Biscochos de Huevo (Sephardic Cookie Rings)

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract OR 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to
350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat together the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla or cinnamon. Gradually stir in the flour mixture to make a soft dough.

Roll the dough into 1/2-inch-thick ropes. Cut the ropes into 6-inch lengths and bring the ends together to form rings. If desired, cut gashes on the outer edges every 1/4 to 1/2 inch.

Place the rings, 1 inch apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until firm but not browned, about 20 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.

For extra-crisp cookies, turn off the oven, return all of the baked cookies, and let stand for 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the freezer.

NOTE: These sweet cookie rings, also called roskitas de gueve and in Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and India, kaak, are served as desayuno (Sabbath and festival breakfast), and other festive occasions, including the meal following Yom Kippur.

VARIATION:

Biscochos de Muez (Sephardic Nut Cookies)

Dip the tops of the nut dough rings into a lightly beaten egg,
then into 1 cup of finely chopped walnuts or almonds. Place nut side up on the baking sheet.

Chocolate Chunk Passover Cookies 

4 ounces butter or margarine

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup potato starch

1 cup Passover cake meal

8 ounces semisweet chocolate cut into ¼-inch chunks (can use chips)

�?Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

�?Cream butter or margarine and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla and blend until smooth.

�?Add potato starch and cake meal and mix well. Do not over mix. Add chocolate.

�?Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheet or parchment paper. Or shape into 1 ½-inch-thick log and cut into ½-inch slices.

�?Bake for 13 minutes.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Cinnamon Raisin Mandelbread - pareve
Makes 24-26 cookies

1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbs. orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup coarsely chopped almonds, toasted
cinnamon & sugar to coat

Beat egg and sugar until thick and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Beat in orange juice and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients into egg mixture and blend well. Mix in raisins and almonds. Spoon dough onto lightly greased baking sheet to form a 10-to-11-inch strip. Moisten fingertips and shape dough into log, 11 inches by 2-1/2 inches.

Bake in 375-degree oven about 15 minutes or just until log begins to brown and feels firm to touch. Cool log 15 minutes and place on work surface in order to cut. Using serrated knife, cut crosswise into slices 1/3-inch wide. Place slices on baking sheet and bake 10 minutes.

Turn slices over and bake 6 minutes or until slices begin to color. Cool completely on baking sheet. Cookies will become very crisp. May be stored for one week in airtight container.

Note: While cookies are still warm, dip in mixture of cinnamon & sugar to coat.

Date-Applesauce Cookies - pareve

1/4 cup Canola oil

1/4 cup Sugar

1 Egg Beater (= to 1 egg)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup applesauce, no sugar

1/2 tsp. soda

1 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup chopped dates

Cream canola oil & sugar. Add Egg Beater to equal 1 egg. Add applesauce & vanilla extract. Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, allspice, & cloves. Gradually add to applesauce mixture. Stir in Oatmeal & raisins & mix well. Spray a cookie sheet with no-fat cooking spray. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie prepared sheet. Bake at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes.

Date-Nut-Honey Bars

1 1/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
3 eggs
1 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lb (2 cups) pitted dates, coarsely chopped
8 oz (2 1/2 cups) walnuts, chopped into medium-sized pieces
confectioners sugar

Place a single oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Prepare a 15 1/2" X 10 1/2" X 1" jelly-roll pan by lining the pan with foil and brushing with very soft butter.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Using an electric beater, beat the eggs until they are slightly foamy. Add the honey and vanilla and continue beating. Reduce the beater speed to low and add the dry ingredients, beating until thoroughly mixed. Add the dates and nuts, stirring these additions by hand to distribute evenly.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth until it is evenly distributed. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn the jelly roll pan 180 degrees and continue baking an additional 15 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown. The cake should spring up firmly when pressed lightly with a fingertip.

Cool the cake for 5 minutes in the pan. Cover with a cookie sheet or large-size wire rack, invert and lift the pan up leaving the cake behind. If desired, repeat the process so the cake cools right side up. Allow cake to cool completely. Cut the cake into serving portion. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

Date-Walnut Rugelach

For dough:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
1/2 teaspoon salt


For filling:

8 ounces pitted dates (approx. 1 1/3 cups)
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

confectioners' sugar for rolling out dough

Make dough: In a food processor blend butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add flour and salt. Pulse just until mixture forms a ball. Form dough into a log. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

Make filling: Finely chop dates and walnuts. Using your hands, toss fruit and nuts together in a bowl. Add sugar, cinnamon and vanilla and continue tossing until combined well.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut dough log crosswise into 8 equal pieces. Work 1 piece at a time in the manner described below, keeping the remaining pieces covered and chilled.

