Category: Dessert

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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3-Layer Rainbow Cookie Cake

I came to the realization today that I’ve been posting quite a number of cakes for someone who calls themselves a non-baker. Am I right? As much as I don’t like to bake, it seems YOU all like when I do. Remember when my funfetti bundt cake went viral? And judging by the amount of  parsnip honey cake pictures that flooded my inbox, I’d say it was a huge hit!

With Parshas Noach this week, I thought it was just the right time to finally post THIS cake. I made it last November for my husband’s birthday, and I never quite found the right time to post it. I was thinking about what kind of rainbow recipe I could do in honor of the Torah portion in which a rainbow appeared as a symbol of G-d’s promise never to destroy the world again with a flood. I started looking through some old photos and I remembered this amazing 3-layer marzipan birthday cake, and it was just the thing!

3-layer rainbow cookies are my husband’s all time favorite, so I set out to make a birthday cake version for his surprise party. I’m not one for layered cakes, and each time I make them, I’m reminded just why I hate making them so much. But the end result is always worth it! Especially in this case.

If you’ve ever tried 3-layer rainbow cookies, you know what they taste like – marzipan. They’re cakey and chocolatey with a bit of jam in between the layers. But one thing they are not is FRESH. Once you make this stuff from scratch you can really taste the difference. Preservative-free cake is the way to go, and making it in a stacked layer cake is just SO. MUCH. FUN.

‘
My husband is the founder and CEO the boutique marketing firm AjaxUnion.  I call him Yossi, but in the workforce, he’s just “Joe”. In fact, is his GrowTime YouTube series, he teaches entrepreneurs “How to go from average Joe, to CEO”! Can you tell I’m just a wee bit proud of my hubby?

So back to the cake, I thought it would be fun to put a little Joe banner up in the same rainbow colors as the cake, and I just love how cutesy and Etsy-esque it is! What do y’all think?

My husband was gaga over the cake, but so were my kids. They’re big fans of 3-layer rainbow cookies, so it was a no-brainer. They keep asking me to make it again, so I’m thinking of going the old fashioned route and doing it sheet-style. It should be easier. Or maybe harder. Uh oh. I hate caking. I mean baking.

There’s only one reason for my venturing into cake territory and it’s all Molly Yeh’s fault. She just inspires me so much with her whimsical creations and I want to be her. Her rainbow mini cakes were the inspiration for this rainbow cookie birthday cake, and her funfetti cake was what got me to make this viral recipe. She also loves tahini everything, I even sent her halva from the shuk for her wedding present! So Yeh (pun intended), thanks Molly for making me fat.

Next up on my baking list? I’m thinking a pecan pie for Thanksgiving featuring one of my favorite spice blends. Stay tuned. It’s gonna be epic!

Happy Rainbowing!

3-Layer Rainbow Cookie Cake
adapted from Always Order Dessert

3 sticks no-trans-fat margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 extra large eggs
12 oz. almond paste, grated with a box grater
1 tbsp pure almond extract
1 cup coconut milk (I use Original Coconut Dream)
3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp red food coloring
1 tsp green food coloring
1/2 cup apricot preserves or seedless raspberry jam (or 1/4 cup each)

For the ganache:
1 cup full fat canned coconut milk
12 oz. chocolate chips

Method:

Grease and flour three 9″ pans and set aside.

With a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and continue to beat until incorporated. Add the grated almond paste, almond extract, and coconut milk, and beat until well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder and slowly add it to the batter, mixing until combined.

Separate the mixture evenly into three bowls. Add the red food coloring to one, the green food coloring to another and leave the third bowl without coloring.

Pour each batter into the round pans and bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (about 25 minutes). Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a small pot, bring the coconut milk just to a simmer and pour it over the chocolate in a large bowl. Let it sit for a minute or two and stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

To assemble the cake, level the cake layers with a knife so they are completely flat. Place the green layer at the bottom and spread with jam. Top with the yellow cake and spread with more jam. Finish with the red layer and top with chocolate ganache, spreading it all over the cake evenly.

