Flourless blueberry almond muffins (Kosher for Passover)

Passover is here!  While some people I know (whose names will not be mentioned, but they know who they are) lament over the lack of food options during Passover.  Some might even say they *whine* about it.  But I digress.  Bottom line is: food options are limited.  However, one can at least attempt to make lemons out of lemonade, as I have tried.

First off, in a #juliebakesgoessavory endeavor, I made almond crusted chicken fingers for dinner the other night (check it out on my instagram feed).  Then I saw a recipe for Kosher for Passover Almond-Bluberry Muffins, and thought that (a) they sounded delicious, (b) B would love them, and (c) I already had almond meal on hand from the chicken fingers!

I made a few adjustments given what I had at home (Turbinado sugar instead of demerara, sweetened (cinnamon) applesauce instead of unsweetened, and slivered almonds instead of sliced), but they turned out absolutely delicious.  Just a heads up -- I followed the directions and ended up filling the 12 muffin tins and still had enough leftover batter to make 4 more muffins!

And an added bonus?  They're totally gluten-free (or at least can be made that way).  I don't do much gluten-free baking, but between the almond meal and coconut flour I picked up recently, I'm sure I could get int it a little more...

Hope everyone has a wonderful Passover!

Flourless Almond-Blueberry Muffins
(Kosher for Passover, and can be made gluten-free!)
From Epicurious

Ingredients:

2.5 cups almond meal
1 tsp ground cinnamon
5 large eggs, separated
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 tsp kosher salt (crushed between your fingers as you add it)
1/2 pint (about 1 1/3 cups)
Sliced almonds (for sprinkling)
Demerara or raw sugar (for sprinkling)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners (keep a few extra liners around, in case you have extra batter).
Whisk almond meal and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
Set aside.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg yolks, granulated sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until pale and doubled in size, about 3 minutes.
Add almond meal mixture and apple sauce.
Stir just to combine.

In another bowl: use an electric mixer on high speed to beat the egg whites and salt (crushing it between your fingers as you add it to the egg whites) until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.
Add half of the egg white mixture to the almond meal mixture.
Fold to combine.
Then add remaining egg white mixture.
Fold to combine.
Gently fold in blueberries.

Divide the batter among muffin cups (I filled mine full and then had enough batter to make 4 more muffins).
Top with almonds and demerara sugar.

Bake muffins until tops are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes (mine took 25 minutes).
Transfer to a wire rack.
Let cool in pan for at least 10 minutes before serving.

*They can be made 3 days ahead.

Mini meringues

Confession: these are totally a copycat.  I stole the idea from a bakery I was in a few weeks ago, where, when buying a marzipan challah, which I will never -- despite how badly I'd love to -- be able to bake, I saw a bag of mini tri-colored meringues for sale.  They were Valentine's-y colors and so cute....and had a pretty hefty price tag on them for what they were...so I decided I'd bake some up myself for B and I for Valentine's Day.

I actually decided to make these easy on myself (crazy, I know, right?), and despite deciding to make something in three different colors, I figured I could slowly add the food coloring to the meringues in two steps, to get gradations of color.  Pretty sneaky -- and efficient -- right?

I've made meringues hundreds of times.  They're a go-to Passover recipe in our family.  But I always forget the proportions of sugar to egg white to cream of tartar to salt to vanilla, so I googled it and found this recipe.  If you have a go-to meringue recipe that you use, go ahead and use that one, and just jump on in at the point when I talk about food coloring and piping.

Check out just how mini they are!
These are next to a regular Valentine's conversation heart!!

Tri Colored Valentine's Day Mini Meringues
Adapted from this recipe

Ingredients:

3 egg whites
1 1/2 tsp clear or regular vanilla extract (or any other flavor you'd like -- I debated strawberry for my pink ones)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
"dash" of salt
2/3 cups sugar

red food coloring

Directions:

Place egg whites in a small bowl.
Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Preheat the oven to 250F.
Add vanilla, cream of tartar, egg whites, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer.
Beat on medium speed until foamy.
Gradually add sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a time.
Beat on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved.
Continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form, about 7 minutes.

Place a small star or decorative piping tip on a piping bag (I used a Wilton 22).
Add about 1/3 of the mixture to the piping bag.
Pipe mini meringues onto the prepared baking sheet, about 1-1.5" apart.

