect that.

Instead of creating a twist on an old-fashioned classic, I decided to do something a little more modern: a Salted-Caramel Apple Galette. With a light flaky crust, slices of baked apple, and a salty caramel drizzle, this is one delicious—and complex—dessert. A good amount of sweet and a tasteful amount of salt brings all the ingredients together and elevates the flavors to something better than just sweet.

Ingredients

The Crust

1¼ cups all purpose flour
½ tsp sea salt
Pinch of pepper
½ cup unsalted margarine (cut into cubes)
¼ cup non-dairy creamer
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vinegar
¼ cup cold water

6 red apples (peeled, cored, and sliced thinly)

Salted Caramel Drizzle

⅓ cup sugar
2½ tbsp unsalted margarine (cut into small pieces)
½ tsp coarse sea salt
2½ tbsp non-dairy creamer

Directions

​Start by making the crust. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in your food processor with the dough blade in it. Turn the food processor on, and gradually add the margarine, mixing between additions. In the end you should have crumbs of dough with a mealy consistency.

In a small bowl combine all the liquids for the crust. Turn the food processor on and gradually pour in the liquids until the dough is a very sticky  solid.

Oil the sides of a large bowl and place the dough inside. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let the dough rise for 1 1/2 hours.

While you wait for the dough to rise, start making your salted caramel drizzle.

Place a medium pan over a medium high heat. Place the sugar in the pan, allowing it to melt and brown. After about 5 minutes the sugar should turn a deep copper color. Remove the pan from the heat and add the sea salt and margarine, stirring constantly until it is completely incorporated. Gradually add the non-dairy creamer to the pan, stirring consistently. Don’t be startled if the pan sizzles. You should end up with a solid, bronze-colored sauce. Pour the sauce in a glass bowl and set aside for later use.

When your dough is almost done rising, peel and cut your apples. Place them on a large plate or cutting board so that you will have easy access to them when laying out the dough.

Once the dough has risen, place it on a flat and floured surface and roll out until you have a circle about a foot in diameter. Place the apple slices in an overlapping circular pattern across the center of the galette, leaving about 4 inches of dough around the edges. Once the apples are in place, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and fold the “apple-less” edge over the apples, pleating the pastry together as you go.

Place the galette on a flat baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes or until the dough is golden brown and flaky.

Take the galette out of the oven and set aside. Heat the salted caramel sauce again so that it will be easier to spread. Once warm, drizzle it in a pattern across the galette. Serve while hot.

Shana tova!

Related: Jewish Mothers Cooking: Healthy Rosh Hashanah Apple Cobbler

(Image by the author)

The post Not Your Bubbe’s Rosh Hashanah Dessert: Salted-Caramel Apple Galette appeared first on Jewcy.

It’s been a tumultuous week for kosher cupcake lovers.

First came the news that Crumbs Bake Shop, the New York-based cupcake empire with 48 stores nationwide, was closing down: “Regrettably Crumbs has been forced to cease operations and is immediately attending to the dislocation of its devoted employees while it evaluates its limited remaining options,” a company spokeswoman told The Wall Street Journal on Monday. It seemed likely the kosher chain, which went public in 2011, would file for bankruptcy.

But now it looks like there might be a reprieve for Crumbs. The New York Times’ Dealbook reports that the company “was said to be close to securing financing from a group of investors,” which includes Fischer Enterprises (rescuer of Dippin’ Dots), and Marcus Lemonis, CEO of Camping World (and star of reality TV show The Profit).

Founded in 2003 by husband and wife duo Jason and Mia Bauer, Crumbs rode the cupcake craze from a single shop on the Upper West Side to dozens of stores across the country. Unfortunately, the chain began an aggressive expansion plan in 2011 (aiming for 200 outlets) just as the market became saturated and consumer demand for cupcakes began to decline. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Crumbs posted a loss of $18.2 million last year, layered on a loss of $10.3 million in 2012, according to securities filings. Its cash on hand fell to $893,000 at the end of 2013, down from $6.3 million the prior year.” Ouf.

For the sake of kosher cupcake mavens nationwide—and more importantly, Crumbs’ 820 employees—we hope the deal comes through.