Let the chocolate harden at room temperature or refrigerate until set. Use a fork to create lines along the top.

Other Rainbow Recipes:

rainbow slaw with poppyseed dressing
rainbow cobb salad
rainbow pommes anna
rainbow cupcakes

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Bourbon Honey Cake Balls

OK so truth be told, I may be one of those people that has big eyes. When I’m in a restaurant, I always order way more than I can possibly eat. And no matter how much food I have planned on my menu, I’ll walk past that extra special ingredient in the store and I just have to have it. It’s foodie FOMO and I’m guilty. as. charged.

So when honey cake season rolls around, I always make my amazing honey cake recipe, but then I pass by the honey muffins and all the assorted honey cake flavors in the bakery, and I’m all, “Oh, the kids would just love this!”. Which is precisely what happened when I saw the chocolate honey cake two weeks ago. I bought it, the kids loved it, and the next week, I bought it again. Except by then, we were all honey-caked-out, and the cake just sat on my counter for days.

I hate throwing things away, so I thought about re-purposing it in a trifle, or even an apple and honey cake bread pudding, but it just seemed too typical. I thought of all the foods you would make using leftover cake, and it hit me – rum balls! Rum balls are made using leftover brownie or chocolate cake, with added rum for a spiked chocolate truffle. I had to put my own twist on it, and since honey and bourbon marry well together, I decided to go with that.

To take my bourbon honey cake balls to the next level, I dipped them in melted chocolate and finished them with pink Hawaiian salt, because I love some salt with my sweet. The results were fudgy and reminiscent of a rumball – exactly as I had imagined.

The thing to keep in mind with this recipe is that it’s not quite a recipe at all – more like an idea. Since every honey cake is different (some are more moist and some are more dry), and everyone has a different amount of leftover cake, use your own judgement to put these together. If you’re honey cake is not so sweet, you might want to add additional honey, and if it’s especially dry, maybe even a bit of melted butter might help. Whatever you do, have fun, and don’t get too drunk on that bourbon!


Wishing you an easy fast and a Chag Sameach!

Bourbon Honey Cake Balls

leftover honey cake
bourbon
additional honey, optional
good quality chocolate chips
oil, if necessary
optional toppings: coarse salt, honeycomb, demerara sugar, candied orange peel, candied pecan
optional fillings: raisins, toasted coconut, dried pineapple, chopped nuts

Method:

Place your leftover honey cake in a food processor and process until crumbly. Add bourbon, one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture comes together in a ball. A moist honey cake will require less bourbon and a dry honey cake will require more. Taste the mixture and adjust seasoning as desired (if not very sweet, add additional honey). Add additional fillings, if desired, and roll the mixture into balls. Dip into melted chocolate (if your chocolate is too thick, add a bit of oil to thin it out) and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Garnish the honey cake balls with your favorite toppings (I like coarse pink salt to counteract the sweetness) and freeze or refrigerate until set.

VARIATION: for a quick and easy truffle, crumble the cake by hand and mix in the bourbon. Roll in demerara sugar and serve.

Related Recipes:

Parsnip Honey Cake
honey cake with caramelized apples
gingerbread truffles
Tu B’Shvat truffles

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Something Sweet Review & Giveaway

I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about a cookbook. OK maybe I do. It was Ottolenghi’s Plenty More. But other than Ottolenghi books, I don’t usually count the days until a cookbook comes out. It’s different when that cookbook is written by a friend and fellow kosher blogger, and when it’s jam-packed with mouthwatering desserts. Only desserts. 

The talented Miriam Pascal of OvertimeCook has been giving me (and all her readers!) sneak peeks into her cookbook for months now. As a foodie friend and fellow food photographer, I got a behind-the-scenes look at Miriam’s amazing photography, and I couldn’t wait to see it in print. Miriam and I started our blogs around the same time, back in 2011. We both had little experience with photography, but as our blogs grew, our photography improved and so did our traffic. As a food blogger, Miriam takes the cake (literally) for the most amazing desserts that she posts on her blog, as well as in her food column for Ami Magazine. I’m not much of a baker, but when I actually feel like shlepping out my kitchenaid, I turn to Miriam for delicious, no-fail recipes every time. I’m so proud of her achievement, that I even filled in for her, guest posting on her blog while she was busy putting the finishing touches on this book.

