Category: Dessert

Blogoversary Funfetti Pecan Turtles

Happy 5th Blogoversary!!!! Will somebody pinch me?! I honestly cannot believe that I have been blogging since my first post back on January 19th, 2011. That is FIVE WHOLE YEARS of posting consistently 1-2 times a week. 260 weeks, 1,825 days of committing myself to this foodie journey. A journey that has taken me to places I never dreamed.

I never imagined this blogging thing would become a life’s passion and so much more than just a hobby. I’m so proud of the progress I have made as a chef (I had some embarrassing moments like these and these) and the strides I have taken as a food photographer (with hands-over-eyes emoji moments like this and this). I’ve thought about updating old recipes with better photos, or removing some posts that didn’t go over well, but the truth is, my blog is not just about the recipes and the photos, it’s about my journey.

I love when I meet up and coming foodies who are thinking about starting a blog. I always tell them to go back to the old days of BIB, and they’re always wowed by my progress. I think it’s such an important lesson for all of us, in whatever stage we find ourselves – as mothers, daughters, teachers, musicians, you name it – we can all get better at what we do, we just have to practice!

This is so true of photography, my photos are constantly evolving as I’m learning to find my photography voice. But as a foodie too – I’ve learned never to say no to anything, and my willingness to try new things has really opened up my palate. I’ve learned to love foods and spices I used to hate (like fresh ginger and brie) and not to be afraid of making my own bread or learning new cooking techniques. I have become quite fearless in the kitchen and for that I am thankful.

I’m so grateful to you, my loyal readers, who encourage me to challenge myself and wow you with fun and original twists on traditional foods, healthy spins on comfort food, and delicious baked creations which I used to detest. It’s all you. {Insert emoji kisses here}

To show my appreciation, I decided to ride the funfetti wave, because you all seemed to love last year’s funfetti cake which was so popular, it went viral! I love the idea of using the same theme for my Blogoversary each year (I wish I had thought of it sooner), so I’m going to stick with the funfetti thing for many more Blogoversaries to come!

These cute little funfetti pecan clusters are made with 5 pecans, to celebrate my 5th year of blogging! They’ve got the most incredible artisan caramel and I hope you give them a try!

In the meantime, as we head into my SIXTH YEAR (ahhhhh!), I’d love to hear from you. What would you like to see on the blog this year? What are some of your favorites from years past? Have there been any BIB kitchen fails? Please share in the comments below!

Happy Blogoversary! Cheers to many more, and hopefully a cookbook too, very soon!

Blogoversary Funfetti Pecan Turtles

2 cups pecan halves
1 recipe caramel 
12 oz. good quality white chocolate
colored sprinkles

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until warm and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Cool and set aside.

Prepare the caramel as per instructions and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes until caramel has thickened and is no longer runny.

Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon small dollops of white chocolate onto the baking sheet, using the back of the spoon to smooth it into a small circle. Arrange 5 pecan halves onto each chocolate circle, as pictured. Continue making circles of chocolate, then adding pecans until you have used up your pecans. Place the baking sheet in the fridge for a few minutes, until the chocolate has set up.

Remove the pecans from the fridge and top each cluster with caramel. Refrigerate again until caramel sets.

Place a spoonful of white chocolate over the caramel and top with colored sprinkles. Return to the fridge or set aside until chocolate is firm.

VARIATION: If you don’t want to make caramel from scratch, you may use store-bought caramels. Melt the caramels over a double boiler with a splash of heavy cream or milk and stir until smooth.

NOTE: If you make the caramel from scratch, you will have some left over. Pour the leftover caramel into a parchment lined pan and make caramel chews as per instructions.

Related Posts:

1st Blogoversary Mulled Wine
2nd Blogoversary BBQ Brisket
4th Blogoversary Funfetti Cake

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Artisan Caramels (NO CORN SYRUP)

New Years may have come and gone, but I’ve still got a lot of foodie resolutions to accomplish. Besides for the typical “I’m finally going to lose those stubborn 20 lbs. I’ve been struggling with” promises, I decided to tackle some things in the kitchen this year, and I don’t just mean cooking diet food.

I meet people all the time and one of the questions I’m often asked is, “Are you a chef?”, and I never quite know what to say. Sure I’m a recipe developer who develops custom recipes for companies, writes for food magazines and teaches cooking classes, but am I a CHEF? To me, being a chef is not about the certificate (although I did go to culinary school) or which restaurant you work in. Being a chef means food is your passion, and you are constantly striving to keep with the times and get better at what you do.

Being a chef, to me, means you watch cooking shows and read food magazines in your free time. It means you experiment with cooking techniques and ingredients and you’re never satisfied with the status quo. It means you must try the latest sous vide machine and keep up with the ever-changing food trends. It means you don’t say “I don’t do pastry” or “Smoking is not my thing”.

