First thing, and don’t let it scare you, is that the next time you roast a chicken you need to save a little of the chicken fat. That ingredient is also known as schmaltz, which you can make from scratch and keep on hand.
Don’t worry if you don’t have any on hand, or if you decide against it, you can still bake this lovely breakfast bread. Just know that the chicken fat adds a certain “je ne sais quoi pas” that is fabulous. Know that it can add flavor to noodles and vegetables, too.
It will feed a family of 6, unless they are swept away by your wonderful home baking talents and gobble more than their fair share.
As with all recipes, you can substitute the fat that you feel best using, add the raisins or not, etc. but if you want the authentically delicious taste, stick with the recipe.
Yeast Raised -Approximate Cook Time
Prep time: 3 hours 30 min Cook time: 1 hour
Ready in: 4 hours 30 min Yields: 6 people
Ingredients
5 cups Flour, Sifted
1 Tbsp. Sugar
Small amount Water, heated
1 package Yeast
1 Tbsp. Chicken Fat, melted
1/2 lb. Butter
1/2 stick Margarine (or butter)
3/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
1 Rind of Lemon, grated
3-4 Egg Yolks
1/4 tsp. Vanilla
2 cups Golden Seedless Raisins
2 cups Warm Milk
Cinnamon and Sugar, Mixture
Place flour in a large bowl and make a hole in the middle.
Add yeast, sugar, and warm water in center to activate the yeast. Let stand 1/2 hour.
Cut up butter, margarine and add chicken schmaltz. Then add to flour mixture with the 3/4 cup sugar, salt, lemon rind, vanilla, egg yolks, and warm milk.
Knead until bubbles appear.
Let dough rest until it rises.
While waiting for dough to rise, soak raisins in some hot water for about an hour. Squeeze out water and then add to risen dough.
Then knead dough well. Allow dough to rest.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a large tube pan (angel food cake pan).
Divide dough into 2 pieces shaped into balls. Roll out each like thick pie dough, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and roll up tightly.
Twist each into a rope, braid together, then spiral into the angel food pan.
Allow to rise for final time in the pan, then bake for an hour at 350 degrees.
Oma’s Tube Pan Breakfast Coffee Cake
German cooking has a layover with Eastern European countries such as Hungary, and Czech Republic. Certain cooking techniques are common to many cuisines, thus this video will be a great guide.
Another Name For This Coffee Cake
German’s call this type of cake Kugelhoph
More eggs, less fat, and I love Oma’s helpful tips.
My grandmother’s recipe has more shortening and is a rolled dough, rather than a soft batter cake.
You may notice in some of the old recipes that the amount of eggs and fat can seem more than what you are used to. I think many of the changes came about when sugar was not so dear, and before the large amounts of egg and fat became frowned upon.
Speaking of fat, many older recipes called for lard, and until recently that was the preferred shortening for pie crust. It is still considered more a more flavorsome ingredient than vegetable fats.
When I was first cooking in the sixties and seventies, you find “Oleo” or margarine is widely called for. This is no longer considered a more healthy choice, and I haven’t bought margarine in years.
If you want a healthier diet the answer is probably to take much smaller portions of the carb-laden cakes and add fruits to bring out full flavor, make it more filling and satisfying. I am of the opinion that it isn’t cutting out desserts, but cutting down amounts that is the answer. Maybe that is a cop-out because I love them so much.
European Directions for Similar Coffee Cake
It is sometimes confusing when switching from European to English measures (and vice versa). Yet many solutions online make the process easier.
Using Bundt Pans for Coffee Cakes
Many coffee cakes are simply baked in square pans, but if you have a larger recipe like this one a bundt pan gives a much prettier presentation. In line with the original intent of serving a simple delicious sweet when company drops by, makes this pan a real boon to the baker.
While there are variations in form, most have a decorative shape with a central opening. This center circle is perfect for some flavored whipped cream! Or simply dust the finished, cooled cake with confectioners sugar.
Bundt forms have some beautiful curves for drizzles and glazes, too.
Don’t underestimate how this shape will add to the tempting look of your cake.
Fat In Your Diet
People who give you Hungarian recipes so often say, “It isn’t for dieters” or tell you it is unhealthy in some way. The recipes do traditionally incorporate plenty of dairy and fat, usually in the form of sour cream and butter. But also with nuts and eggs, etc.
The new nutritional information that is transforming what we know about healthy diets is that fat is no longer the bad guy.
Usually what we need to watch out for is the modern inclusion of antibiotic and hormones, along with other things that are so different from our grandmother’s food sources; things that cause inflammation in our bodies. Some fats are necessary and they certainly are a source of flavor that make the foods more satisfying to our appetite.
What are you going to do? Tailor your diet to your own health needs, and use the best nutritional information available.
I remember a special jar to save bacon drippings that was always in my mother’s and grandmother’s kitchen. I don’t do that, but I think the idea of using schmaltz might have a place in my cooking future. Jewish cooking often includes it. It is what makes the difference between plain old noodles and delicious noodles, for me.
From One Chocolate Lover To Another, My Favorite Chocolate Dessert Recipes
I freely admit to my love of chocolate, but I’m very picky about how I like that chocolate, especially in recipes. Not everyone agrees with me! I must have walnuts in my brownies and I like cake-like rather than fudgy, for example, but I do think you will appreciate many of these tested recipes which I have made many times over the years.
