Category: Snacks

Corn Flake Crunch Ice Cream

I am so excited to be a part of this all new kosher recipe linkup! Each month, the linkup will feature another theme. This month it is frozen desserts. Check out the other great frozen dessert recipes below!

I don’t have an ice cream machine, so when I thought about what frozen dessert to post, I kept coming back to one of my most popular posts, my peanut butter fudge ice cream pie. What makes that recipe so great is the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. Who doesn’t love that decadent pairing? My brother reminded me about another ice cream recipe that my mom used to make that also uses peanut butter and chocolate. Mixed with crunchy clusters of corn flakes and slivered almonds, this recipe is sure to become your next favorite dessert! Feel free to use store bought ice cream or you can make your own.

Corn Flake Crunch Ice Cream
adapted from “The Balabuste’s Choice”

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4.5 oz. (1/2 bag) chocolate chips
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 cups Corn Flakes
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spread the slivered almonds out on a baking sheet and bake until toasted and brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside. Add peanut butter and chocolate chips to a pot and stir over medium heat until melted. Stir in slivered almonds and corn flakes. Pour the softened ice cream into a 9×13 pan and fold in the cornflake mixture. Freeze for several hours.

You may serve this in scoops or cut into squares and garnish with chocolate syrup and slivered almonds.

1 year ago: fruit skewers with dipping sauce

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S’mores Chocolate Toffee Bark

It has been quite a few years since the hype of matza crack (made famous by Marcy Goldman of BetterBaking.com), but the thrill of the chocolate & toffee covered matza cracker has not been lost on me. I can eat it nonstop (that’s why they call it crack!) In the spirit of summer and Fourth of July celebrations everywhere, I decided to reinvent traditional matza crack into a s’mores version with graham crackers and marshmallows. Would you believe it if I told you that it’s even better than the original?! If there is one dessert recipe that you try from my blog, make it this one, you will not regret it!

Smore’s Chocolate Toffee Bark AKA Graham Crack(er) Bark

15 graham crackers
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or margarine, cut into pieces
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
a pinch of sea salt
1 9 oz. bag good quality chocolate chips
2 cups mini marshmallows

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with graham crackers, making sure to fill in any gaps (you can break the graham crackers into pieces to do this).  In a small pan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, whisking the mixture so that it combines into a caramel . Once it has begun boiling, let it bubble for 3-5 minutes, until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the salt and vanilla. Pour the toffee over the graham crackers and spread it over the crackers with a spatula. Bake for 15 minutes. The toffee will bubble as it bakes but watch carefully to make sure that it doesn’t burn (if it starts burning, reduce the heat to 325 or 300 degrees). Remove the crackers from the oven and pour on the chocolate chips. Let it sit for a few minutes until the chocolate melts, and spread over the caramel. Sprinkle the marshmallows over the chocolate and place under the broiler (set to high) for approximately 3 minutes, until the marshmallows start to brown. Remove the crackers from the oven and with a spatula, press down lightly on the marshmallows so that they melt into the bark a bit.

Place the bark in the fridge or freezer to set for a few hours. Once it has set completely, break into pieces. Place in a container with layers of parchment paper between the pieces to keep them from sticking together. I find that it keeps better in the fridge (especially in the summer), but it will keep for up to 1 week when tightly sealed (I doubt it will last that long though!)

Variation: To make matza or saltine bark, just use matza or saltines instead of the graham crackers. Top with toffee, chocolate and then sprinkle with nuts (sliced almonds, pecans, walnuts or whatever you prefer).

NOTE: I used a disposable cookie sheet, but if you are using a sheet pan, it might be a good idea to line it with foil and/or parchment paper for easier clean up.


Saltine bark made with pecans, another favorite!

1 year ago: grilled chickpea burgers
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Peanut Butter Mousse &
Levana’s Chocolate Espresso Mousse

At our local Bikur Cholim gathering last year, we were lucky enough to have Levana Kirschenbaum, the talented caterer and cookbook author, do a cooking demo for us. I don’t remember everything she made, but one thing that really stood out was her chocolate mousse. I’m not one to eat raw egg yolks (like in most mousse recipes), so when I saw her using tofu instead, I was intrigued. That Shabbos, I made her recipe for dessert, and it’s been a regular in my house ever since. The tofu adds a silkiness to the mousse that you’d never dream would come from soy. I started experimenting with silken tofu some more and this peanut butter mousse is one of my favorite outcomes. You can even make a parfait of mousses, and layer the chocolate and peanut butter into dessert glasses (keep it small because they are very rich!). I did that one Yom Tov and topped it with whipped cream and brownie crumbles. My guests nearly fell off their seats!

Thanks to Levana for generously sharing her chocolate espresso mousse recipe below. Make sure to check out her new cookbook, The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen!

Peanut Butter Mousse

1 lb. silken tofu
3/4 c creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

optional garnishes:
whipped cream
honey roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs (processed in the blender)

Method:

Remove tofu from packaging and drain on paper towels until all excess liquid is absorbed. Add the tofu, peanut butter, sugar, honey, cinnamon and salt to a blender and process until smooth. Refrigerate for a few hours until firm. Pour into glasses and garnish with whipped cream, chopped peanuts and cookie crumbs.

