Category: Snacks

Cinnamon Honey Walnut Butter

It feels like forever since I’ve posted real recipes! I’ve been so busy with the ebook, cooking demos and traveling abroad that I haven’t had a chance to really get in the kitchen. Luckily, I have a few recipes that I’ve been saving for days like these, and I’m finally digging them up.

Making your own nut butter is a lot easier than it looks. And the possibilities are endless! Almond butter, peanut butter, pecan butter, hazelnut butter (hello nutella!)….there are so many to choose from! Some people opt to soak and dehydrate their nuts before processing (it makes it easier to digest, improves the flavor, and removes bitterness), but that just takes the easy out of it! I go the quick route – blend, blend and blend some more until they go from piecey to mealy to ground to creamy…yummy! Stay tuned for the perfect compliment to this butter – banana oat pancakes, coming to the blog next week!

Cinnamon Honey Walnut Butter

7 oz. raw walnuts
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toast the walnuts for 3-5 minutes, until fragrant. Be careful not to let them burn! Set aside to cool. Place walnuts in a food processor and blend until mealy. Scrape down the sides and continue to process until creamy and smooth. Add salt, honey and cinnamon and blend until incorporated. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

VARIATION: use maple syrup instead of honey or add melted chocolate.

Related Recipes: sugared almonds

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4th of July Chocolate-Dipped Kettle Chips

I’m sure you’ve all heard the age-old adage, “Man plans and G-d laughs.” Well, I got the last laugh (or cry, I should say) last night.

I’ve got only one sister, and lucky for me, she lives way across the world in Australia. She might as well live on mars, because who in their right mind wants to make that trip, right? Wrong. Silly me decided to put my Miss Independent hat on, and I boarded a plane with my 8 month old strapped to me in the newest Ergo 360. My husband said I looked like a suicide bomber but I didn’t care. I was determined to make it across the world in one piece.

All went well on my trip to Los Angeles, where I switched to another aircraft for a direct flight to Melbourne. Lots of wonderful strangers helped me along the way (shout out to Chana Adelist!), and I graciously accepted their offers to shlep my hand luggage. I could do this. Until…I couldn’t.

So here I am, a day later, still in Los Angeles. I’ve got time to kill in my hotel room while my baby sleeps. Poor kid is wiped out from our adventure last night, which you might have read about on the news. I set out to be Miss Independent and I ended up under an indoor rainshower on my airplane. The trusty bassinet that kept my son happy was soaked with water, and I was tired, overwhelmed and just a tad bit weepy (ok, that’s an understatement). The jokes on me.

A week or two ago, I put these cute little 4th of July stars together for an Independence day post, but as luck would have it, I had no time to actually post it before I jetsetted off to the other end of the world. But now…now I’ve got plenty of time to kill before my next flight takes off later tonight. Lets hope I stay dry this time!

4th of July Chocolate-Dipped Kettle Chips
The sweet and salty flavors of these chips, combined with chocolate and sprinkles makes the perfect Independence day snack!

Popcorners Kettle Chips (or any triangle-shaped cracker/chip)
chocolate chips
red, white & blue sprinkles

Method:

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double boiler. Attach 2 triangle chips together in a star shape using chocolate as “glue”. Set aside to harden. Once set, dip half of the star shaped chips into chocolate and cover with sprinkles.

Related Posts: 4th of July Tartufo

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Peanut Butter Bars

Ah, chometzfest! That day or two after Passover when we stuff our faces with all the delicious foods we’ve missed for 8 days.

Yes – just 8 days! What is it about Pesach that leaves us craving chometz (leaven food that’s prohibited during Passover) so much? It’s just over a week and we can barely hold out for our pizza. Is it just a case of wanting what you can’t have?

I can still remember the lines around the block of the pizza store a mere hour or two after Pesach ends. Who’s not guilty of standing on those endless lines for a fresh hot slice of cheesy heaven?

Now that I have my own kids, I’m not about to waste my time waiting for pizza. Instead, we break out a couple of boxes of fun sugary cereal for a Cereal Chometz Party. My kids can’t get enough, and the pizza can wait for another day.

The next morning, I whip out some fresh, hot pancakes or cake, to enjoy the crumby deliciousness with a cup of hot coffee.  Now, that is what I miss over Passover. And peanut butter, of course!

Read on for some more chometz recipes in the Kosher Connection Linkup below!

Peanut Butter Bars

1 cup Flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
peanut butter crumb topping (recipe follows)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Peanut Butter Crumb Topping

1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8″x8″ baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl, mix the peanut butter, sugar, and egg and stir until creamy. Add the milk and vanilla and stir until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Pour the batter into the greased baking dish and set aside.

Add all the topping ingredients to the bowl you used to mix the dry ingredients. Mix until crumbly.