The one thing all these desserts have in common is the addition of rich chocolate flavor as the main ingredient. Do not only read, gaze and dream- bake and eat!
chocolate batter on mixer beaters
The Velvety Richness of Real Chocolate
Rich dark chocolate cake and fudge icing, easy brownies full of cocoa flavor and walnuts, Auntie Mary cookies with melting chocolate filling, and a cream cheesecake with sweet chocolate flavor… delve in and indulge.
My kids loved to lick the spoon, …and the bowl … but the best part is the final result: cake with the buttercream frosting, or the delicate “Auntie Mary’s” with a hot cup of Christmas tea, or just baked brownies cut in generous squares.
Now you can enjoy these recipes with your family.
brownie dessert
Moist, Extra Rich Cake with Fudge Buttercream frosting
best-chocolate-cake
Chocolate Velvet Cake
Deeply satisfying, rich chocolate cake with a smooth chocolate frosting. Make the best double chocolate layer cake for any occasion.
Melt chocolate chips with ¼ cup water in saucepan over low heat until smooth.
Sift flour, soda, and salt together.
Combine sugar, butter, and vanilla, beat well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well.
Blend in melted chocolate to egg mixture
Stir in flour mixture alternating with 1 cup water.
Pour into two greased and floured 9" cake pans.
Bake for 30-35 minutes @ 375° . Cool.
Frosting:
Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler.
Add milk, vanilla, and salt; mix until well blended.
Beat in confectioner's sugar gradually.
Frost and fill Chocolate Velvet Cake.
Auntie Mary Cookies
title=”Good for any special event, a rich cream cheese cookie with velvety chocolate filling.”
Folded inside rich cream cheese pastry is a melty chocolate filling. – The melted chocolate in the center makes this a very special treat. One of my family’s favorites.
Auntie Mary Cookies
This is -hands down- my children's favorite cookie. It is very rich and due to cream cheese dough is not a long keeper, but it is meltingly delicious. Try our family favorite, and store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
1 Baker's German sweet chocolate4 oz. pkg. -melted and cooled.
Equipment
1 10 inch pie pan
Method
Instructions
Add sugar to cheese in a bowl, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.
Measure 2 cups of the cheese mixture and fold in melted chocolate. Pour remaining cheese mixture into well-buttered 10 inch pie pan or 9-inch square pan.
Add spoonfuls of the chocolate-cheese mixture and zig-zag a spatula through batter to marble.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Cool; then chill. Cut in 9 inch wedges.
*** for just chocolate flavor add 1 more pkg. Baker's German sweet chocolate and mix all together in batter.
I Love Chocolate
…just like millions of you do!
And I want my chocolate desserts to taste a certain way.
The Best Chocolate Flavor Should Be…
Full of chocolate flavor and highlighting the best ingredients in a way that fulfills my desire for the way the baked goodies ought to taste. Moist or cakey, fudgy and rich – it doesn’t matter as long as it is the best incarnation of its kind in a chocolate dessert.
rich chocolate brownie
My Favorite Brownies – the best brownie recipe
I don’t usually frost my brownies, but there is an icing recipe included, for those of you who do.
(hint) Don’t ever overbake brownies.
Chocolate Walnut Brownies
Rich and dense cake-like texture makes decadent and addictive brownies
Melt butter and chocolate in double boiler. Cool slightly.
Beat eggs until foamy and add sugar gradually. Add butter and chocolate mixture, blend. Add the flour. Add nuts. Stir together and pour into greased 9x9x2 " pan.
Bake at 325° for 40-50 minutes.
Notes
Optional chocolate icing:
2 c. sugar 1/2 c. white corn syrup 3/4 c. heavy cream 1 square chocolate 1 tsp. vanilla 3 T. butter Melt first three ingredients to the softball stage, add the resulting syrup to butter, add vanilla and beat well.
The Good News about Chocolate
The good news is that it is healthy for you. Of course that news is tempered by how much and what kind of fat you mix with it or the amounts of sugar you ingest, but indulging in this favorite flavor can be good for your health.
Tips:
Dark is better
High Cacao percentage is healthier
High levels of flavonals
mocha walnut cookies
Mocha Walnut Drops
Mocha Walnut Drops
A favorite for Christmas... though I didn't include it in my Christmas cookie collection yet....
Ingredients
Don’t ever burn chocolate… not even a hint of it. That is why melting chocolate calls for a double boiler. Basically that is cooking the pan of the chocolate over a pan of hot water, just to melt the chocolate.
Any chocolate chips can work, but better quality chocolate means better tasting final product.
melted chocolate1
Double Boiler – To Melt the Chocolate Perfectly, A Double Boiler
The number one thing to remember when cooking or baking with chocolate is to never, I mean never, let it burn. Even allowing it to melt at too high a temperature can prove harmful to the flavor.
If you care enough to buy high quality chocolate, then it is more than worthwhile to have a double boiler in your kitchen. The bottom pot hold water which is heated directly from the burner, while the upper pot holds the delicate ingredient which is desired to bring to melting temperature. This help the squares to turn to silky liquid form without danger of burning.
This is a good quality, while not too expensive double boiler pot. It is serviceable for all your chocolate melting needs I think. I’ve used Farberware pots, my mother and my grandmother used them. They last, and they look good. More importantly they cook and clean well. Buy Now
Directions for Melting Chocolate in a Double Boiler
checkerboard cookies
Checkerboard Cookies
Makes 60 checkerboards.
Bake some yummy cookies to have during your next board game bonanza. These are usually just vanilla and chocolate but one inventive foodie has made them into something that looks and tastes special.
Checkerboard Cookies
Makes 60 checkerboards.Bake some yummy cookies to have during your next board game bonanza. These are usually just vanilla and chocolate but one inventive foodie has made them into something that looks and tastes special.