So when I thought about my foodie resolutions this year, I decided that I have to try everything at least once. There’s no more “I don’t bake” or “I don’t do dough”. If food is my passion (it is!), then I want to be well versed in all things food. Over the past few months, I’ve been taking this commitment to heart, and I’m happy to say I’ve mastered these things in 2015:

✔️ made my own sourdough bread
✔️ learned to cook sous vide
✔️ made a variety of pickled vegetables
✔️ Used fondant for the first time
✔️ Created my own blend of dukkah
✔️ Cooked with plantains
✔️ Made homemade krembos
✔️ Made bread bowls for soup
✔️ Spiralized everything!
✔️ Learned to tolerate cilantro (this is a real victory for me!)
✔️ Made cauliflower everything (rice, couscous, buns, pizza crust, nachos chips)

Now for 2016, some of my foodie resolutions included:

✔️ Learn to smoke meats
✔️ Make kimchi
✔️ Make homemade soft pretzels
✔️ Make my own laffa and pita
✔️ Experiment with flavored sugars and salts
✔️ Deep fry a poached egg
✔️ Make egg yolk ravioli
✔️ Make caramel
✔️ Bake with kataifi

I’m happy to say that as of this writing, I’ve already made homemade pita, and obviously I’ve mastered the art of homemade caramel!

I have to hand it all to my dear foodie friend Melinda Strauss of kitchen-tested, the caramel queen! ‘Mels are even part of Melinda’s name, that’s just how much caramel runs through her veins. She used to sell the most incredible nondairy caramels, aptly named caraMELS, and when I decided to take on the caramel challenge, I knew just who to turn to!

The truth is, this dedicated caramel post was never supposed to happen. Instead, I was working on a special PECAN TURTLE recipe for next week’s blogoversary post, and when I posted pics of the caramel making process, everyone went gaga with requests. And since the caramel making process was a journey in itself (it took three tries to get it right), I decided it deserved a dedicated post.

Melinda gave me a basic recipe to work with, and she really held my hand through the process. Mel and I both have a passion for health-minded recipes, and we both decided that pulling off a corn-syrup-free caramel would be an amazing feat. Most homemade caramel recipes call for corn syrup, and they are a lot easier to make, but I was up for the challenge. After my second batch burnt though, I was feel frustrated and almost ready to give up. But I persevered and boy was it worth it!

The best part about working on three batches of these babies was being able to play around with the ratios to make the perfect combination of chewiness and buttery flavor. Mel was kind of worried when I wanted to add more cream and butter but the proportions worked out perfectly in the end. #thirdtimesacharm.

Stay tuned for a special blogoversary post next week featuring this caramel!

Homemade No-Corn-Syrup Artisan Caramel
adapted from kitchen-tested

YEILD: 30 small caramels

2 cups sugar
½ tsp cream of tartar
1 cup water
1/3 cup heavy cream, room temperature
3 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
fleur de sel, for finishing (I prefer this brand)

Special Equipment: candy thermometer

Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper so that the excess hangs over the edges. Spray the parchment and the sides of the dish with nonstick spray.

In a large pot, combine the sugar, cream of tartar and water and set over low heat to caramelize. Whisk continuously until the sugar dissolves completely and the syrup is clear, around 5-8 minutes. To prevent crystallization, do not rush this step! If sugar crystals appear above the surface of the syrup, wipe down the sides of the pot with a damp pastry brush.

When the sugar dissolves, clip an instant-read thermometer to the side of the pan so that the heat sensor is immersed in the sugar (it must be immersed or it will not read the temperature correctly!). Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the syrup to a boil, whisking until bubbles begin to form, then stop stirring. Continue cooking the sugar without stirring, brushing down the sides of pot if crystals form. Because this is a no-corn-syrup recipe, this process can take 10-15 minutes, do not attempt to rush it by raising the heat!

Once the sugar starts to caramelize, it will quickly darken. Watch it carefully to make sure the caramel does not burn, and if it starts to darken more around the edges, lower your heat a bit, and swirl it with the thermometer to keep the color even throughout. When the syrup reaches 350 degrees F and is a medium-dark amber color, remove it immediately from the heat and add in the heavy cream and butter. Be careful because the mixture will sputter and foam at this point.

When the mixture settles, stir with a silicon spatula until smooth. The caramel will begin cooling down so return the pot to the stove and boil until the mixture reaches 248 degrees F, around 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat, add the salt and vanilla and stir.

Pour the caramel into the parchment-lined dish and knock the pan against the counter to remove air bubbles. Let the caramels set for 2 hours – overnight in a cool, dry place.

Lift the caramels out of the dish using the parchment paper and sprinkle with fleur de sel. Cut into desired shape with a sharp knife. If the caramels stick to your knife, spray your knife with a little nonstick spray.