Leave it to Miriam, I just knew there would be no stone left unturned in her cookbook. She has literally covered all the bases, from a baking guide, to ingredient substitutions, kitchen equipment, baking tips and a holiday guide. I love the range of desserts she covers, including cookies and bars, cakes and cupcakes, muffins and pastries, pies and tarts, desserts and party treats, candy and chocolate, drinks and frozen treats and finally, frosting and toppings. That last one seriously has me drooling. I am a frosting addict.

Now not only did Miriam cover pretty much every dessert you can think of, she also listened closely to her reader’s requests, and developed recipes like no-margarine chocolate chip cookies, no-margarine sugar cookies, healthy muffins, egg-free chocolate mousse and even a coconut oil pie crust (I truly appreciate this one!). The best part about the recipes in Something Sweet is that they are truly accessible. Nothing is over-the-top fancy and all the recipes use basic ingredients that we can all find in our pantry.

Many of my followers know that I’m not a big baker, so I truly appreciate the clearly written recipes, thoughtful variations and plan ahead options. I don’t think there’s a single recipe in Something Sweet that overwhelms me, and that says a lot! Some of the recipes I’ve got my eye on include the bourbon pecan snowball cookies, gingerbread biscotti, oatmeal cookie wedges, honey sour cream pound cake and cinnamon cheese buns.

It doesn’t get more perfect than gorgeous photos, great recipes and an all-around well-written book. Congrats to Miriam on this tremendous achievement!

I’m excited to be giving away a copy of SOMETHING SWEET just in time for the holidays! To enter:

  1. Comment on this post and share your favorite “something sweet” (it can be food or dessert).
  2. For an extra entry, follow Busy In Brooklyn via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest. Just be sure to leave a note in the comment letting me know where you follow.

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents (for international entries, prize can only be shipped in the U.S.). Winner will be chosen at random at 10:00 AM EST on Monday, September 21st, 2015.

Pomegranate Cupcake
from Something Sweet by Miriam Pascal
Reproduced with permission from the copyright holders, ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications
http://artscroll.com/Products/SSWH.html

Pareve | Yield 1 dozen

½ cup oil
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1½ cups flour
½ cup pomegranate juice

POMEGRANATE GLAZE
1½ cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tablespoons pomegranate juice, divided
Pomegranate seeds, for garnish, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a standard (12-cup) cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, on medium speed, beat together oil and sugar until smooth and creamy.
3. Add vanilla, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and eggs. Beat until combined.
4. Alternately add half the flour and half the pomegranate juice, beating after each addition until incorporated.
5. Spoon batter into prepared pan, filling each cup about three-quarters full.
6. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until the tops are set. Remove from oven; cool completely before glazing.
7. Prepare the glaze: In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice; mix until smooth. Gradually add an additional 1-3 teaspoons juice if needed to form a thick but spreadable glaze.
8. Dip the tops of the cooled cupcakes into the glaze, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, if desired.

Variation: The flavors of pomegranate and chocolate go really well together, so you can frost these with Chocolate Fudge Frosting (page 188).

Plan Ahead: These cupcakes freeze well in an airtight container. For best results, freeze them without the glaze and add it just before serving, but you can glaze them before freezing if necessary. Be sure to let the glaze set before you cover the cupcakes.

Purchase Something Sweet on Amazon

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Parsnip Honey Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting & Rainbow Carrot Chips

I’m not a baker. Let me start with that. Sure I can follow a cake recipe. And I’ve even made the occasional Elmo and Barbie cake for my kids birthdays. But I don’t “bake”. Especially not cakes like THIS.

I don’t know what it is. The whole layering thing. And the frosting. It’s just such a MESS. Case in point: I decided to defy all logic and attempted to layer my cakes without trimming them first, so that they were flat. Of course the layers started slipping and sliding, so I had to separate them, post-frosting and then do the trimming. Mess is not the word. My kids were pretty happy though. They got to enjoy the best part of the honey cake (the sticky top layer), all smothered in frosting.