:: Make the strawberry dough by placing the butter, sugars, salt, strawberry powder, and sumac in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy, about three minutes on medium. Add the vanilla extract and split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds into the batter. Add the egg and beat to incorporate.
:: Add the flour in three portions, beating to incorporate between additions, scraping down the sides with a large spatula. Once the flour is blended in, divide the dough in half and pat the dough down into a 6 x 6 x 1/2 inch square. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (about 20 to 30 minutes). Repeat with the second half of the dough.
:: Make the chocolate dough by placing the butter, sugars, and salt in the same bowl (don't bother cleaning it) of the standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy, about three minutes on medium. Add the vanilla extract and split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds into the batter. Add the egg and beat to incorporate.
:: Place the flour, cocoa powders, and instant coffee in a small bowl stir vigorously with a balloon whisk until well blended. Add these dry ingredients in three portions, beating to incorporate between additions, scraping down the sides with a large spatula. Once the flour is blended in, divide the dough in half and pat the dough down into a 6 x 6 x 1/2 inch square. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate (about 20 to 30 minutes). Repeat with the second half of the dough.
:: Take the doughs out of the refrigerator. Brush the top of one of the strawberry dough 6 x 6 squares with water completely. Place one of the chocolate dough squares on top of it, and press down firmly to adhere the dough. Brush the top of this chocolate dough with water and place the remaining strawberry dough square on top of that, pressing down firmly. Finally brush the top of this strawberry square with water and place the remaining chocolate dough on top of that, pressing down firmly. You should have a 2 inch thick stack of 6 x 6 square dough, alternating in layers. Wrap with plastic wrap and place back in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes until firm.
:: Once the dough has firmed up, trim the edges of the square to make a completely square piece of dough. Set the trimming aside for marbled zebra cookies (instructions to follow). Cut a 1/2 inch strip from the square. Place one strip flat, and then brush it top of it with water. Cut another 1/2 inch strip from the square and rotate the strip 180 degrees so it alternates with the bottom strip. Place on the strip brushed with water and press firmly down. Wrap with plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough. Chill until firm (another 20 to 30 minutes).
:: To make marbled zebra cookies, brush the top of one trimming with water and place another trimming on top, alternating dough strips. Repeat until all the trimmings are placed on each other. Flatten and twist the trimmings together, turning clockwise with one hand, while counterclockwise with the other. Roll out the dough to a 12 inch length, and fold over once. Form the dough into a thick 1 1/2 inch roll pressing firmly down to make sure the different doughs stick together. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill until firm (another 20 to 30 minutes).
:: While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line two baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper. Once the dough has firmed up, slice the dough into 1/2" thick cookies and place on the baking sheet, about an inch apart. Bake in the oven for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to brown ever so slightly. Cool on the sheet for ten minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack.
The Best Brownies Should Always…
– be the way I like them 🙂
brownies in a baking pan
Cakelike or Gooey?
I say cakelike brownies are the best way to enjoy them, and add walnuts while you are at it; my kids say fudgelike and no nuts! What is your opinion?
What is your opinion on the texture of the best brownies?
The smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, allspice, mace and molasses fills the air when you bake these well-loved types of cookies. The crunch, the chewiness, or melting softness when dunked in your coffee, it tastes like Christmas and brings memories of Grandma’s kitchen to mind.
If ever there were a cookie that best represented Christmas time it would be the spice cookie. I love all sorts of cookies, but the spice cookies reign supreme when it comes to a flavor most identified with the Christmas season.
Here are the star spice cookie recipes!
Gingerbread – The Essence of a Spice Cookie
by PetitPlat – Stephanie Kilgast
Read on and try one of the many types of Spice Cookies.
An Amazing Rolling Pin
I use a variety of rolling pins, but the marble rolling pin is my favorite for rolling out extra thin cookies in a jiffy. It is pretty on the counter, too.
Marble helps keep everything chilled, which is the way to prevent dough from sticking as you roll it out. This is very important with most baked goods, but especially pastry and cookies. I have a marble rolling pin and it is my favorite for these cookies, when I have chilled the dough and yet work and a warm kitchen. Buy Now
Cinnamon Stars
Fragrant spice cookies made with a cozy blend of cinnamon and almonds, baked to a tender crunch. Baking these are a great way to use extra egg whites if you are also making cookies that call for extra yolks. Easy and perfectly lovely cookies. If you are avoiding wheat- this is the recipe for you!
Some recipes add a pinch of salt and/or ½ tbsp. kirsch or lemon juice into the dough mixture for these. Experiment with those flavor additions for extra flavor kick.
Cinnamon Stars
An heirloom type of cookie, beloved for generations. Almonds and cinnamon make these cutouts special and festive.
In small bowl of electric mixer, let egg whites warm to room temperature (about an hour).
At medium speed beat egg whites until soft peaks form, on mixer beaters.
Add 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar to egg whites, 2 T. at a time, beating after each addition. Continue to beat until mixture is thick and glossy- about 10 minutes.
In medium bowl, combine almonds with cinnamon. Stir in egg white mixture; mix to combine well
Refrigerate dough, covered, overnight.
Lightly sprinkle wooden board or pastry cloth with sugar. Roll out dough -half at a time to 1/4 inch think. ( If you don't mind the addition of flour, you can use a sugar -flour mixture to dust the board)
Using 3 inch star cookie cutters cut out cookies. Place 1 inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheets.
Let cookies stand uncovered at room temperature for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 300℉. In small bowl combine confectioners sugar with 2 Tablespoons water; mix into smooth glaze.