Once done piping the white meringues, add a few drops of red food coloring to the remaining mixture.
Beat until color is incorporated and the desired pink color has been reached.
Remove 1/2 of the mixture and repeat the piping process.

Once done piping the pink meringues, add a few drops of red food coloring to the remaining mixture.
Beat until color is incorporated and keep adding drops until the desired red color has been reached.
Add the remaining red mixture to a piping bag and repeat the piping process.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until firm to the touch (my mini ones took 25 minutes).
Turn off oven (do not open oven door).
Leave meringues in the oven for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on baking sheets.

Once cool, remove meringues from the baking sheet.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

FYI I got 450 -- yup, four hundred and fifty -- mini meringues!!

Passover brownies

A few years ago, I was talking with a patient of mine about all the baking I was doing for Passover.  She asked me what I was making -- for the life of me, I don't remember what it was except for the Mandel Bread -- but I do remember that she was shocked that I wasn't making brownies.  She apparently had a family recipe for Passover brownies that were delicious and easy to make.

So I ended up getting the recipe from her, because frankly who doesn't want a delicious, easy, and chocolatey Passover dessert?

Because my cousin is allergic to nuts, I substitute chocolate chips for the nuts, but I'm sure they'd be good without nuts or chocolate chips.

AF's Delectable Passover Brownies

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup oil
3/4 cup potato starch
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup nuts -- I substitute chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F.

Great a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Mix eggs, sugar, oil, potato starch, and cocoa.
Add the chocolate chips or nuts.

Pour brownies into prepared pan.

Bake for 50 minutes.

Let cool completely before cutting.

Passover apple cake

Passover is over, but that doesn't mean it's too late for me to post one of my last two recipes from this Passover, right?  I sure hope not, because these two are great recipes that are worth having!

My mom got this recipes years ago (we're talking several decades) from a friend of hers, and frankly I think she's made it every year since.  It is one of my all time favorite Passover recipes, one that I grew up on and consider to be an essential part of Passover.  It's also super simple to make.  Always an added bonus!  And this year, I let my mom relax while I did most of the prep for this cake.

A's Passover Apple Cake

Ingredients:

4 apples, peeled (I used 2 granny smith and 2 red apples....my mom bought them and I don't remember which type they were)
3 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup matzah meal or cake meal (I use cake meal)
Cinnamon

A's recipe also says 1 Tbsp raspberry jam or raisins, but we've never used those

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Grease a 9" springform pan.

Slice the apples into the pan.
Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl.
Add the oil and mix.
Add the sugar and mix.
Add the matzah meal or cake meal and mix well.  I find a hand mixer to work best for this.

Pour the mixture over the apples and bake for 50 minutes.

Let cool.
Remove the springform part of the pan.
Serve or cover with saran wrap.

Passover mandel bread

Two years ago I made my friend L's kosher for Passover mandel bread for Passover and I was hooked.  It was, in my opinion, one of the best kosher for Passover treats I had even had.  Ever.  And with a cup of coffee?  Heaven!  I made it last year, too, and when it came time to make it this year, I thought I might mix it up a little and make a few varieties.

First up was the original.  Because how could I NOT make the amazing chocolate chip mandle bread?!  The recipe is here.  It's also the base for the other two varieties I made.

Second up was the espresso chip mandle bread.  And the third?  Mocha chip.

Frankly, I don't think this needs more of an introduction than I gave them already.  So here it goes:

Espresso Chip Passover Mandel Bread
Adapted from L&A's Kosher for Passover mandel bread

Ingredients:

2 3/4 c. matza cake meal
1/2 lb. butter
2 c. sugar
6 eggs
3/4 c. potato starch
1/2 tsp. salt
6 oz. passover chocolate, or chips and/or nuts (I leave the nuts out and go with all chocolate)
1 1/2 Tbsp finely ground coffee or instant espresso powder

2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Cream the butter and sugar
Add the eggs one at a time, beat until smooth.
Sift the cake meal, potato starch, salt, and coffee.
Fold the dry mixture into the egg mixture.
Mix thoroughly.
Add the chocolate, and chopped nuts (if using)
Form into 3 or 4 loaves on a greased baking sheet (I used foil-lined sheets and they work just fine), about 3 inches wide.
Top with the mixture of 2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
Bake 40-45 minutes
When mostly cooled but still a little warm, slice into 1-1.5" slices

Mocha Chip Passover Mandle Bread
Adapted from L&A's Kosher for Passover mandel bread

Ingredients:

2 3/4 c. matza cake meal
1/2 lb. butter
2 c. sugar
6 eggs
3/4 c. potato starch
1/2 tsp. salt
6 oz. passover chocolate, or chips and/or nuts (I leave the nuts out and go with all chocolate)
1 1/2 Tbsp finely ground coffee or instant espresso powder
4 Tbsp cocoa powder (I debated taking out a few Tbsp of cake meal to make up for the cocoa powder, but didn't end up doing that.  It turned out fine.)