On work surface sprinkled with confectioners' sugar, using a rolling pin dusted with more confectioners' sugar, roll out piece of dough into 8-inch round. Cut round into eight wedges, but keep round intact.

Sprinkle 1/3 cup filling in a ring leaving a 1-inch border around the perimeter of the dough round. Press filling gently into dough. Working with one wedge at a time, roll up filling in pastry, jelly-roll fashion, folding up sides of the pastry to enclose the filling. Transfer rugelach, pointed ends down, to ungreased baking sheets. Make more rugelach in the same manner.

Bake rugelach in batches in upper and lower thirds of the oven, switching places halfway through baking until golden, 15-20 minutes total. Transfer rugelach to racks to cool completely.

Rugelach will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.

Hamantaschen with Pecan-Fig Filling

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup orange juice
6 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
Dash salt

Fig-pecan filling (see recipe)

1 egg white, slightly beaten

Beat together oil, sugar and eggs in bowl of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add orange juice, a little at a time, until completely blended. Add flour, baking powder and salt; blend well, but do not overmix.

Divide dough into 4 parts. Knead each part into a ball. Wrap
in plastic wrap; chill several hours.

Flatten each portion of dough with palms of hands. Roll out each 1/8- to 1/4- inch thick on floured board. Cut into 3-inch rounds with cookie cutter. Place 1 heaping teaspoon filling in center of each round. Fold edges of dough toward center to form a triangle, leaving a bit of filling visible in center. Pinch edges to seal.

Place hamantaschen on lightly greased, foil-lined baking sheet; brush with egg white. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Transfer to racks to cool.

Yield: About 8 dozen.

Pecan-Fig Filling:

4 cups dried figs
1 cup seedless raisins
apple juice
1 cup toasted chopped pecans

Place figs and raisins in large bowl with enough apple juice to cover. Refrigerate 3 hours, or overnight. Place fig mixture in medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until soft, about 10 minutes. Let cool; drain, reserving syrup.

Puree figs and raisins in food processor along with 1/4 cup reserved syrup. Transfer to bowl; mix in pecans. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until ready to use.

Yield: About 6 cups.

Hanukkah Honey and Spice Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

For royal icing:
2 egg whites
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt

In a large mixer bowl, cream margarine and brown sugar; beat in honey and egg until well combined.

In a small bowl, combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves; add to honey mixture. Beat on low speed until well blended. Cover dough. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days.

Grease cookie sheets; set aside.

Working quickly with one-fourth of the dough at a time, roll out on floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes, including a dreidel, menorah or star. Using a spatula, place on prepared cookie sheets l inch apart. Reroll and cut scraps.

Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven 7 minutes, or until done. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare royal icing: In a large mixer bowl, combine egg whites, confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and salt. Beat on high speed until mixture holds soft peaks. Makes about 2 cups.

Decorate cooled cookies with royal icing around edges, using a pastry bag fitted with tube.

Yield: About 4 dozen.

Pizza Romana (Jewish Fruit Pie)

6 cups unbleached flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups unblanched almonds, coarsely cut up
3/4 cup pignoli (pine nuts)
1 cup dark seedless raisins
3/4 cup diced candied citron or mixed fruit peel
1-1/4 cups olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift together flour, sugar and salt into large bowl. Add nuts and fruits and mix well. Add oil and mix just until ingredients are moistened. Add enough wine, mixed with the vanilla, to make a solid pastry dough.

Spread over an ungreased 12 x 18-inch baking sheet (jelly roll pan) with low borders, and flatten down to an even thickness.

With a long sharp knife, make cuts in the pastry, 6 length wise and 6 crosswise, to make 49 rectangles.

Bake in preheated 400 F/200 C oven for 30 minutes or until borders begin to brown very slightly. Remove from oven and let cool for awhile before transferring pieces to a cooling rack (it is very brittle when hot).

When thoroughly cool, store in a cookie jar where it will keep for several weeks.

Moses In The Basket (Moshe b'Tayva): Medjool dates are very large, usually found in Middle Eastern stores, and should be tender to the touch and moist inside. Substitute another date if necessary. Your Moshe will be smaller but just as sweet.

The ingredients are 14 to 16 large Medjool dates, a few drops rose water or almond extract, 1 to 2 teaspoons hot water and marzipan.

To make marzipan, use 3 ½ ounces (a slightly rounded half-cup) almond slivers or whole blanched almonds, ground, 2/3 cup powdered sugar and ¼ teaspoon "Kosher for Passover" vanilla extract.