Bake cookies 20 minutes. Brush tops with glaze; bake 5 minutes longer. Remove to wire rack; cool.
What Makes your Spice Cookies Star on the Holidays?
No contest for which is my favorite: cookies with spice.
Sometimes we are unsure whether we like gingerbread best for eating or decorating- so we do both! Gingerbread is a very old recipe that has managed to be passed down through centuries of generations. There were even Medieval guilds of bakers dedicated exclusively to the production of this famous kind of cookie.
Besides the spices, which are usually a redolent mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice, the primary flavor ingredient of many of these is molasses.
There are a number of types of molasses, and the use of a particular one will give a characteristic flavor to the gingerbread dough. Sorghum (a cereal grass, Sorghum bicolor) syrup may also be used.
The Flavor of Molasses
Usually made from cane sugar, though sometimes from beet and other sources, there are “Sulphured molasses”, “Unsulphured molasses” and three grades of molasses: mild, dark, and blackstrap.
I like the brand called “Grandma’s”, but you can substitute these for molasses, if you don’t have it on hand:
black treacle
honey
dark corn syrup
maple syrup
¾ of the volume of firmly packed brown sugar, especially soft dark brown sugar.
Blackstrap Molasses
contains trace amounts of vitamins and significant amounts of minerals.
Spice cooky bars
Nutmeg Flats
With long, slow baking these turn into rich buttery brittleness.
In a large bowl of mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add egg yolk and beat well. Stir in flour and nutmeg.
Using a small spatula or lightly floured fingers spread evenly in ungreased 15 x 10 x 1 inch jelly roll pan.
Beat egg white slightly and brush over the top. Smooth surface with fingertips. Bake in 275 F. oven until rich golden brown -about an hour.
While hot, cut into 2x3/4 inch bars; remove to racks to cool.
Plate of Christmas cookies
photo by PetitPlat – Stephanie Kilgast
Famous Lebkuchen
– A rendition of this traditional German favorite cooky Be sure to soften them in an airtight container for 3-4 days. They are long keepers and perfect for sending.
**Lebkuchen were invented by Medieval monks in Franconia, Germany in the 13th century.**
Lebkuchen
Complex spice and fruit flavors with a base of honey and molasses make this German confection famous.
In medium saucepan heat honey and molasses to boiling. Cool.
Add brown sugar, egg, lemon juice, and peel.
In large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients with walnuts and citron; pour honey-egg mixture over and stir until well combined.
Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate overnight. to mellow flavor.
Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease 2 cookie sheets.
Divide dough into quarters and roll out one quarter at a time on well floured board.to 1/4 inch thick.
Cut into 3 x 1 1/2 inch rectangles.
Bake on greased cookie sheets for 10 to 12 minutes.
Brush with glaze immediately.
Repeat with remaining dough.
To make glaze:
In small saucepan combine granulated sugar and water. Boil to 230 F. ( until thread begins to form) Remove from heat. Stir in the confectioner sugar. Keep warm.
More Cookie Recipes – Oh, so many types
Drop Cookies photo by rusvaplauke
Many types are variations on Gingerbread, but there are also others that have their own textures and flavors. Apple spice cookies are old fashioned and remind one of country farm kitchens with a just baked batch of cookies fresh from the oven. White cookies like Pfefferneuse, or Moravian White can be a tasty “White Christmas” delicacy.
Any cookie in which a spice might predominate in the flavor could be called a “spice cookie”, but we usually think of the combination of cinnamon and its buddies, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, as the recipe for this label.
Crisp, warmly spiced cookies topped with classic royal icing and charming hand-decorated details make lovely gifts. Sweet, comforting, and perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.
Everyone Needs A Mixer For Making Their Cooky Dough
I don’t have a pink one, but I use my KitchenAid mixer all the time. It is so easy to get this stiff dough mixed up just right. Makes all your mixing super easy, with plenty of power and all the right tools for whipping the egg whites to turning the dough. When you watch the how-to videos you can see that all these bakers seems to have a Kitchen Aid!
This is the quickest and simplest of all. It has flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg to accent the raisins. Or try the next one: Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies …Recipe to follow.
1 1/4 cups vegetable margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 teaspoon pulverized flaxseed in 1 tablespoon warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups quick oats
1 cup raisins
Mix all ingredients- drop by spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.
Oatmeal Raisin with Cinnamon and Clove
Oatmeal Raisin with Cinnamon and Clove
Easy, homey drop cookies. This recipe makes a large amount, perfect for a cookie swap.
Sift flour with baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves; set aside.
In a large bowl of mixer beat at medium speed: shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.until light and fluggy. At low speed beat in the flour mixture until well combined.
Stir in raisins and walnuts. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
Drop batter by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Decorate with more raisins or nuts.
Can be glazed if desired, but I think it adds too much...rather like gilding the lily.
Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks and cool.
Chai Spice!
Additions to your spice cookies
Add White Chocolate To This Spicey Pumpkin Cookie
– who can resist the combination of pumpkin and spice? From ‘Bake Your Day’ blog comes these super delicious creations. Cassie is a creative cook with an enthusiasm for good cooking that will light your cooking fires!
Preheat oven to 350 ºF. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars. Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and combine thoroughly. Slowly add the dry ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop spoonfuls of dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool for a couple minutes on the cookie sheet. The recipe makes 36 small cookies or 18 large cookies
Cookie Baking Necessities
Bake Like a Professional – Silicone Baking Mat
For the professional difference in cookie baking, try one of these baking liners.
