Category: Dessert

Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies

This may come as a surprise to some of you, but when it comes to throwing a party, I’m usually a last minute kind of person. And you know why? Because when I first think about all the food I have to make, all the people I have to invite, and all the cleaning up I’ll have to do, I just figure it’s not worth all the work. But then I start to feel guilty. And slowly but surely that Jewish guilt just ebbs its way in and at the last minute I scramble for menu ideas, put together a guest list and a couple of hours later we’re all having a good time.

I can usually put together a party menu in a jiffy but when it comes to baked goods, I’m all too guilty of passing up Duncan Hines as my own. I’m never one for store-bought mixes, and all those other one-bowl cake concoctions are not up my alley. But Duncan Hines brownies are the exception. And we all know I’m not the only one! How many more of you out there have thrown in a batch of Duncan Hines brownies at the last second and then took the credit when your guests couldn’t get enough. They’re just THAT good.

Well let me tell you something, dear readers. They can be even better! Adding some cinnamon and nibby dark chocolate gives the brownies a serious Mexican hot chocolate taste that is so decadent and dreamy. Adding the extra ingredients won’t even make you feel guilty about passing them off as your own!

So, if you’re last minute with your New Year’s Eve party (as I am in posting this recipe!), then give these brownies a try. And if you don’t want to say you made them, just say they’re BIB’S recipe!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies

1 package Duncan Hines chewy fudge brownies
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup canola oil
1 generous tsp cinnamon
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1 bar Scharffen Berger Nibby Dark Chocolate
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. In a bowl, mix brownie mix, eggs, water, oil, cinnamon and cayenne (optional, for a spicy kick). Break chocolate bar into chunks and stir into batter. Pour into pan and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Bake for approximately 22-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean (check in a few spots because you might be dipping the toothpick into a piece of melted chocolate).

NOTE: If you can’t find Scharffen Berger’s nibby bar, substitute with 2 tbsp cocoa nibs and 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

VARIATION: If you don’t wish to use packaged brownie mix, simply make your favorite brownie recipe and add cinnamon, chocolate and pecans.


1 year ago: fire roasted tomato rice stoup
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Chocolate Olive Oil Crinkle Gelt Cookies

I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about a post before. I mean, have you seen these cookies? If you think they look gorgeous in the picture, JUST. WAIT. TILL. YOU. MAKE. THEM.

My excitement over baked goods needs some explaining, I know. You see, as I’ve mentioned many times on my blog, I’m not the biggest baker. But I had this epiphany one night. I was thinking about crinkle cookies, and how you get those beautiful cracks in the cookie when it bakes. Traditionally, crinkle cookies are rolled in confectionary sugar, so they result in a beautiful zebra-like design. I figured, if I spray the cookies with edible gold spray paint, they’ll kind of look like a crumpled up foil wrapper from those chocolate Chanukah gelt coins. Am I right?

I thought about this one night last week and I was so excited, I couldn’t sleep. First thing the next morning, I ran to the store to collect my ingredients. My friends over at Colavita had recently sent me a few samples of their amazing olive oil, and I knew I had to incorporate it into the recipe. After all, isn’t it the miracle of olive oil that we celebrate on Chanukah? Luckily, Colavita included their 100% GREEK olive oil, and that just put it over the top. Olive oil and chocolate make a wonderful combination, so I set out developing a recipe for fudgy and delicious crinkle cookies. A few hours and a messy kitchen later, I hit the jackpot. To intensify the chocolate flavor without having to melt down chocolate over a double-boiler (I’m always looking for the easy way out, aren’t I?), I added some coffee and used dutch process cocoa powder. The result is a chewy, intensely-flavored chocolate cookie that’s reminiscent of brownies, but oh so much prettier!

To round out my Hanukkah cookie theme, I topped the cookies off with some real chocolate gelt coins. They’ve gone a long way since the waxy variety that used to be available. Nowadays, some of the chocolate gelt is made from real Belgian dark chocolate. So tell me, does it get any better than fudgy chocolate cookies topped with real dark chocolate?