The post Hope For Shuttered Kosher Cupcake Chain Crumbs appeared first on Jewcy.

Dulce de leche is a popular South American confection made from condensed milk, usually roasted in a water bath. It has a caramel-like taste and a custard-like texture. Put this rich and creamy syrup in a cheesecake and you definitely cover all your “eating dairy on Shavuot” bases—it literally means ‘candy of milk’.

This recipe consists of two parts, the dulce de leche, and the cheesecake. Both are nearly as simple as they are delicious. When combined they create a decadent and beautiful dessert that will leave you wondering how anyone would pass on a cheesecake on Shavuot.

Not Your Bubbe’s Dulce de leche Cheesecake
Yields one large cheesecake or three small loaves

Ingredients

Dulche Deleche:
14 oz. can condensed milk
¼ tsp sea salt

Crust:
2¾ cups crushed cinnamon crackers
½ tsp cardamom
¼ tsp orange peel
Pinch of cinnamon
½ cup sugar
⅓ cup butter (melted)
2 tbsp orange juice

Filling:
40 oz. cream cheese
1½ cups sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp orange peel
1 tsp orange juice
¼ tsp cardamom
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp flour
5 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
¼ cup coconut milk
½ cup of sour cream

Directions

1. Start by making the dulce de leche: pour the condensed milk into a small baking dish and preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

2. Sprinkle the sea salt on top of the condensed milk and tightly wrap the dish with aluminium foil. Then, fill a slightly larger baking dish with boiling water and place the wrapped dish inside it. The water should reach ¾ of the way up the outside of the smaller baking dish; be careful that none of the water spills inside the baking dish.

3. Bake the condensed milk for 60 to 90 minutes, until it turns a caramel-like brown. Be sure to whisk the condensed milk every twenty or so minutes to keep the consistency smooth. Keep your eye on the water level as well, add water occasionally so that the level remains steady.

4. Set dulce de leche aside, let cool. Store in the refrigerator while you prep the cake crust and filling.

5. Next, start the cheesecake by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and preparing the crust. Place the graham cracker crumbs in a medium sized bowl and stir in the spices, orange peel, and brown sugar.

6. Pour the melted butter and orange juice into the bowl and mix. The final result should have the consistency of wet sand.

7. Spray a large spring fold pan (or three small loaf pans) with oil, then press the wet graham cracker crust onto the bottom and sides of the pan. Bake the cheesecake crust for 15 minutes, then set aside.

8. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, spices, salt, and orange juice until just combined. (Too much beating will cause the cake to crack.)

9. Fold in eggs and yolks, one at a time, mixing well between each addition.

10. Beat in coconut milk and sour cream until just combined.

11. Pour cheesecake filling into the cooled crust.

12. Remove dulce de leche from fridge and and place single tablespoon circles, about half an inch apart, across the top of the cake. (You’ll probably have some dulce de leche leftover, which you can serve as an extra dessert.)

13. Take a knife and run it through the circles of dulce de leche, creating swirls like you would if you were making a marble cake.

14. Bake cake for about 50 minutes at 350 degrees, or until the middle of the cake no longer wobbles when you begin to pull it out of the oven.

15. But don’t pull it all way out of the oven! Turn off the oven and leave door ajar. Let the cheesecake reach room temperature in the oven, which will help prevent it from collapsing.

16. When cooled, refrigerate the dulce de leche cheesecake for at least six hours (preferably overnight) before serving.

Image: Shutterstock

The post Not Your Bubbe’s Recipe: Dulce de leche Cheesecake for Shavuot appeared first on Jewcy.

My grandmother is a Savta, not a Bubbe. When I was growing up, she would cook freshly defrosted cuisine and serve Entenmann’s for dessert. For her cooking is a punishment; let her live on coffee and chocolate and she’s happy. Growing up this never bothered me; partially because I didn’t know anything else, but mostly because less time in the kitchen meant more time for her to play with me.

But at the end of the day, Savtas and Bubbes are grandmothers, and even the most reluctant cooks have a repertoire of recipes that the whole family loves. Every Pesach, my house would go into complete panic mode as we prepared for the descent of the entire family. When the Seder table was set, there, center stage, was my grandmother’s charoset.