Buy a whole set at one time and get all the cookie spatula, dough mixing spoons, and whisks all together in one batch. It includes the measuring spoons, an absolute necessity for baking, and a few other gadgets that all kitchens need. With KitchenAid quality so you can’t go wrong in having these last for years while being a joy to use.
2tablespoon sweet potato, pureed cooked and peeled
2tablespoon liquid egg white
2teaspoons vanilla extract, - divided
½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1tablespoon flax seed meal
2tablespoon fat-free cream cheese, softened
Method
Heat the oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the butter, palm sugar, 2 packets of the stevia, the baking powder, nutmeg and cloves. Mix until well combined. Add the sweet potato, egg white and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla, then mix until combined. Beat in the flour and flax seed meal.
Shape the dough into a round, flat disk. Place the disk between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 1/8-inch thick. Place the dough on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is very firm.
Remove the dough from the freezer and peel off the top sheet of paper. Use 2 1/2- to 3-inch cookie cutters to cut out 12 cookies. If necessary, place the dough back in the freezer after making the cutouts. This will help the dough firm back up, making it easier to transfer the cutouts from the paper to the prepared baking sheet.
Place the dough cutouts on the parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the tops are just dry and edges are just starting to brown.Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
To make the frosting, in a small bowl combine the cream cheese, the remaining packet of stevia and the remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Spoon the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small open tip. Decorate the cooled cookies with the icing.
Baking Cookies How-to Video
Icing and Sprinkles – Make your cookies special
I like pure white, piped royal icing on spice cookies. Dust with a bit of sparkling sugar crystals for a festive, handcrafted touch. Some recipes call for their own special icing, and are meant to highlight the flavor of the baked goods.
How to make those perfect designs with the Royal icing? A decorating set, with tips for different effects. This is how professionals get their perfect little dots, lines, and fill which create such pretty cookies.
Hungarian Coffee Cake for an Old-Fashioned Kaffee Klatsch
Retro ladies coffee party
The next time you need to schedule a meeting with co-workers or friends, why not make it more of a friendly and inviting spread of some coffee and coffee cake? Ambiance can increase the feeling of cooperation and make those invited to the table feel more appreciated.
Perhaps use this theme to make a get-together more welcoming and a bit different from the usual. Make sure you have some retro-style décor and serving utensils.
What Is a Kaffee Klatsch?
A kaffee klatsch is an informal social gathering for coffee and conversation.
The Kaffee Klatsch
Coffee klatsch explained
A kaffee klatsch (also spelled kaffeeklatsch and coffee klatch) is an informal social gathering for coffee and conversation.
Remember those early morning get-togethers? We once invited friends and neighbors over for some freshly made coffee and an easy-to-make cake, sharing thoughts and what was going on in our lives.
So, what happened to those?
Basically, I suppose the mass migration into the workforce, followed by the opening of the ubiquitous Starbucks and other coffee shops replaced our humble kitchen tables.
The Plus Side: Easy Recipes, Better Ingredients
Still, some of the recipes for those yummy coffee cakes are still popular today because they are quick and easy. Who wants to bake something complicated when they come home from work or on a weekend packed with long “to-do” lists?
No worries, most of these simple cakes are flavorful and take a short time to whip up. Better to make dessert and breakfast breads at home without the preservatives, etc. Plus, homebaked always tastes better.
You might even be inspired to hold a Saturday kaffe klatsch or two.
Hungarian Baking
There are millions of recipes out there for just such a coffee cake, but my Hungarian grandmother made some that I would like to pass on to you. This one is simple, the people in her Bible study liked it, and it has what we Magyars just love: lots of dairy and nuts.
Hungarians have great reputations for their food, and especially for baked goods. Hungarian recipes often incorporate sour cream and nuts, and this recipe is no exception.
Baking with old fashioned hospitality
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Cook Time
Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 40 min Ready in: 1 hour
Yields: 6 servings
Ingredients
For the cake:
1/4 pound butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
1/2 pint sour cream
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla
For the topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup nuts, chopped
1 tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
Cream the butter and sugar together.
Add the beaten eggs and vanilla.
Sift the dry ingredients together and add alternately with sour cream to the butter-sugar-egg mixture (about 3 additions of each).
Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured pan. Add half of the topping mixture. Then add the remaining batter on top of that, followed by the rest of the topping.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
Coffee, coffee cake, and friends make a fun get-together in your kitchen or at a park.
What Does Klatsch Mean?
The German word klatsch meant gossip, which was the point of the conversation time, catching up on all the news. Much more fun than gathering around a water cooler.
There is something warm and friendly about sharing a bit of food together—it is an ancient custom that we seem to have lost.
Coffee Breaks
I was curious about whatever had happened to the idea of coffee breaks here in the United States. While I work from home, my grown children have entered the workforce and one thing I notice is how easily their employers constrict or ignore breaks. This even happen happens for those who work remotely at times.
No time for even a cup of coffee!
While no one is sure how the idea originated, it seems to have become a part of the workplace after the Industrial Revolution and before unions were common. I found some interesting trivia.
“Give yourself a Coffee-Break and Get What Coffee Gives You.“This tagline was created in 1952 as a Pan-American Coffee Bureau ad campaign.
Stoughton, Wisconsin, claims to be the birthplace of the coffee break.
One of the first companies to offer coffee breaks in the workday was the Barcolo Manufacturing Company of Buffalo, New York. Their coffee break became known as the “Barcalounger.” They started this custom in 1902.