2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Cream the butter and sugar
Add the eggs one at a time, beat until smooth.
Sift the cake meal, potato starch, salt, cocoa powder, and coffee.
Fold the dry mixture into the egg mixture.
Mix thoroughly.
Add the chocolate, and chopped nuts (if using)
Form into 3 or 4 loaves on a greased baking sheet (I used foil-lined sheets and they work just fine), about 3 inches wide.
Top with the mixture of 2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
Bake 40-45 minutes
When mostly cooled but still a little warm, slice into 1-1.5" slices

Lime macaroons

I wanted to make a Passover dessert for my sister.  My non-chocolate-loving sister (I know -- shocking that I, of all people, have one of those!).  I ended up deciding that macaroons would be the best in a fruity flavor, especially because coconut is fruity and tropical.

So these lime macaroons were born!  I have to say, they taste kinda like a tropical vacation :)  Now if only I could find out if rum was kosher for Passover... :-)

*In terms of "kosher for Passover," please see my disclaimer here.*

Lime Macaroons
Adapted from this recipe

Ingredients:

14 oz sweetened coconut
2 tsp vanilla
14 oz can condensed sweetened milk
Juice of 1-2 limes
Zest of 1-2 limes, finely grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Line cookie sheet with non-stick foil (I didn't have non-stick foil so I sprayed foil with non-stick spray)/

Mix coconut, vanilla, condensed milk, and chocolate chips together in a large mixing bowl.
Take a teaspoon-sized amount of the mixture and roll it into a ball with your hands (or cheat like me, and use a mini scooper).
Place them on a cookie sheet, spaced apart.
Bake about 15-20 minutes until golden brown (watch them carefully so they don't burn).  Mine took 14 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate chip macaroons

These are macaroons.  Not macrons.  I've made those before (and probably will again soon, for Passover).  These are those good, old fashioned shredded coconut cookies that come in cans, which are ubiquitous with Passover.  Except they're not from a can.  These are homemade.  With just 4 ingredients.  And they're goooood.

OK, those of you that keep kosher for Passover will argue that this recipe is not really kosher for Passover.  For one, it uses condensed sweetened milk.  But I'm working on making them without the sweetened condensed milk....hopefully I can figure it out, and then I'll let you know.

Now one thing -- these call for being dipped in chocolate after they've been baked and cooled.  Although I used mini chocolate chips, and they seemed SO chocolatey, that I left out the dipping part.  Which is fine with me, especially because the dipping process can be long and annoying.  But if you wanted to dip them in chocolate, no one would hold it against you!

Chocolate Chip Macaroons
Adapted from this recipe

Ingredients:

14 oz sweetened coconut
2 tsp vanilla
14 oz can condensed sweetened milk
2 cups chocolate chips (I used mini chocolate chips)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Line cookie sheet with non-stick foil (I didn't have non-stick foil so I sprayed foil with non-stick spray)/

Mix coconut, vanilla, condensed milk, and chocolate chips together in a large mixing bowl.
Take a teaspoon-sized amount of the mixture and roll it into a ball with your hands (or cheat like me, and use a mini scooper).
Place them on a cookie sheet, spaced apart.
Bake about 15-20 minutes until golden brown (watch them carefully so they don't burn).  Mine took 14 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.

Matzah candy

We call this matzah candy in my family.  I've heard this called a lot of different things: matzah toffee, chocolate toffee matzah, and even toffee buttercrunch matzah.  They're all slight variations on the same name, but one thing is for sure: it's AWESOME!  And frankly, the most buzzed about food at the Seder (except, of course, my mom's brisket, which is simply the BEST brisket ever.  EVER.).  My mom got the recipe from her friend, who got it from her daughter-in-law.

The other thing about this recipe, besides being delicious?  It's insanely easy to make!  Just be careful not to burn it.  Because burning all this deliciousness would just be a tragedy.  A tragedy, I tell you!