Cut squares of wax or parchment paper a little larger than the size of your caramels and wrap each caramel, twisting the edges closed.

Caramels will keep at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

NOTE: If you store the caramel in an airtight container to use later (for turtles, cookies etc), you will need to place it in a bowl of boiling water to warm before pouring.


Related Recipes:

s’mores toffee bark
speculoos toffee party mix

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Jelly Ring Donuts

No need to rub your eyes, you’ve read that right. I’ve made JELLY. RING. DONUTS. I know they look like jelly rings. But these right here ^^^ are raspberry jelly infused baked chocolate donuts that taste EXACTLY like the candy. It’s a Chanukah miracle!

It all started with my husband’s birthday. He was turning 36 and his office put together a little surprise party. Apparently, they heard that I’m a “Chef”, so they asked me to bake something. Little did they know, I don’t do birthday cakes, but I decided to come up with something fun anyway.

JELLY RINGS are my husband’s all time favorite treat, so I decided to create jelly ring cupcakes. I baked up my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe and I filled them with raspberry donut jelly and topped them with chocolate frosting stuffed with a jelly ring. I even piped them and everything!

But I’m not a baker. So even though I carefully packed up those babies in foil pans and stuffed them in the corner of my trunk with a prayer, lets just say they did not make it in one piece. The frosting, which I had piled on high, did a little birthday jiggle with each turn of my car, and by the time I excitedly opened my birthday surprise, I was not looking very cheffy (understatement).

Everyone was nice enough to eat them anyway, and the consensus was: they might look like a poop emoji, but they taste like JELLY RINGS! Luckily, I had a few cupcakes set aside at home for my kids, so I was able to show my husband what his birthday cupcakes were supposed to look like. I posted a pic on Instagram and apparently my husband is not the only guy to love jelly rings. Lots of people asked for the recipe, so I decided I’d post it.

Fast forward a couple of days and I got an email from my blogger friends who wanted to do a Virtual Chanukah Party like last year. They had decided on a donut theme and I was in! When I thought about what donuts to make, I realized that I could turn my jelly ring cupcakes into donuts and have them not only taste like jelly rings, but look like them too. GENIUS right?!

So I set out to test the perfect baked chocolate donut. Something chocolaty and moist, but without that pudding-texture of the Hershey’s recipe. It took three tries but I finally hit the nail on the head. I used my handy dandy syringe to infuse the donuts with raspberry donut jelly, and I dipped it in melted chocolate. The results were beyond my expectations! The donuts look practically identical to jelly rings, and THEY TASTE EXACTLY LIKE THEM too! Seriously people. Jelly rings in donut form. So much YESSSSS!

Now I’m not the only one who blew it out of the water with my donut creation. Check out these awesome recipes from our VIRTUAL CHANUKAH DONUT PARTY!

Savory Hatch Chili and Cheddar Donuts from LittleFerraroKitchen
Savory Sufganiyot Hanukkah Doughnuts with Chopped Liver Mousse & Manischewitz Glaze from WhatJewWannaEat
Cake Donut Bread Pudding with Vanilla Glaze from KitchenTested
Deep Fried Brownie Fritters from OvertimeCook

We’ve also got a special Chanukah giveaway package that’s happening exclusively on Instagram, so head on over to enter!

Jelly Ring Donuts

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup coconut milk (I use Original Coconut Dream)
1 egg
6 tbsp canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup raspberry doughnut jelly (I like Bakers Choice)

For chocolate coating:
1 10 oz bag California Gourmet chocolate chips
1 tbsp canola oil

Special Equipment
mini donut pan
flavor injector syringe

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a mini doughnut baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and sugars. In a separate bowl, whisk together coconut milk, egg, oil, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a hand mixer until all of the ingredients are well combined.

Using a pastry bag (or a Ziploc bag with the tip snipped off), pipe the batter into the donut pan, filling it two thirds full. Bake for 8 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and rest for a few minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool.

While the donuts are baking, prepare the chocolate coating by melting the chocolate chips over a double boiler. Stir in the oil and mix until incorporated.

Fill the injector with donut jelly and inject each donut several times, filling it with jelly all around. I recommend injecting the donut from the flatter side, so that the rounded surface remains untouched, for a perfect presentation once it is glazed.

When you have finished injecting all the donuts, dip them in melted chocolate using a fork, and shake off the excess. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, rounded side facing up, and refrigerate or freeze until the chocolate sets.

NOTE: make sure not to infuse too much jelly into the donut or it will break apart.


This post is sponsored by California Gourmet Chocolate Chips. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.   View the list of over 300 stores that carry the brand here).

Related Recipes:

pecan pie lace cookies with raspberry jam and chocolate drizzle
cheese latkes with raspberry sauce
candy mosaic Chanukah tray

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Mexican Hot Chocolate Pecan Pie

It’s amazing how I’m becoming less and less into sweets. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love a good dessert. But sometimes I find the sugar so overly cloying. Like in pecan pie.