I believe the term kaffee klatsch coincided with that time. It was a term coined by the Germans, and in common use in the early 20th century. It had several spellings, including coffee klatch and kaffeeklatsch.
They all pretty much described the same cultural social gathering.
I think it would be fun to revive this type of gathering, although would people relax enough? Would anyone take time from their busy schedules to simply get together with friends at their own home with a homebaked coffee cake?
It seems we hardly have time to sit down to dinner with our family members.
Yet, I can’t help but feel that we would benefit from more social interaction that slows us down a bit, that creates a space for physical face-to-face conversations.
I hope you try out this recipe, and moreover, that you present it with a flourish of hospitality. Invite some friends to have coffee … at your house.
coffee klatsch
“The etiquette of the Coffee Klatch consists mainly of being glad you have friends to share your coffee cakes with. On a large tray, place coffee pot, cups, creamer and sugar bowl, enough small plates and small napkins. Light your living room fire and put the tray on a small table near it. Draw as many comfortable chairs as you have guests around the coffee table and then snuggle down for a grand afternoon. ” Every Week Magazine, 1933
More Hungarian Baking
Mamas Hungarian Cooking: Lemon Kossuth Cookies My mother is 100% Hungarian, and Hungarians love to bake. She often made all kinds of special goodies, but this cookie was one her of favorites. It has a sponge texture and a light lemony taste.
Think of this as a recipe index for the food and cooking pages made by Ilona1 online. It doesn’t matter how or where they were published, it only matters how yummy they will be once you cook them up in your kitchen.
Hungarian foods, Desserts, Christmas dinners, whatever tried and tested recipes I post on here are for you to use and enjoy and now you can find them all quickly!
The Best
Bookmark this food recipe collection for whenever you want the great recipe for Paprikash, or green tea cupcakes – that’s right, green tea cupcakes! Admittedly, they are an acquired taste, but my chocolate desserts are the best.
All recipes are what I consider the best recipes in my collection. These have come from family, friends, magazines, and favorite cookbooks over the years.
I guarantee you will love the Christmas cookie collection– those are the very “best of the best “of many recipes which I have been baking for years. Rich, buttery, and truly special.
My Favorite Cookbook – Good HouseKeeping Cookbook
Of all the cookbooks I’ve used over the years, the Good Housekeeping has been my best loved one due to the fact that the recipes always come out well, and they are excellent in providing a broad range of great flavors. It is the first cookbook I go to to find a really good recipe for something I want to make.
Whether you need exotic spices, or just something new to cook up- like a different way to fix chicken, here are the posts that will help you explore world cuisines, or old fashioned favorites. All you need is a good recipe, fresh, high quality ingredients, and a little time. You can improve your quality of life or your health if you choose recipes that create a tasty way to eat what is good for you! There are lots of reasons to not only go looking through good collections of recipes, but to actually try them.
Main Entrée
salmon
10 Old Fashioned Chicken Dishes Tonight!10 Old Fashioned Chicken Dishes To Cook Tonight Nothing beats the good old fashioned recipes for comfort food, and many of them are main dish chicken dinners. Start out with Chicken and Dumplings? Or pick from nine other choices for tonight.
Grilled Salmon with Herbes de Provence A fresh way to fix Salmon featuring the flavorings of France. I like this recipe anytime of year, but it is especially nice in Summertime.
Desserts & Delights
My Family’s Best Blueberry Blintz Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Breakfast & Brunch Blintzes were one of the first recipes I learned to make as a young wife and new mother. I had opened up a bank account, and banks in those days often offered gifts to new customers. In this case,.
The Sweet Red Cherry Elected For Presidents Day Sweet Red Cherries, Good For Your Health If you see fresh, ripe, sweet cherries at the market, grab them up! They are full of antioxidants for good health, and they taste sublime. After you discover more about them, try one of the recipes.
Cupcakes in Columbus Cute cupcakes which I found on my rounds through Columbus, Ohio
Celebrations
Christmas gingerbread
Potluck Party Idea: Have A Middle Eastern Hafla Have the Arabian Nights version of a potluck party. Serve wonderful Middle Eastern flavors in easy to serve finger foods and buffet items. Dress up the venue with a few simple rugs and screens. Voila!
Holiday Peanut Butter Fudge The Easiest, Best Peanut Butter Fudge For my family, the is the BEST, the only peanut fudge to make. Friends agree, and I bet you will like it,too. Use fresh ingredients for best results.
A Day for Cherry Pie Bet you didn’t know there was a special day just for cherry pie! I love all fruit pies, but the one celebrated on February 20 is the best. Make 2 delicious recipes with plenty of how-to tips.
Hungarian Flavor
Trinkets of Hungarian culture
Hungarian Baking: Apple Filled, Sour Cream Bundt Cake Hungarian Apple Bundt Cake Apple cakes are perhaps the favorite Hungarian cake recipe known by most Americans. Sometimes they are intricate and fancy affairs, like apple pite, but most of the apple cakes are delicious homebaked cakes which are loved by all. You know the…
Famous Hungarian Chicken Paprikash Make authentic Hungarian Paprikas and delight your friend and family. The underestimated cuisine that is world class deliciousness has a number of key recipes. This is one of the finest.
Famous Hungarian Food I know you’re familiar with Italian and French food, but did you know that Hungary has one of the finest of world cuisines? Explore some of the great flavors and creations, delight your palate.
Coffee Break And Hungarian Coffee Cake My Grandmother loved to bake, and as a young wife I remember getting together with friends for old fashioned Coffee Klatches with a cup of coffee and a sweet morsel. What happened to those?