Variation: You can also make a peanut butter pie using this mousse recipe. Just add melted butter to the cookie crumbs and press into the bottom of a pie dish. Bake for 10 minutes to set. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Pour mousse into pie dish and top with whipped cream. Garnish with chopped peanuts and chocolate shavings.

 

Levana’s Chocolate Espresso Mousse
recipe reprinted with permission from LevanaCooks, author of The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen

1 c good quality semisweet chocolate chips (or grated chocolate)
2 tbsp instant coffee powder
1/4 c water
2/3 c pure cocoa powder
2/3 c sugar
1/4 c vegetable oil
2 tbsp unflavored brandy or rum
1 lb. silken tofu, drained

Method:

In a small saucepan, on a very low flame, place all but last ingredient, and cook, stirring, until melted. This will take about 2-3 minutes (Or microwave 2 minutes). Transfer the mixture to a food processor, with the tofu, and process one full minute, until perfectly smooth. Pour the mixture into 6 to 8 dessert glasses or cups, and refrigerate until firm, 2-3 hours.

1 year ago: best bbq potato salad

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Pesto & Goat Cheese Crostini

With a 3-days-of-cooking marathon ahead of us next week, I thought it best to keep it short and sweet today. It doesn’t get much easier than this!

Crostini are small pieces of toasted french bread that are served with a topping as an appetizer. With pesto, goat cheese, and sundried tomato, these make the perfect starter to your dairy Shavuous meal.

In a pinch, you can even use store-bought pesto and melba toasts.

Pesto & Goat Cheese Crostini

1 french baguette
olive oil
pesto
goat cheese
sundried tomatoes, coarsely chopped

Method:

Cut the baguette on the bias about 1/4″ thick. Lightly brush with olive oil and bake at 350 degrees until crisp and lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Once the toasts have cooled, spread on a tablespoon of pesto, top with a dollop of goat cheese and garnish with sundried tomatoes.

1 year ago: mushroom quinoa

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Salami Chips with Dijon Dipping Sauce

Funny story. When I was growing up, my mother used to prepare salami sandwiches for my siblings and I every Friday afternoon. She would pack up our sandwiches, and we’d take them to the courtyard of our building to eat lunch. Little did she know, each week we’d head straight for our building’s incinerator and throw our sandwiches down the chute.

I tried to eat those sandwiches, I really did. But those hard white pieces in the salami just made me gag. Fast forward quite a number of years and I’m a married woman. I’m in the supermarket with my husband and he wants to buy, you guessed it, salami. I explain to him that in no uncertain terms am I going to put that stuff into my mouth. But he promises me that his preparation is so delicious, even I will eat it.

So we head home, and true to his word, my husband whips up sauteed salami that is not only swallowable, it’s pretty good. I mean, I’m not about to go crazy over it, it’s still salami, but I can see where some might enjoy it.

Now fast forward quite a few more years, and that same sweet husband who whipped me up a dinner of sauteed salami, bought me some amazing food magazines for Shabbos (I’ll take that over flowers any day!). Among them is the Real Simple magazine and it has a recipe for salami chips. Sounds intriguing. So I whip up a batch according to the magazine’s directions and they come out disgusting. Absolutely, horrendous. I play around with the cooking time and the oven temperature, and finally, after countless batches, I get it right!

Interestingly enough, I have read that salami is often eaten on Purim to commemorate the hanging of Haman (salami is also hung). Salami chips would make for a unique and tasty shalach manos, or, you can serve them up as an appetizer at your Purim seudah.

 

Salami Chips with Dijon Dipping Sauce

sliced salami (see note)
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup apricot jam
1/4 tsp tarragon

Method:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place salami slices on a baking sheet and bake until crispy, about 25 minutes. When you see the salami begin to curl up around the edges, watch them carefully to make sure they don’t burn. As soon as you remove the salami from the oven, dab them with paper towels to remove some of the rendered fat from the top. Then, drain them again on paper towels.

Alternatively, you can make the salami chips in the microwave. Place salami slices between sheets of paper towel. Microwave for approximately 40 seconds, or until crispy.

For dipping sauce, melt the apricot jam in the microwave or on the stovetop. Crush the tarragon between your fingers. In a bowl, mix the mayo, mustard, apricot jam and tarragon. Serve alongside salami chips.

NOTE: To make salami chips, the salami needs to be thinly sliced and uniform.  You can purchase presliced salami from your deli counter, but I like to buy it whole and slice it myself. The only way to achieve this without an electric meat slicer is by using a mandolin. However, since the salami is soft, it bends as you try to slice it. My solution for this is to freeze the salami for several hours until it is almost completely frozen. Then slice it on the mandoline as you would a cucumber. You’ll get perfect, uniform slices every time.

VARIATION: For sweet and salty salami chips, combine 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar and 1 tablespoon water and melt in the microwave or on the stovetop. Pour sugar mixture over baked salami chips and stir gently to combine. Return chips to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes at 350 degrees.

1 year ago: chocolate dipped pretzel rods

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