For garnish: 1/4 cup crushed, toasted, unsalted pistachio nuts, whole cloves as needed and coriander seeds or mustard seeds (for the eyes).

To prepare: Slit the dates lengthwise, and remove pits. Set aside. Grind the almonds in a food processor to a powder consistency. Add the sugar, and, with the machine running, add the vanilla, rose water or almond extract, and 1 teaspoon hot water. The mixture should come together like a ball. If not, add another 1 to 2 teaspoons water, but be careful not to add too much or the marzipan will be too soft. For each little Moshe, make a small ball of marzipan for the head and an elongated oval-shaped piece for the body. (The total length should be slightly smaller than the length of a date.)

Roll the body in the crushed pistachio nuts. Attach the head to the body and stick the whole in one of the dates, gently pressing the sides of the date around them to make him snug. Round the top and the bottom with a gentle pinch, to make a little boat.

To make the eyes, use the tip of a whole clove to pierce 2 holes in the "head." (We considered using cloves for the eyes themselves but were afraid of a lawsuit from anyone not removing them before eating.) Stick a coriander seed in each hole (these are both edible and healthful), and Moshe is ready to float to his destiny. Makes 14-18.

Never-Fail Wine-Nut Cake - pareve

7 egg yolks
1/4 c. sweet wine
7 egg whites
1 c. nuts, chopped
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. cake meal

Beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Gradually beat in sugar. Add wine. Combine nuts and cake meal and add to egg mixture.

Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour into ungreased angel food pan and bake in 325 oven for 1 hour. Invert pan and do not remove cake until cold.

Nut-Filled Triangles: Sansathicos - pareve

1 lb. filo dough
1 1/2 lb. shelled nuts
(walnuts, almonds,
hazelnuts, pine nuts,
mixed as desired)
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. level, cinnamon
1 c. approx. oil

sesame seeds, lightly toasted, to sprinkle

Grind nuts; mix with sugar and crumbs. Set aside. Take one sheet of filo and cut lengthwise to make 4 long, narrow strips.

Dab each piece very lightly with oil (which is best done with a pastry brush). Fold over top and bottom of each piece about 1/2 inch. Place 1 level tablespoon of the nut mixture on one corner and fold over to form a triangle. Continue folding over and over until the end of the strip. Form several layered triangles. Place triangles on lightly greased pan and bake at 3250 until light golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Watch baking carefully as they burn easily. When baked, remove from pan and allow to cool on paper toweling.

Syrup
2 c. sugar
1 c. water
1/2 lemon, juice

Cook syrup ingredients together until a drop from a spoon threads slightly, (about 20 minutes). Do not overcook.

When triangles are cool, dip in warm syrup for not more than one minute. Remove and sprinkle with slightly toasted sesame seeds.

Makes 80 pieces.

Orange-Nut Sponge Cake for Passover - pareve

10 eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 cup finely ground almonds
1 cup matzo cake meal
1/4 cup potato starch
1 teaspoon salt

Using a wooden spoon, wire whisk or electric mixer, beat egg
yolks and sugar in a large bowl until light in color and texture. Beat in honey, orange juice and peel. Combine almonds, matzo cake meal, potato starch and salt; blend into yolk mixture.

In large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff enough to hold peaks. Fold one-fourth of the whites into batter to lighten it. Gently fold in remaining whites until thoroughly blended.

Pour batter into ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until wooden pick inserted near center of cake comes out clean.

Remove from oven and immediately invert pan; let cool. Loosen sides and center of cake with sharp knife; turn out onto cake plate.

Yield: 1 cake; serves 8 to 10.

Passover Flourless Chocolate Cake

Serves eight.
 
Cake:
11 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken up
5 and 1/2 ounces kosher margarine
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
6 eggs, separated
1 egg white
1 cup sugar

Garnish:
1 pint blueberries or raspberries
1 pint strawberries
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur

Cooking Instructions
Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10-inch round springform pan, and line the bottom with parchment or wax paper. Place the chocolate and margarine in a metal bowl, and place over a pan of simmering water. When it's melted, stir in the liqueur. Set aside in a warm place.

Beat the 6 egg yolks together with 1/2 cup of the sugar in a bowl, until the mixture turns lemon-yellow. In another bowl beat the 7 egg whites together; when soft peaks form, add another 1/2 cup sugar, and beat until medium peaks form.

Fold the egg-yolk mixture into the chocolate; then fold in the meringue, a third at a time. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees and bake for a further 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan, and then remove.

Garnish: Clean and cut berries to desired size. Toss in a bowl with the sugar and liqueur, and allow to sit for 10 minutes.