Something about the tart apples, sweet red wine, the right amount of dates, and the generous amount of cinnamon made us hungry long before the Seder started. By the time Shulchan Aruch (the main meal) rolled around, there was no charoset to be found.

This dessert is inspired by my grandmother’s charoset recipe and made with the secret ingredient that always made hers so great: love.

Chag Pesach Kasher V’Sameach!

Charoset Pie
Serves 8-10

Ingredients

Crust:
1½ cups matzo meal cake flour
2½ tbsp brown sugar
Pinch of salt
¼ cup salt free margarine (at room temperature and cut into cubes)
6 tbsp olive oil
1 large egg (separated)

Filling:
5 large Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored, and cut into quarters)
½ cup dates (chopped)
½ cup walnuts (chopped)
1/3 cup sweet red wine
2 Tbsp olive oil
5 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt and pepper
2 large eggs

Directions

1. Preparting the crust by combining flour, brown sugar, and salt together in small bowl.

2. Beat your margarine into flour combination until it begins to feel crumbly. Then add olive oil and egg yolk until just combined.

3. In a separate small bowl, whisk egg whites until they form stiff white peaks, then beat into the crust mixture.

4. Form crust into a ball. It might feel a bit crumbly, but that’s ok, just force all the crumbs together to create a solid ball. Cover bowl of dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before continuing.

5. When dough is done resting: spray 10-inch round baking pan and roll dough with a rolling pin to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. If you don’t have a Pesach rolling pin, you can cut the dough into chunks and flatten them with your hand. The dough is very “giving,” so you can combine the patches of dough very easily with your fingers.

6. With a fork, prick the pie crust and refrigerate uncovered for another 15-20 minutes.

7. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake your pie crust for 15 minutes.

8. Start making the filling by slicing your apples into thin slices. Cover the bottom of the pie crust with one layer of apples. Sprinkle half of the dates and walnuts over the apples.

9. In a small ball, combine the red wine, olive oil, brown sugar, cinnamon salt and pepper. Beat the eggs and add them to the bowl.

10. Pour about 1/3 of the red wine mixture over the fruit and nuts.

11. Fill the pie crust with the remaining apple slices, creating a circular pattern.

12. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts and dates over the apples before pouring the rest of the red wine mixture evenly over the pie.

13. Bake your Charoset Pie for about 30 minutes or until the apples seem baked through and there is no more visible liquid.

The post Not Your Bubbe’s Passover Dessert: Charoset Pie appeared first on Jewcy.

I labored over a Passover macaroon berry pie recipe for weeks, certain that if I got it just right, my kitchen would be ready in time for the seders. I funneled all my purposefulness into creating flawless Passover recipes, thinking that the sweet salvation of dessert was all I needed. I planned on a pie crust made out of macaroon crumbs and coconut oil, I got together all the ingredients, managed my time sensibly, and then plowed ahead. I eventually kinda-sorta got the crust how I wanted it, but the soupy texture of the cooked berries caused major crust-erosion. And then I couldn’t ignore the unavoidable truth: I really dislike those pop-top cans of macaroons (too sweet, often stale).

Meanwhile, the kitchen renovation was stalled to a standstill. No amount of angry threats, desperate entreaties or sweet bribes made a difference. I could not make it happen faster, or even at all. Nevertheless, I dug in, and kept pushing the macaroon berry pie recipe, trying to make it to work. And like the phone calls I made to the electrician and plumber, it was going nowhere fast.

The belabored Passover dessert remained a hot unappealing mess until I squeezed past my narrow expectations and allowed myself to let go of my pre-conceived notions of how it would turn out. I considered my favorite macaroon recipe: Dark, dense, moist, chocolatey, not too sweet, and best of all—tried and tested! I had a hunch that it would make a perfect bite-sized tart crust when baked in a muffin tray. And then maybe because I had potato starch on my mind, due to the runny berries, I thought: crushed potato chips! I discovered that when folded into the chewy, bittersweet chocolate coconut shreds, they added a salty pop and a pleasing crunch to the macaroon shell.