Hungarian Braided Coffee Cake -Kuglof Continuing to bring a little of my Grandmother’s Hungarian baking to your kitchen. This braided coffee cake is a little more advanced,. Try it for breakfast or on a holiday table. It has raisins.
Mother’s Favorite: Lemon Kossuth Cookies She would whip these up because they are easy and their lemony, light textured taste is a delight. I remember her pleasure when she baked these Hungarian cookie staples.
Kifli Cookies are another traditional Hungarian favorite. These are the ones I am partial to. I bake them only at Christmas time, but they are a special cookie for all occasions and seasons.
Collections
10 Meals To Make With Roast Chicken First roast a chicken, it’s easy, then make any of 10 delicious delicious dishes from all sorts of fine world cuisines.
Ilona’s Favorite Chocolate Desserts Everyone seems to love chocolate desserts, including me. That is why I put together m family’s favorites: the best dessert recipes, tested through the years and found to be delicious.
My Best Ever Christmas Cookie Recipes All my family favorites packed into this one page. Guaranteed delicious, I have baked them since I was a young wife and mother more than thirty years ago. Christmas cookies must be special-these are!
Starring Your Favorite Spice Cookies The smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, allspice, mace and molasses fills the air when you bake these well loved cookies. The crunch, the chewiness, or melting softness when dunked in your coffee, it tastes like Christmas and brings memories to…
Amazing Recipes – These aren’t mine. Yet.
Organize Your Own Recipes
Eventually, the realization that a way to keep your favorites, and to pass them on to someone else will lead to organizing the collections. I like personal binders for a simple system. Find yours, there are many ways that cooks create a solution that works for them.
Being able to print a recipe is a major convenience when looking for recipes to try from the internet.
Food and gardening go together. Start collecting and sharing recipes that center on veggies, fruits, and herbs- you know, the things that we grow in our gardens!
All About Mint Tea From pure herbal concoctions to mint infused green teas, there are many ways to enjoy the healthful benefits of the mint plant.
The Moroccan Tea Glass The delicate glasses are beautiful without the tea, but try this staple of Moroccan hospitality for a refreshing taste of mint.
Red Rose Petals For Your Wedding, Food, And Crafts Used through the ages, follow the romance of how petals have imparted fragrance in so many sweet ways. Whether you strew aisles and tables, make jam or rosebeads, they’re delightful.
Lavender For Cooks It may be new to you, but this French cooking secret is going to add a wonderful flavor to some really delicious recipes. Try culinary lavender in your cooking today.
Cardamom Spice, Recipes to Warm a Heart Try this warm and delightful spice to add flavor and intrigue to your cooking and baking. Your family and guest will ask in wonderment:
Not an innovator I just collect good recipes that I and my family like to eat. I like Martha Stewart for many reasons… in the garden, cooking food, decorating. She’s a Renaissance woman.
The book on Pies and tarts is just one of Martha Stewarts many excellent books on culinary topics. America’s taste maven never fails to impress with the quality of the recipes (top priority in a cookbook), but also in all aspects of the presentation. Every time I use one of her recipes I get success.
If you see fresh, ripe, sweet cherries at the market, grab them up! They are full of antioxidants for good health, and they taste sublime. After you discover more about them, try one of the recipes.
What are blintzes, you ask? The answer is here, along with more than one recipe for crepes that are filled with a ricotta-cottage cheese filling and topped with a warm blueberry sauce. It doesn’t need to stop there, as you will find out if you take the time. Otherwise, go straight to the recipe, print it out and get cooking!
My Favorite Brunch Dish is Blueberry Blintzes
Blintzes For Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner
Delicious Blueberry blintzes made with paper thin crepes and a dollop of cream.sBlintzes were one of the first recipes I learned to make as a young wife and new mother. I had opened up a bank account, and banks in those days often offered gifts to new customers. In this case, it was a cookbook, and it was the very first cookbook of my own.
I made a number of recipes from that old recipe collection that stayed in my repertoire and Blintzes turned out to be one of the family’s all time favorites. I fixed them for breakfasts, sometimes for holidays (fabulous for Christmas morning), and on a hot summer night they might even have been the main entrée!
Being something like pancakes, they were naturals with a topping of sliced strawberries or sweetened blueberries. Since blueberries are a favorite fruit- this is the way I would like to make the presentation of our family’s favorite blintz recipes to you.
The best blintzes are made with very thin, egg enriched crepe batter, and filled with a wonderful soft cheese filling, although there are a number of variations according to the locale of the cuisine, and the imagination of the chef. I hope you will try this recipe of mine, which I tweaked just a bit over the years. It is offered with high hopes of “Bon Appetit”! Enjoy!
Anytime, and I think they are ideal for brunches; especially since you can make them ahead and heat in a chafing dish.
I’ve served them as a light entrée for dinner, and of course, breakfast is the natural time for a serving of these filled crepe pancakes.
What are they?
They are crepe pancakes made with an eggy batter, cooked very thinly on a griddle or special pan. Then they are filled, often with cheese mixture, topped with syrup, sour cream, or whipped cream, and often times -fruit!
Yes, they are delicious.
What are their other aliases?
Russians make a variation called “blini”, Hungarians call them “palacsinta”, French call them “crepes”, and Jewish cooks call them “blintzes”. I always called them blintz, and it is a fun name, don’t you think?
Blueberry Blintzes
The Recipe You Are Waiting For
The batter for these crepes is very thin and care must be taken to cook them properly. The pan must be hot with not too much butter coating. Keep tilting and tipping pan to coat evenly. The result is wonderfully tender and delicate. I used to double the batter recipe for my family.