But with pecan pie being so traditional and all, I didn’t want to just cut it out of my life without at least trying. So try I did. And succeed, oh yes, I did!

Enter Mexican Hot Chocolate – the sweet and spicy rich chocolate drink with just the right amount of kick. I love how the bittersweet chocolate and chili balances out the sweetness in this pie. It totally works.

I’ve done this before with brownies, and it has become one of my most favorite recipes. My guests always ooh and ahh over my Duncan Hines fix, thinking I spent hours perfecting the best brownie recipe.

With pecan pie, it’s just the same. The filling is really fairly simple, and if you use a frozen pie crust like I did (insert-surprised-emoji-face-here), it’s as easy as 1-2-3.

This beauty is being gifted to Melinda of kitchen-tested for her pie bar tomorrow, which I will be lucky enough to be sampling from, after her crazy Thanksgiving feast! Sorry that I had to slice it open Mel!

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for a play by play of Melinda’s incredible meal! Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh, and happy pie eating too :)


Mexican Hot Chocolate Pecan Pie

3 large eggs
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3.5 oz. dark chocolate (I used 72% cocoa)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp cocoa nibs, optional (I use these)
1 pie crust (thaw if frozen)
1 cup pecan halves

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler and set aside.

In a bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Add the corn syrup, sugar, vanilla and salt and stir to combine. Slowly add in the chocolate, mixing as you go, until completely incorporated. Stir in the cinnamon, cayenne and cocoa nibs.

Pour the filling into the pie crust and top with pecan halves (they will float). Bake for 50-60 minutes, until pie is set and jiggles just a little in the center. Cool completely, at least 4 hours, before serving.

Related Recipes:

Mexican hot chocolate brownies
pecan pie lace cookies

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Cowboy Cookie Dough Bites

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been blogging here at BUSYINBROOKLYN for the last five years. Yes, for almost five years (my blogoversary is in January) I have been consistently posting recipes and sharing my love and passion for food. It truly blows my mind.

If you’ve been following me since the early days (and I know some of you loyal readers have), you might remember a popular cookie that was one of my very first posts, these cowboy cookies. Why these kitchen-sink-style cookies are called cowboy cookies is anyones guess, but they are popularly made with oats, pecans, coconut and chocolate chips. The chunky cookies are so fantastic, I decided to create a healthy, vegan version using medjool dates, one of my favorite things. The result? They look like cookie dough, the taste like cookie dough, and they’re all natural. You gotta love that!

Now when you’re making a raw truffle, you have to go for good quality ingredients because nothing is getting cooked. That’s why I use my favorite brand of chocolate chips, California Gourmet. There’s a reason their popular blue and red bags are now available in over 300 stores, most recently available in Illinois. The rich and chocolaty pieces really take these truffles up a notch!

Ever since my family has been introduced to a slew of food allergies, I’ve been trying to find ways for all my kids to be able to enjoy treats like cookies, without using any eggs. My eldest daughter loves cookie dough (she always picks out that flavor in the Ice Cream store) and my youngest is positively obsessed with chocolate chips. A cookie dough truffle was definitely the way to go, but I never imagined that something so wholesome would taste SO GOOD, and so much like cookie dough. My next challenge? Making an egg-free birthday cake. Anyone have any suggestions?

With the big FIVE YEAR blogoversary coming up, I’m also taking suggestions on what improvements you’d like to see on the BIB blog, and new recipes and ideas that you’d like me to post in the coming months. Share your ideas, comments and suggestions with me below!

Cowboy Cookie Dough Bites

12 medjool dates
1 cup oats (I used quick oats but rolled oats may be used as well)
1/2 cup pecans
1/3 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1 tbsp flax seeds
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of kosher salt
scant 1/4 c California Gourmet chocolate chips

Method:

Add all the ingredients, besides for the chocolate chips, to a food processor and process until the mixture comes together and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl (this may take a minute or two). Add in the chocolate chips and knead it into the “dough” by hand. With damp hands, roll about 2 tablespoons of dough into balls. Makes approximately 15 cookie dough bites.

NOTE: I used large, fresh and moist medjool dates for this recipe, If you’re dates are not very moist, you can soak them in hot water for a few minutes. If the mixture seems too dry, you can add more dates. If it seems very sticky (a little sticky is normal), you can add a bit more oats or nuts.

I want to offer a huge congratulations to California Gourmet for winning the NEW PRODUCT award (in the baking category) from Kosherfest this year! You truly deserve the honor!

This post is sponsored by California Gourmet Chocolate Chips. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.   View the list of over 300 stores that carry the brand here).

Related Recipes:

cowboy cookies
grape nut coconut crunch cookies
oatmeal breakfast cookies (oil-based!)
gingerbread date truffles

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