*I've seen some iterations of this with chopped nuts or toasted slivered almonds on top.  We make ours nut-free for two reasons: the recipe we got didn't call for nuts, and my cousin is horribly allergic to nuts.  But, in case you want to add nuts, I'd do it as the final step after you spread the chocolate.*

Matzah Candy
From my mom's friend B

Ingredients:

6 sheets of matzah
2 sticks butter (we used unsalted, but it didn't specify....I might use salted next time)
1 cup brown sugar
Semisweet chocolate chips
White chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Line a baking sheet with edges with parchment paper.
Place matzah on baking sheet in one layer without overlapping.
Break matzah sheets to fit on the baking sheet.

In a saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar over medium-high heat.
Boil for about 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour the mixture over the matzah and spread evenly.

Bake for 10-15 minutes -- WATCH IT CAREFULLY, IT CAN BURN!

Remove the tray from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips and white chocolate chips.
Allow the chips to melt for a few minutes and then spread them over the matzah.  I personally like to stagger the white chocolate chips and then swirl them over, making it a marbled look -- unfortunately that didn't work that well this time.
*If you wanted to add nuts to yours, now would be the time to do it :-)*

Break into pieces and put in the fridge to allow to cool.
Once cool, transfer to an airtight container.

Flourless chocolate earth cake

This year, my baking for Passover was limited.  I mean, baking for Passover is always limited, but I was particularly limited this year given my school work.  I did manage to make a delicious flourless chocolate cake, though!  This recipe was given to my mom by a friend of hers, who recommends the only garnish needs to be a sprinkling of powdered sugar (but that's not kosher for Passover), so I served it with some cut strawberries.

Passover Chocolate Earth Cake

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter (I used unsalted)
1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces (I used semisweet, since they're interchangable)
9 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Butter a 9" springform pan

Melt the chocolate and butter together (I did it in a pot on the stove, though the original recipe says you can use the microwave, but to be careful not to burn it).

Whisk yolks and sugar together until light yellow.
Whisk a small amout of the chocolate mixture into the yolk mixture, then add in the rest of the chocolate mixture once it has been tempered.

Beat whites until stiff.
Fold whites into chocolate mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan.
Bake 20-25 minutes.

Let cake start for 10 minutes then release the sides of the pan.

If using powdered sugar, sprinkle it on now.

ENJOY!!!! (This part was copied from the original recipe, too).

Vanilla macarons

When I baked my mom's birthday cake last week, the recipe called for an egg and an egg yolk (I doubled the recipe, so 2 yolks).  That left me with 2 egg whites.  Great for a breakfast omelette - which, I admit, was the first thought that popped into my mind - or macarons (they call for 3 egg whites, usually).  Of course I tossed the egg whites this morning (I had added a third one to the mug), and then looked at the recipe and found out that it actually calls for 3-5 day old egg whites (mine were 7 days, so in retrospect, tossing them this morning was a good idea).  I had read once, years ago, that room temperature egg whites were best, so I left them sitting out on the counter during the day while I did other things (school work, cleaned, ran errands).

I surprisingly had all the ingredients in the apartment.  That's because there are 5 ingredients in this recipe.  And  because I had leftover almond meal from the last time I made macarons.  You can use blanched almonds -- or you can buy almond meal (mine is from Trader Joe's).  The difference is mostly in appearance -- mine are "flecked" with pieces of almond skin.  If I were making them for an event or if I were to color them (with powdered food coloring only), I'd probably go through the task of grinding my own blanched almonds.  But since I was making macarons just for the sake of making macarons, I went with what I had (and the easy option).

I've made macarons before.  Three times to be exact.  The first time I made Snickers macarons (making delicate French cookies into an American candy bar is kinda sacreligious), then I made pink lemonade macarons (which used pink lemonade mix....sacreligious again, I know), and then chocolate macarons for Passover (less sacreligious).  This time I opted to go with good old fashioned plain macarons.  Although the recipe I used called for the seeds of half a vanilla bean, which I hadn't seen in other recipes.  By the way, these would be great for Passover (which is next month!).