Next I combined two cups of berries on a stovetop with sugar, lemon, and a pinch of potato starch, and cooked the mixture to a rich, jeweled-toned sauce. Spooned thickly over the macaroon mini-tart shell, it makes for a silky, crispy, juicy, chocolatey dessert! Easy to prepare in separate steps, these Mini Macaroon Berry Tarts can be assembled right before serving, and taste best when served at room temperature. Top them with fresh berries, chocolate shavings, crushed potato chips, extra chopped macaroons, peaks of whipped cream, or drizzles of chocolate sauce—whatever you like. These sweet little treats celebrate the festival of freedom with flexible flavor and an adaptable recipe.

p.s. Kitchen’s still not done, but is it really so bad? A raw-food seder actually sounds authentic, memorable, and quite liberating!

Passover Mini Macaroon Berry Tarts (Pareve/Dairy free)
Yields 12-15 tarts

Ingredients

Macaroon shells:
½ cup pareve chocolate chips or 2 oz. chopped chocolate
2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
¾ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder,
2 egg whites
¼-1/2 cup crushed ridged potato chips

Very Berry Filling:
1 cup of fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon potato starch

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium-sized bowl melt chocolate, let cool and set aside.

2. In a large bowl combine shredded coconut, sugar, salt, cocoa powder.

3. Whisk egg whites into bowl of melted chocolate. With a rubber spatula fold melted chocolate mixture into coconut mixture, until well-mixed. Fold in crushed potato chips.

4. Spray the cups of a muffin tray with cooking oil. With moistened hands, pat down a clump of macaroon mixture into the muffin cups so that it forms a shallow mini pie-shell.

5. Place in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until macaroon tart shells are crispy golden around edges. Remove from oven and let cool.

6. To make berry filling: in a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine blueberries and raspberries. Thoroughly mix in sugar, lemon juice, and potato starch, breaking down berries as you stir. Cook for 3-4 minutes until a thick and juicy consistency results.

7. Let berry filling cool. Spoon cooled mixture into tart shells and top as desired. Serve at room temperature and enjoy!

For a richer, creamier filling: blend ¼ cup almond milk, 2 tablespoons almond meal, and 2 tablespoons maple syrup together with berry sauce.

The post Not Your Bubbe’s Passover Dessert: Mini Macaroon Berry Tarts appeared first on Jewcy.

This recipe comes to us thanks to Susan Kohen from Virginia, with a note that read: “I love apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah, but since we have so many apples this time of year, I try and get a little more creative while trying to stay healthy.”

Filling:
– However many apples you have in the fridge
– Sugar
– 1 Lemon
– Cinnamon, Nutmeg, etc.
– Vanilla extract
OPTIONAL: Any other fruit you might have can work too–raspberries, plums, peaches, etc.

Topping:
– Do you have Quaker Oats?  Not fancy oats.  Just regular Quaker Oats.
– Some sort of chopped nut
– Any bits of cereal that are left at the bottom of the bag that might be too small a portion for a full bowl of cereal
– Butter/Margarine
– Stevia packets
– Cinnamon/Nutmeg
– Salt

Step 1: Cut up all your apples into manageable slices and squeeze the lemon over them so they don’t turn brown.
Step 2: Add a healthy pour of sugar to the bowl of apples, then follow with generous shakes of cinnamon and nutmeg and a splash of vanilla.
Step 3: Mix it all together with your hands and let sit.
Step 4: Time to make your topping! In another bowl, combine big handfuls of oats, chopped nuts, and cereal.
Step 4: Add 2 packets Stevia, a dash of salt, and some healthy shakes of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Step 5: Add a hunk of butter (half or quarter of a stick at least) and squish everything together with your hands.
Step 6: Pre-heat oven to 350
Step 7: Pour apple filling into greased casserole dish or similar piece of oven-safe cookware.
Step 8: Crumble (cover) the apples with your topping until you can’t see most of the apples.  Try and apply evenly.

Bake until top is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 45 minutes.

Top with honey, vanilla ice cream/soy cream/lite cool whip & enjoy.

Related: Not Your Bubbe’s Rosh Hashanah Dessert: Salted-Caramel Apple Galette

(Image: Shutterstock)

The post Jewish Mothers Cooking: Healthy Rosh Hashanah Apple Cobbler appeared first on Jewcy.