In my special kosher package from Colavita, I received 4 bottles of their amazing premium world selection first cold pressed extra virgin olive oils, including:

Colavita 100% Argentinian Fruity
Colavita 100% Greek Classic
Colavita 100% Californian Mild
Colavita Private Selection 100% Italian

To celebrate Chanukah and these delicious cookies, Colavita is giving away free olive oil samples to one of my readers!

To enter the giveaway, and to get into the Hanukkah spirit, leave a comment letting me know your favorite deep fried foods! Also, if you don’t already follow me on facebook, like the BIB page here. Winner will be chosen at random at 11:00 PM Wednesday, December 12th.

Colavita is also generously offering a 25% discount to all my readers in honor of Hanukkah. Use coupon code BIB25 at checkout. Off expires 1/31/13.

Chanukah Greek Olive Oil Crinkle Cookies

2 cups flour
1 cup dutch process cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup Colavita 100% Greek olive oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1/4 cup water
Wilton gold color mist food spray
chocolate Chanukah gelt coins

Method:

In a bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the olive oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and coffee. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir well to combine. If any lumps remain, stir the mixture with a hand-mixer until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Place the dough in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

Roll 1 heaping tablespoon of batter into a ball and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Make sure to roll the batter quickly (otherwise the heat of your hands will make it sticky). Repeat with remaining batter.

Spray the cookies with gold spray paint and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.

While the cookies are still a little warm (but not too hot that they will melt the chocolate), press chocolate coins into the center of each cookie.

VARIATION: Spray the cookies with silver color mist and top with milk chocolate coins. If you prefer not to use color mist, you can roll the cookies in turbinado or powdered sugar instead.

NOTE: If you do not have Colavita 100% Greek olive oil, you may substitute with any other olive oil.

YIELDS: 3 dozen cookies


1 year ago: chanukah cookies
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Passion for Persimmon: Salad & Sorbet

I’ve blogged about persimmon before, but I couldn’t help exploring the overlooked fruit again since I just. can’t. get. enough. I first fell in love with persimmon when I went to seminary in Israel, where they can be found in abundance.

The most important thing to know about persimmon is this: there are 2 different types, fuyu and hachiya. They can both be enjoyed during the fall months, you just need to know how to eat them.

Don’t worry, I’ve pretty much got it all down pat. Read on and you’ll soon be on your way to persimmon heaven.

Fuyu persimmon have a squatted flat shape, almost like a tomato. They can be eaten when firm, but are best when they are just the slightest bit soft and orange in color.

My favorite way to enjoy fuju persimmon is in a salad. Use it as you would mango or papaya.

Fuyu persimmon also benefit from roasting with warm spices like cinnamon and allspice with a drizzle of honey.

Kale Salad with Persimmon & Pomegranate

1 bunch kale leaves, center ribs and stems removed
2 fuyu persimmon, hulled, peeled and chopped
1 pomegranate, deseeded (how to deseed a pomegranate)
1 avocado, cubed
1 small red onion, sliced thinly into half rings

Dressing:
1/4 cup extra light olive oil
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
salt & pepper, to taste

Method:

Tear kale into pieces and place in a large bowl, Add persimmon and pomegranate and mix to combine.

Add dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk to emulsify. Pour over salad before serving.

VARIATION: If persimmon are not in season, you may substitute with mango or peaches.

TIP: I have read that massaging the kale helps to get rid of it’s bitter aftertaste.

 

Hachiya persimmon are oval-shaped and cannot be eaten unless they are incredibly ripe – almost to the point of looking rotten. Unripe hachiya persimmon will leave a dry, pithy substance in your mouth that will make you want to scream :)

My favorite way to enjoy hachiya persimmon (short of eating the silky smooth pulp with a spoon) is freezing them for a few hours until the liquid turns into a creamy sorbet. One taste and you’d never imagine it was that easy!

The silky pump of hachiya persimmons can also be mixed into baked goods like cakes and pies as well as puddings and smoothies.