French Macarons
From Tartelette

Ingredients:

100 grams egg whites
25 grams granulated sugar
200 grams confectioners sugar
110 grams ground almonds (or whole almonds)
seeds of half a vanilla bean

Directions:

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue.
Combine the almonds and powdered sugar in a food processor (I used a whisk) and give them a quick pulse if you use already ground almonds.  If using whole almonds, pulse thoroughly for a minute or so.
Add them to the meringue, along with seeds from the vanilla bean, and start to give quick strokes at first to break up the mass, and then slow down.  Should be no more than 50 strokes.
Mixture is ready when tops of drops flatten out on their own.  If theres still a small beak, fold a few more times.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchement paper lined sheets.
Preheat the even to 280-300F.
Let the macarons sit out for an hour to allow their shells to harden a bit (this is what gives them the little "foot" at the bottom when they bake).
Bake for 15-18 minutes, depending on their size.
Let them cool completely before filling. 

Pipe or spoon some of the filling on one shell and sandwich with another.

White Chocolate Ganache
(Stolen from one of my all time favorite brownie recipes, and quite possibly my mom's favorite brownie ever)

Ingredients:

6 ounces high-quality white chocolate, chopped

5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon  (optional - I opted for it on some of them)

 

Directions:

 

Place white chocolate in medium microwave-safe bowl.

Bring cream to simmer in small saucepan.

Pour cream over chocolate in bowl.

Let stand 30 seconds, then stir until chocolate is melted and smooth.

If necessary, microwave on low power in 10-second intervals until white chocolate is melted completely.

Chill until ganache is thick but not hard.

 

Fill the macarons.  Let them sit a little while so the ganache is not too soft or runny.  Serve.

Hazelnut thumbprint cookies (kosher for Passover!)

I made these cookies last year for Passover.  That was pre-food processor, in which I attempted to pulse the whole nuts, sugar, matzah cake meal, and salt in several small batches in what I'll call a "mini-prep," a sad mini food processor wannabe.  Needless to say, they had bigger chunks of hazelnuts in them than I think the original recipe calls for.  I also made big cookies.  Big enough that I was able to use a big piece of chocolate as the center.  This time, I opted for mini cookies (by now you should not be surprised).  These are significantly smaller, and all I needed was one (upside-down) chocolate chip in the center.

The nice thing about these cookies is that they have a non-kosher for Passover (aka "regular") version, as well.  You know, for the other 357 days of the year then you don't have to use matzah cake meal.  I also think that those would be great with nutella in the center.  I mean whats better than hazelnuts and chocolate?  Hazelnuts and hazelnut-chocolate spread, I presume!

Hazelnut Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies (Thanks, SmittenKitchen!)
Makes about 24 of the Passover version (I got 45 mini ones, plus some extra dough and a lack of patience to finish making them)

1 almost-full cup (4 ounces) hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and cooled
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup matzo cake meal (you can substitute 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate (I used chocolate discs last year, I stuck with chocolate chips this time around)
Pulse hazelnuts, sugar, matzo cake meal (or flour), and salt in a food processor until finely ground. (Be careful not to grind to a paste.) Transfer to a bowl and stir in butter, egg, and extract until combined well.
Chill dough, covered, until firm, about 30 minutes.
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Roll into 1 tbsp balls and place 1 inch apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet (you could do it on an ungreased cookie tray as well). 
Chill until slightly firm, about 10 minutes (I skipped this step).
Press one piece of chocolate firmly into the top of each ball of cookie dough and bake, 1 sheet at a time, until tops are pale golden and undersides are golden, 10 to 12 minutes (it took about 7 minutes for my mini ones).  Be careful not to overbake.
Transfer cookies to a rack and cool completely.

Smitten kitchen also has a jam-filled version and directions on how to make almond thumbprint cookies, too.  Check them out through the link above.

Matzah gnocchi

Two thumbs WAY up to Bon Appetit!  In the April 2012 issue, they have a section on an Italian Passover Seder.  Instead of matzah balls, they have matzah gnocchi.  Now, I'll be honest...matzah balls are one of my all time favorite Passover foods, and I've even been known to order them at the diner when it isn't Passover.  So while part of me was intrigued - and excited - about trying these gnocchi, part of me was thinking to myself "why fix something that isn't broken?"  However, I think they're different enough from matzah balls so that they aren't trying to fix matzah balls as much as they're a great addition to the soup (my mom served both matzah balls and this gnocchi at the second seder).