Blueberry Cheese Blintzes
Delicious tender crepes filled with soft cheese and topped with a blueberry sauce
1 cream-style cottage cheese8-ounce container = one cup
1 package cream cheese 3 -ounce, softened
¼cup sugar
½teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch cinnamon
2 Tablespoonsbutter
Method
Prepare filling
Beat cottage cheese, cream cheese,sugar and vanilla until smooth.
Prepare the crepe wrappers:
Use wire whisk to beat 2 tablespoons butter , the milk,flour,salt, and 3 eggs until smooth. Cover and chill for 2 hours.
Brush bottom of crepe pan with melted butter, over medium heat pour just about 1/4 cup batter tip pan to coat, or use a tool spreader to thin out the batter over the surface.
Cook until set, about 2 minutes.
Loosen crepe, turn over and cook other side about 30 seconds. Remove crepe onto wax paper, and repeat the process until crepes are cooked, either adding filling immediately and laying in a frying pan or wrapping in foil and storing in the refrigerator.
Assemble Blintzes:
Spread a tablespoon of cheese mixture over the crepe. Fold two side toward center and roll up. Place in a shallow pan greased with melted butter
Bake for about 10 minutes until heated through
Serve with a side of sour cream or whipped cream and blueberry sauce
Tip: Heat The Pan Hot Enough
– but don’t overcook the blintz crepes, they should be tender, not rubbery (cooked too long) or soggy ( pan not hot enough).
Easy and Delicious Cheese-filled Blintzes
Browning in a frying pan
Do You Need A Special Pan? – Frying Pan Especially for Crepes
Do you really need a special pan to fry your crepes? In a pinch, you can use a regular griddle pan or frying pan, but if you want those perfect very thin crepes, I think you should opt for a crepe pan. It can be used for other frying and sauté tasks, but its premier raison d’etre is the preparation of an excellent crepe., and does double duty to make superb omelets.
Crepe Pans
Why does a special crepe pan make such fine crepes? It is the smooth surface and the sloped sides that eases the flipping and removal of the crepe. The size is a manageable medium size with a lighter weight than you might have on a similar type of frying pan.
So, the choice is yours, really. I would recommend getting a good quality crepe pan for its versatility as well as specialized usefulness in creating the blintzes that you are going to want to fix regularly for your family and guests.
Le Creuset is simply one of the best cookware products to have and use. The enameled pans are easy to clean and cook evenly. The satin black enamel interior means no health issues from non-stick coatings, while delivering a smooth surface that makes lovely crepes.
This is a recipe that people just love. Palacsinta are simply the type of crepes that Hungarians make! the difference is that they are a little trickier to cook, because of the extreme thinness. Hungarians are fond of filling them with both the sweetened cheese and more savory filling such as ham. ( Much in the way of French cuisine).
You can see that the amount of crepes made from it are for a crowd.
Normally, each person would eat two blintzes per serving.
2cup small-curd cottage or ricotta cheese(164 ounces)
8ounces cream cheese, softened
2large egg yolk
2 tablespoonssugar
1 teaspoonvanilla extract
1teaspoon fresh lemon juice or ground cinnamon (optional)or ground cinnamon (optional)
Alternative Filling
24 ouncesCottage Cheese Small Curd
8ouncesCream Cheese
1 cupPowdered Sugar
2teaspoonVanilla Extract
zest of one lemon
¼lb. Raisins
Method
Make the Filling:
Place all ingredients in the bowl and mix well. Set aside.
Make the Crepes:
Beat the eggs to lemon color, add milk, flour, sugar, vanilla extract and salt.
Mix the ingredients with a wire whisk until frothy.
Refrigerate about an hour.
Preheat oven to 250°F.
Use a medium crepe pan heated on moderately high heat . Brush lightly with the oil, pour about a 1/4 cup batter onto pan and rotate until pan is evenly coated. Cook lightly until done on each side, stacking them on a platter. Fill each blintz with about 1 1/2 oz of filling and roll or fold into burrito-like purses, making 7 at a time before transferring them to oven to keep warm.
Transfer each blintz to a heatproof platter and keep warm in oven. Make 7 more crêpes in same manner, transferring to oven (rolled crêpes can be arranged side by side or stacked like logs).
Alternative Filling Instructions
In a bowl put all ingredients except the raisins and mix well with a wooden spoon or you can use a food processor. When ingredients are blended well then fold in the raisins. If raisins are a little dry, use a dash of Grand Marnier to moisten them
Put about 1 1/2 oz of filling on the crepes and roll up. Serve with the blueberries on top
Notes
So many ways to vary the filling:
Use sour cream instead of cream cheese with the cottage cheese filling.
Add small amounts of ground nuts, or more lemon juice to the cheese filling
Skip the dairy and fill with your favorite jam.
Use a dry pot cheese instead of the cottage cheese.
Fill with nut filling
Cooking Instruction Video
Antioxidents Blue
Fresh blueberries are a healthy addition- no need for extra sugar.
Just Picked Blueberries
The absolute best accompaniment for blintzes are the fresh picked blueberries, but frozen or pie filling tastes good, too.
Blueberry Topped Cheese Blintzes
Make a blueberry syrup:
Wild Blueberry Syrup:
Cook together on the stovetop. Pour over the blintzes.
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The book on Pies and tarts is just one of Martha Stewarts many excellent books on culinary topics. America’s taste maven never fails to impress with the quality of the recipes (top priority in a cookbook), but also in all aspects of the presentation. Every time I use one of her recipes I get success.