 

Hachiya Persimmon Sorbet

1 very ripe hachiya persimmon

Method:

Wash the persimmon and place in the freezer for 2-4 hours, until slushy, but not frozen solid. Turn upside down and slice off the tip. Scoop out the creamy flesh and enjoy.

1 year ago: apple celery veggie dip

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Rainbow Cupcakes

We all know I’m not much of a baker, but when my newsfeed got flooded with Noah rainbow crafts of all kinds, I was inspired to create something fun with my kids. All those multicolored rainbow cakes were definitely out of my league, mixing one batter is enough for me – forget 6! (not to mention all that unhealthy food coloring). Inspiration struck from my pinterest crafting board, where I pinned this cupcake idea a while back. I simplified the idea by using a simple glaze instead of a buttercream, as well as mini marshmallows instead of pastry cream. The results are absolutely adorable! Feel free to use your favorite cupcake recipe, or follow my easy no-mixer recipe below.

*In the story of Noah, G-d promised never to destroy the world again with a flood, and as a symbol of that promise, he made a rainbow appear.

Rainbow Cupcakes

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup orange juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners sugar
2-3 tbsp milk
blue food coloring
rainbow sour belt candy
mini marshmallows

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk flour, sugar and baking powder to combine. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, orange juice, oil and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter into cupcake tins filled with liners, until they are 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

In a bowl, combine the confectioners sugar with the milk and stir until smooth. Add a few drops of food coloring, until the glaze reaches a deep sky blue. Once the cupcakes are cooled, spread the glaze over them. Allow the glaze to set for a few minutes and prepare the decorations.

For each cupcake, set aside 1 sour belt and 3 mini marshmallows. With a knife, or using your hands, pull each marshmallow apart into 2 pieces (this will expose the sticky part and help them stick together). Press 3 marshmallow halves together to form clouds. Take the sour belt candy and gently press each side into the cupcakes to form a loop. Place the clouds on each side of the rainbow, pressing down to secure it in the icing.

Yields approximatley 24 cupcakes.

1 year ago: 3 layer chocolate cake martini

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Cinnamon Infused Honey


Have you ever seen those honey straws that the stores start carrying around the holidays? I can’t get enough of the delicious honey flavors! Every year, I buy a large assortment and place them in a vase at the center of my table. I also like to add a honey straw to each person’s place setting. Usually, I tie a bow around some gold napkins with raffia and slip a straw inside.

Honey straws come in an array of flavors from caramel to chamomile. But you don’t have to buy them to enjoy the taste of flavored honeys. You can make your own flavored or infused honey at home by following a few simple steps (see method below).

I love the combination of cinnamon and honey, but feel free to make your flavor of choice. I like to drizzle thyme honey over figs and cheese or vanilla honey over poached pears. The possibilities are endless, here are just a few…

rosemary
thyme
lavender
cumin seeds
fennel seeds
cardamom seeds
chamomile blossoms
rose petals
mint
lemon
vanilla
chile

What’s your favorite honey flavor?

This post is part of the Kosher Recipe Linkup for the month of September, featuring HONEY recipes. Scroll down for more!

Cinnamon Infused Honey

1 cup good quality pure floral honey
5 sticks cinnamon

Method:

Add honey and cinnamon sticks to a pot (running some warm water over the honey jar will make it easier to pour) and warm over low heat. Make sure the honey does not come to a boil (you’ll lose some of it’s health benefits and it will also create a huge mess if it boils over!). Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove honey from heat and cool (but keep it warm enough that it’s still easy to pour). Pour the honey and a few of the cinnamon sticks into a glass jar and seal. The longer the honey sits, the more of a cinnamon flavor it will take on. You can taste it periodically and remove the cinnamon sticks once the honey has reached your desired taste.

VARIATION: For other honey flavors, use approximately ½ cup herbs (unless they are very pungent) to 1-2 cups honey. Strain the honey from the herbs or spices when you are done steeping.

1 year ago: rosh hashanah roast

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