Matzah Gnocchi (from Bon Appetit)

1 large (11-12 oz) russet potato
1/4 cup matzah meal
1 Tbsp finely minced fresh chives
1 Tbsp finely minced flat leaf parsley
Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg (I used the pre-ground stuff and it was fine)
Kosher salt
3 large egg yolks, beaten to blend
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
Chicken broth

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F
Bake potato until tender, about 1 hour.  Let cools lightly. 
Peel potato and pass through a ricer or food mill (or press through the holes in a colander) into a medium bowl.
Add matzah meal, herbs, and nutmeg; season to taste with salt (and pepper, I think they left that out)
Add yolks, stir to form a dough.

Divide dough into 4 pieces.
Working with 1 piece at a time and keeping the others covered with a kitchen towel, roll dough into a 12" roll.  Cut into 1" pieces.  Transfer gnocchi to a parchement-lined rimmed baking sheet.  Cover with a towel.

Bring broth to a simmer (I used salted water, because I wanted to serve them with cheese, and couldn't if they were cooked in chicken broth).  Season with salt and pepper.  Add gnocchi, simmer until tender, 4-5 minutes.  Divide among bowls.  Drizzle with olive oil. 

ENJOY!

Chocolate macarons

The other day I made these pink lemonade macarons with lemon curd filling.  While they didn't end up quite as pink as I had hoped, they definitely tasted good, and that made up for any lack of pinkness that existed.  While I won't use pink lemonade mix for Passover, I liked the idea of the lighter, coconut-free macaron as opposed to the coconut macaroons synonymous with Passover.  I decided to go with chocolate macarons because, frankly, I think anything with chocolate is better than plain old vanilla (I know it's a personal preference, but hey, i'm the one baking, so what I want is what you're going to get!).

I made the chocolate macarons from Tartelette as part of her Snickers macarons (which I've made before and highly recommend), but I swapped out the peanuts for more almonds, since peanuts are not kosher for Passover.  To get some extra-chocolatey flavor, I went with special dark cocoa instead of the plain cocoa.  They came out a little thicker than I had hoped (unsure what the culprit was), which I thought was fine until I baked them, and most of them ended up going leaning-tower-of-Pisa on me. 



The good thing about these macarons - despite their slantedness - is that they taste good.  I even think they're too rich to fill with the ganache that I had planned on using.  The beautiful thing is that I can serve them as they are, without the filling and a little slanted, and they'll still be great.  And it just means i'll have to make some more macarons again soon :)

Chocolate Macarons (from Tartelette, slightly modified my way, but I'd stick with her original)

3 egg whites (Tartelette likes to use 1-2 day old egg whites, I'd stick with one day old)
50 gr. granulated sugar
200 gr. powdered sugar (minus 2 Tbsp)
55gr. almonds (I used 110 grams of almonds and no peanuts, since peanuts aren't kosher for Passover)
55 gr. peanuts
2 Tbsp cocoa powder

For the whites: the day before (24hrs), separate your eggs and store the whites at room temperature in a covered container. If you want to use 48hrs (or more) egg whites, you can store them in the fridge. 
If you use fresh whites, zap them up in the microwave on medium high for 20 seconds to mimic the aging process.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue. Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry and your macarons won't work.
Combine the almonds, peanuts, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Pass through a sieve.
Add them to the meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that flows like magma or a thick ribbon. Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes.
Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper baking sheets.

Preheat the oven to 300F.
Let the macarons sit out for an hour to harden their shells a bit and bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on their size.
Let cool.

Fill with the filling of your choice.  Enjoy!

G's kosher for Passover crinkle cookies

My coworker, we'll call her G, makes crinkle cookies every Passover.  These are the cookies that her family eats, even after Passover.  She raves about them - and understandably so.  They're chocolatey and yummy, and best of all, don't taste like Passover cookies!  They look just like regular crinkle cookies, too!

For the past several years, just before Passover, G tells me about all the fantastic things she's making, but you can tell that by the amount of time she talks about these cookies (over the other foods), that these are her favorites.  So when it came to making my list of Passover desserts this year, I asked her for the recipe.  I ran out of time to make all the things on the list, but this year the crinkle cookies made it into the rotation (sadly, the brownies didn't make it in for the seders this year, but maybe during Passover I'll get around to them).

G's Passover Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (I, of course, made a half batch)

Cookies:
2 cups potato starch
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
4 eggs

Powdered Sugar:
1 cup + 1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp potato starch

Directions:

Beat one egg at a time, then add potato starch.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until a thick paste forms (mine didn't turn into a paste, so I added a little extra oil, but then it still wasn't a paste, so then I just put it in the fridge as it was)
Put in the fridge.