Spread the crumbs over the cake batter and top with chocolate chips. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until slightly puffy and very lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting.

Yield: approximately 16 squares.

Other peanut butter recipes:

peanut butter mousse
peanut butter fudge ice cream pie
peanut chicken curry
peanut butter corn flake crunch ice cream

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Sugared Almonds

Growing up, one of our family’s Passover customs was to use liquid sugar, or simple syrup, in place of regular sugar in our recipes. It was a stringency brought back from Europe by our great-grandparents, and we continue to keep it, year after year.

The night before Passover, my mother boils up a vat of water and sugar until thickened and pours it through layers of cheesecloth into mason jars. Not being able to use regular sugar on Pesach has it’s challenges. Like when you want to bake cookies, or cake. But it sure has it’s advantages too. Like when we want to make easy sorbet, quick lemonade, or a mix up a pitcher of sangria. These classic sugared almonds are another advantage.

Sugared nuts are different from candied or glazed nuts, which are oftened tossed with egg white and butter for a sticky coating. Simple 2-ingrediented sugar coated nuts are cooked down until the sugar crystallizes and forms a crunchy crust on the nuts. You may have seen (or smelled) them on the streets of New York, in those  Nuts 4 Nuts street carts.

The great part about making sugared nuts is that they’re a blank canvas for all flavors and combos. You can toss in some cinnamon (my favorite!) add a hint of sea salt (‘cuz I love sweet and salty!) or throw in a pinch of  cayenne for a little kick.

My favorite part about this kosher for Passover recipe is the great feeling I get from making them entirely from scratch. Cracking the nuts brings me back to the days of old, imagining what Pesach was like for my ancestors, as they prepared simple foods made from scratch, a custom we we have carried on for generations.

Sugared Almonds

2 cups raw almonds (or nuts of choice)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
optional add-ins: vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa, sea salt or cayenne

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Combine the sugar and water in a pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat until sugar is fully dissolved. Add the almonds and continue to cook, stirring constantly as the sugar thickens. After about 4 minutes, the water will evaporate and the sugar with crystalize on the nuts. Continue to stir until the sugar begins to turn light brown and caramelize. Watch the nuts carefully because they can quickly start to burn at this point. Pour onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and stir in  any spices of your choice. Bake for approximately 10 minutes until toasted and fragrant. (You can skip this step but I find that when starting with raw nuts, they need that extra bit of roasting for added crunch).  Set the nuts aside, they will get crunchier as they cool.

VARIATION: Try adding almond, coconut or vanilla extract to the sugar syrup or toss with the spices of your choice.

NOTE: If you want even more of a sugar coating, double the sugar syrup recipe and continue as above (the evaporation process will take longer).

 

Other Passover recipes:

chicken pot pie Passover croquettes
rainbow pommes anna
mock chopped liver

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Terra Stix White Chocolate Bark


I can’t believe how the years have gone by so quickly. It feels like just yesterday that I was getting dressed up in my princess costume, hopping around town with my bag full of shalach manos. Now I’ve got my own little princesses in tow, and I’m the one doing the driving. Where oh where has all the time gone?

I have some great memories of my mother preparing Purim packages for family and friends. She’d often give out Boston Cream Pies from Schick’s Bakery with a bottle of wine, and I was all too happy to deliver it. I’d get a dollar here and a dollar there, and always an extra stash of candy to nosh on.

The Boston cream pies were always a huge hit, and a welcome change from the bags of pineapples and wine that filled everyones tables. When I was just married, I followed suit and made mini pies for everyone, with a side of chocolate dipped strawberries. That was a good one!

I wish I could remember all the cutesy ideas I’ve had over the years. And the not-so-cutesy ones too. One year, I decided to make candy apples (from the “Applebaums”) and it was a complete disaster! There was a burnt sugar and red food coloring all over the place, and the apples were so sticky, I could barely package them!

When it comes to homemade food gifts, chocolate bark takes the cake for the easiest one of all. But I couldn’t just make any boring old chocolate bark! While nuts and dried fruits are delicious, they’re fairly typical. Instead, I decided to combine sweet & salty flavors with milky white chocolate and colorful Terra Stix. The result is so gorgeous, it’s almost too pretty to eat. Except when you do, the combo is so good you don’t want to stop!

Terra Stix White Chocolate Bark

5 bars white chocolate (3.5oz each)
1 bag Terra Stix (or any root vegetable chips)

Method:

Over a double boiler, melt the chocolate and spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle generously with Terra Stix. Refrigerate the bark until set, about 30 minutes and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Other Food Gift Ideas & Recipes:

chocolate dipped pretzel rods
hummus & pita chips
“Shushan sushi salad”
Purim pretzels with raspberry honey mustard pretzel dip
milk & cookies
salami chips with dijon dipping sauce

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