Desserts


Pecan Cranberry Biscotti by Wendy Miller, 2018 Women’s Campaign Chair 

Ingredients 

  • 1 ¾ cups flour 
  • ½ Tsp. salt 
  • ½ Tsp. baking powder 
  • Scant ½ cup oil 
  • 1 Tsp. vanilla extract 
  • 1 cup sugar 
  • 4 eggs 
  • 2 cups chopped pecans 
  • 1 cup dried cranberries 

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) 
  • In a bowl fitted with a dough hook, mix all the ingredients until combined. Divide into two small, unlined loaf pans. Bake for 45 minutes. 
  • Wet a paper towel or kitchen towel. Wring it out and cover the pans with it. Allow the cakes to cool this way for 40 minutes. Wrap each loaf in foil and freeze overnight (or until you need it) 
  • Defrost for 10 minutes and slice very thinly. Lay on a lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) for 10 minutes on each side. Watch to make sure they don’t burn. 
  • Tip: A very sharp knife will make this biscotti much easier to slice thinly. 

 

Strudel by Amy Pollokoff, Lion of Judah Endowment Committee Chair 

Ingredients

Filling: 

  • 12 oz of raisins chopped 
  • 12 oz. figs chopped 
  • 12 oz. pitted prunes chopped 
  • 12 oz. pitted dates chopped 
  • 1 cup walnuts chopped 
  • 2 Tsp. Cinnamon or to taste 
  • Juice of 1 lemon and 1/2 zest of rind (to taste) 
  • Juice of 1 orange and ½ zest of rind (to taste) 
  • ½ glass of Damson plum jelly 
  • 1 small bag of shredded Coconut 

Directions 

  • Blend dry fruits in Cuisinart. 
  • In large bowl mix all strudel filling ingredients together and set aside. 
  • Add lemon or orange juice slowly and taste as you go. 

Ingredients: 

Walnut Mixture: (mix in Cuisinart and set aside) 

  • 2 cups walnuts 
  • 2 heaping tsps. of cinnamon 
  • ⅔ cup sugar 
  • Butter 
  • Phyllo dough (1 pkg) 

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
  • Melt several sticks of butter. Try to remove white foam on top of melted butter to create clarified butter. 
  • Phyllo Dough: Thaw dough in fridge overnight. Open phyllo dough and place entire stack under plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. 
  • Remove one sheet at a time and layer as follows. Take one sheet, brush with melted butter and then sprinkle sheet with walnut mixture. Repeat this 4 times. 
  • Place top sheet on stack. Do not put anything on the top sheet. 
  • Put filling along long side of the dough leaving 2 inches on each side and at the bottom. 
  • Fold over the sides and then roll from the bottom. 
  • Once roll is complete, place on cookie sheet and brush with butter. 
  • Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, brush with butter and slice strudel into 1 inch thick slices. 
  • Put back in oven for 10-15 minutes longer until pastry is golden brown. Makes ~ 3 rolls with 9 slices each. 

 

Taiglach By Amy Pollokoff, Lion of Judah Endowment Committee Chair 

Ingredients 

Dough: 

  • 6 eggs 
  • 3 cups flour 
  • 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil 
  • 1 Tsp. baking powder 
  • Raisins 

Syrup: 

  • 3 cups honey 
  • 3 cups sugar 
  • 1 ½ Tsp. ginger 
  • 1 cup boiling water (for after the taiglach is finished cooking) 

Directions

  • Get syrup slowly cooking. 
  • Mix dough in Cuisinart or bread machine. 
  • If you make it in a bread machine you can skip the next step. 
  • Transfer the dough to a floured board. Knead well for 2 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand for 30 minutes. 
  • Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each ball into long sausage about 1.5 cm thick. 
  • Cut pieces the size of a walnut and roll a raisin in the middle. 
  • Set aside on floured parchment paper until all balls are finished. Drop into boiling honey and boil uncovered for 10 minutes. Reduce to a simmer, cover pot and cook for approximately 20 minutes. 
  • Once golden-brown remove from heat and add 1 C of boiling water. Pot will bubble. Set aside and cool. 
  • Store in plastic container and turn every few days. 

 

Russian Tea Cookies by Amy Pollokoff, Lion of Judah Endowment Committee Chair 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter 
  • ½ cup powdered sugar 
  • 2 ¼ cup flour 
  • ¼ Tsp. salt 
  • 1 Tsp. vanilla 
  • 1 Tsp. almond extract 
  • ¾ cup blanched almonds finely chopped 

Directions

  • Cream butter and sugar well. 
  • Sift flour and salt together and add to mix. 
  • Blend in vanilla, almond extracts and nuts working in with hands. 
  • Chill dough. Form into balls 1-inch round. Place about 2 ½ inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheet. 
  • Bake at 275 for 14-17 minutes, watch carefully. 
  • While cookies are still warm roll in extra powdered sugar. Cool and roll in sugar again. 

 

Honey Filled Apples by Carly Schwartz, Head of the Meyerhoff ECE, JCC of Greater Baltimore 

Ingredients

  • 1 jar of honey 
  • 4 Granny Smith apples 

Directions

  • Cut the tops of your apples off and set aside. 
  • Scoop out the body of the apple with a melon baller. Be sure not to get too close to the skin because if you pierce through the apple it will not work. Set aside. 
  • Pour honey directly into the apple. 
  • These are best served immediately. Dab lemon juice on the rim of the apple as well as the “lid” of the apple so it doesn’t turn brown. 

 

Honey Cake 

Ingredients

  • ¼ pound butter 
  • 1 cup sugar 
  • 4 eggs 
  • 1 Tsp. baking soda 
  • 1 cup honey 
  • 1 cup black coffee  
  • 3 Tsp. ginger 
  • 3 cups flour 

Directions

Cream butter, add sugar gradually. Then add eggs, beating well. Alternate dry ingredients with liquids. Bake in moderate oven.  

 

Caramel Glazed Applesauce Cake (Dairy) by Kim Brandwin 

For the cake: 

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour 
  • 1 ½ Tsp. baking soda 
  • 1 Tsp. kosher salt 
  • ¼ Tsp. finely ground black pepper 
  • 2 Tsp. cinnamon 
  • 1 Tsp. ground giner 
  • ¼ Tsp. ground allspice 
  • 2 large eggs 
  • 1 cup sugar 
  • ½ cup light brown sugar 
  • 1 ½ cups unsweetened applesauce 
  • ⅔ cup vegetable oil 
  • 1 Tsp. vanilla 

For the glaze: 

  • 4 Tbsp. butter, cut into chunks 
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar 
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream 
  • ¼ Tsp. kosher salt 
  • ¾ – 1 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar 

Directions

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. 
  • Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, pepper and spices. Set aside. 
  • With mixer, beat eggs with both sugars until light. Mix in the applesauce, oil and vanilla until smooth. 
  • Using a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients, careful not to over-mix. Pour batter in prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then turn out and cool completely. 
  • Make the glaze. Put the butter in medium saucepan with brown sugar, cream and salt and set over medium heat. Bring to full boil, stirring constantly. Boil for one minute. Pull off heat. 
  • Let cool for couple of minutes, then gradually whisk in powdered sugar until you have a thick but pourable consistency (you may not need all the sugar). If too thick, add a splash of cream to thin it out. Pour immediately over cooled cake, covering as much surface as possible. Let glaze set before serving. 

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