Now since this IS a honey cake, trimming the best part off the layers is such a sin. So I highly recommend you follow this technique so that the layers bake flat. Wish I had followed my own advice but I just get lazy when it comes to baking.


Case #2 in point, I let my frosting sit out after whipping it, and it got kinda warm and runny, but instead of refrigerating it so that it would hold up nicely, I just wanted to stack the cake already. THIS is why I don’t bake. No patience. Baking is all about precision, patience and organization, and while I do possess those qualities, baking does not exactly bring them out in me. Maybe it’s because I just want to get it done so I can dig in to the cake already!

So why this cake? Well, I came up with this crazy cool concept of doing a carrot cake/honey cake hybrid. And if that wasn’t enough, I had to switch up the carrots for parsnips, and take it over the top with FRIED RAINBOW CARROTS STRIPS. It’s go big or go home. Especially if I am about to make a layered cake!

I developed this recipe in honor of Rosh Hashanah, when it is traditional to eat honey cake, for a Sweet New Year. Since many people have a custom not to eat nuts on Rosh Hashanah, I knew I couldn’t garnish my cake with chopped pecans, which would have been my first choice. Shredded coconut is another great option but I wanted a little hint to the surprise inside the cake – the parsnips!

Honestly, I can’t say this cake tastes like parsnips. It tastes like honey cake. But when you get a couple of shreds of parsnip in your mouth, you get a little hint of flavor. If you want more of a parsnip flavor, add some more shredded parsnips to the cake. It’s as simple as that :)

I honestly could not be happier about the way this cake came out. I totally winged the recipe, and not understanding the science of baking, it could have been a complete flop. I was almost not expecting the cake to work but it came out so unbelievably moist! And my kids kept running downstairs wanting to know what smelled so INCREDIBLE.


I KNOW this cake is good for one reason and one reason only. The world’s most pickiest taste testers LOVED IT. My kids gobbled up the cake, licked their fingers, and said OH MY G-D between fork fulls. I kid you not. This is a home run. Kid tested. Mother approved.

Parsnip Honey Cake

1 cup coconut milk (I use Coconut Dream Original)
3 eggs
1 cup oil
1 1/2 cups honey
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 heaping cups shredded parsnips

Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
(may be doubled, depending on how much frosting you like)

1 stick butter or margarine
1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese (may use tofutti)
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 heaping tbsp honey
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Rainbow Carrot Chips

1 bunch rainbow carrots
canola oil, for frying

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans and set aside.

With an electric mixture, cream the coconut milk, eggs, oil, honey, brown sugar and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until you have a smooth batter. Stir in the shredded parsnips.

Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Leave the cakes to cool while you prepare the frosting.

Add all the frosting ingredients to a bowl and blend with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy.

Remove the cakes from the pans and trim so that they are completely flat (you can use this trick to bake completely flat layers). Frost each cake layer and scrape the sides to create the look of a naked cake.

To make the rainbow carrot chips, wash the carrots well and pat dry. Peel the carrots with a vegetable peeler, creating strips of carrots. Heat a few inches of oil in a deep skillet and fry the carrots in batches, until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels.

Before serving, garnish the cake with carrot chips.

VARIATION: Use carrots instead of parsnips in the cake, or use a mixture of both.
OPTIONAL FILLINGS: chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, shredded coconut, raisins, dried pineapple.
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS: chopped or sliced nuts (walnuts, almonds or pecans), shredded coconut.
BUNDT or LOAF PAN OPTION: This cake may be made in a bundt pan or 3 small loaf pans. Place the pans on a baking sheet to catch spills. Grease and flour pan and pour batter inside it. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Top with cream cheese frosting and toppings of your choice.

Related Recipes:

honey cake with caramelized apples
carrot muffins
couscous with thyme, honey roasted parsnips, carrots & beets
pumpkin whoopie pies with maple cream cheese frosting

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