In the mean time, mix the sugar and potato starch, for 10-15 minutes until powdery.

Preheat the oven.  Except the directions don't say what temperature.  When in doubt, I stick with 350F

Assemble cookies:
Coat hands in oil
Form small balls, and roll into powder, put on cookie sheet and bake 10-15 minutes until they start to crinkle.

L&A's kosher for Passover mandel bread

I have to be honest with you.  I don't really like Passover food (well, I guess that's a technicality; I just really miss the foods I can't have during Passover).  But particularly, I don't like the desserts.  I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder, since I don't usually go for desserts, but I always find myself wanting one during Passover.  Maybe it's the lack of other carbs in my life?  But I just find that most Passover desserts are not really good on their own, they're more a sad substitution for real desserts.

This recipe, however, is different!  Mandel bread - for those of you who don't know - is, for all intents and purposes, Jewish biscotti.  My friend L sent me this recipe last year (I'm sure I was lamenting on Facebook about how there are no good Passover desserts for me to make, and she commented and then sent me this recipe in response to my plea for good Passover baked goods).  I believe it's her husband A's family's recipe, but I could be mixing up stories.  All I do know is that it is heavenly.  And, unlike any other Passover food known to man, I actually found myself finishing the mandel bread after Passover had ended!

L & A's Kosher for Passover Mandel Bread

2 3/4 c. matza cake meal
1/2 lb. butter
2 c. sugar
6 eggs
3/4 c. potato starch
1/2 tsp. salt
6 oz. passover chocolate, or chips and/or nuts (I leave the nuts out as I have a nut-allergic cousin and if it is nut-free, it is one of the few Passover desserts she can have as most Passover desserts are made with nuts)
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the butter and sugar
Add the eggs one at a time, beat until smooth.
Sift the cake meal, potatoe starch, and salt.
Fold the dry mixture into the egg mixture.
Mix thoroughly.
Add the chocolate, and chopped nuts (if using)
Form into 3 or 4 loaves on a greased baking sheet (I used parchment paper-lined sheets and they work just fine), about 3 inches wide.
Top with the mixture of 2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
Bake 40-45 minutes
When mostly cooled but still a little warm, slice into 1-1.5" slices

Passover goodies

In less than one week, the Jewish holiday of Passover will be upon us.  For 8 days, I won't be able to eat anything leavened (such as almost every single type of baked good) or pretty much anything that expands during cooking (such as rice and pasta).  It's a diet rich in protein, potatoes, and chocolate, at least for me.  No rice.  No pasta.  No soy products.  No bread.  No peanuts or peanut butter.  No corn.  No cookies.  No brownies. 

Scratch off "no cookies" and "no brownies."

Sure, the dietary restrictions over Passover are stringent, to say the least.  But I don't want you, the faithful JulieBakes reader, to think that just because I can't eat any of the baked goods you'd expect to see from me normally, that I won't be baking at all.

Over the years I've collected some good kosher for Passover recipes that use potato starch and matzah meal in place of the flour, or simply just no flour.  A brownie recipe from a patient.  A mandel bread recipe from a friend.  A hazelnut thumbprint cookie recipe from SmittenKitchen.  Meringues with chocolate chips that we've been serving in the family for years.  My mom's flourless chocolate cake.  Matzah candy, a recipe my mom got from her friend.  Of course I'm not going to make them all.  My mom makes the chocolate cake and candy, and my grandmother makes the meringues and a nut cake (I'm not a fan of nut cake; although there are a few nut cakes in my life, and I love most of them).

But then I got the brainstorm to make French macarons for Passover...they are, after all, almonds, sugar, powdered sugar, and egg whites.  Maybe some flavorings, but definitely no flour.  Or corn.  Or soy.  Or rice.  So in my book they're completely kosher for Passover!  (Don't worry, the ones I'm making for Passover will be more traditional than these pink lemonade ones I made yesterday...think chocolate + ganache.)

Stay tuned for some of these Passover-friendly recipes to come over the next two weeks.

A twist on French macarons

I have weird cravings.  Not the type of craving where I want to eat something, let alone something weird, but they type of craving when an idea pops into my head and I feel that I must make it.  It's not even that I want to eat it once it's been made; I just want to make it.

This idea came into my head a while ago when I was searching for something else, and I am honestly shocked that I've waited this long to make them.  A few weeks ago, while doing some research on some Dr. Seuss-themed cupcakes, I came across these macarons.  Colored and flavored with....wait for it....Kool-Aid!  Yes, you read that correctly.  Blasphemous, right?  Kool-Aid and high-end French desserts, which sell for upwards of $2.50+ a piece, together?  But it's also kinda ingenious.  Flavor and color in one addition?  I was intrigued.  However, the flavors used for those macarons were not the least bit enticing to me, as I do not like fruit punch, and things that are dyed artificially blue weird me out a little.  Then I started thinking about flavor combinations that would sound good to me.  Chocolate always works but (a) there is no chocolate Kool-Aid that I know of, and frankly even if it did exist, I would NOT want to try it, and (b) I'm saving those for next week.  I kept coming back to lemon/lemonade, but ultimately settled on pink lemonade, because that would lend not only flavor to the macaron but also a hint of color.  Instead of buttercream, I decided that a homemade lemon curd would go really well with the slightly sweet/slightly tart pink lemonade.

They're not as pink as I had hoped, but look at those perfect feet!

Kool-Aid Flavored Macarons

110 grams almond flour (I found almond meal - at Trader Joe's - such a time saver!  Although the only almond meal I found had the skins on them, so my macarons are a little spotted.  In the past, I weighed out 110 grams of almonds and then pulsed them with the confectioner's sugar)

200 grams confectioners sugar

100 grams egg whites (from 3 eggs, separated 24 hours in advance or microwaved for 8-10 seconds - I got impatient and let mine sit for 13.5 hours)

50 grams granulated sugar

1 envelope Kool-Aid (I looked it up, 4.5 grams per packet....I couldn't find packets so I had to buy  an entire container - but I went with CountryTime pink lemonade since Kool-Aid only came in yellow lemonade.  I also had to do some playing around with it, since the packets of Kool-Aid say to add sugar, but the larger containers already contain sugar.  If you use packets of Kool-Aid without sugar in them, keep the original measurements.  If you use the sugar-already-added larger containers, subtract 4 grams of sugar from the original recipe, using 46 grams of granulated sugar.)

1-2 drops food coloring, optional

Lemon curd, see below.  If you choose other flavors of Kool-Aid, you can mix up the flavors of the filling.  Maybe a lime curd, or a raspberry coulis.  Or a good old chocolate or white chocolate ganache.  Or buttercream.  They'd all work, depending on the flavor of macaron that you choose to make.

Directions:

Pulse the almond flour (or almonds) and confectioner's sugar several times in your food processor until thoroughly mixed.
Place your aged egg whites in the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk until foamy.
Add the sugar and turn the mixer to high, whisking until you have a glossy meringue.
Add the Kool Aid and food coloring, if using, to the egg whites and let the mixer run a few circles through the batter to distribute.
Fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites gently, briskly at first to break up the meringue a bit, until thoroughly mixed. The batter will be a little lumpy but will relax.
Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe rounds of 1.5 inches along two parchment-lined baking sheets.
Let sit one hour at room temperature (this allows them to get the "foot" that you see on the bottom of the macaron).
Heat oven to 300. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely and remove from the pan.
Not more than 24 hours before serving, pipe 1-2 tsp of frosting onto one cookie and top with the other, gently pressing down (because of the moistness of the lemon curd, I decided to wait to fill the macarons until just a few hours before serving).
Store tightly covered

Homemade Lemon Curd
(This lemon curd recipe is embedded in another recipe, a braided lemon bread, which is absolutely fantastic and I have made it several times - all before I started the blog.  It will eventually make its way onto the blog, but if you're impatient and want to make it beforehand, I highly recommend it!)

3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 tsp fresh lemon zest, finely grated (perfect use for a microplane grater!)
3 Tbsp sugar
1 large egg
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

Whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and egg in a saucepan.
Stir in the butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubble appears on surface, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Transfer lemon curd to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap so that the wrap touches the surface of the curd, and allow it to chill until cold, at least 1 hour.

**Depending on how strictly you keep kosher for Passover, these macarons would be a nice addition to your Passover dessert repertoire, however I am personally hesitant to use Kool-Aid mix on Passover.  I will, however, have a more Passover friendly macaron coming up in the next week or so**