Pesach Brownies - Repost with updates

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What is Pesach without brownies?

I first posted this recipe for Pesach 2020. We thought it was awesome then, but this year, I modified it and made it even more amazing!

I hope you like it as much as my family and extended family does!

Pesach Brownies 

(gluten free, non-gebrokts, pareve)

4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp pesach vanilla (optional)
1 3/4 cups sugar
2/3 cup potato starch
1 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 bag of chocolate chips

Optional: chocolate frosting (I used the entire (small) jar of pareve chocolate spread)

Mix together eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. In a second bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Make a well in the dry ingredients, and add the wet mix. Mix well with a wooden spoon. If you want to use one bowl, you can, but you'll probably find this needs to be mixed with an electric mixer, rather than a wooden spoon.

Pour into a large pan (I used a lasagna size pan or even bigger. It worked perfectly in the largest baking pan from the new set I bought for this Pesach!), sprinkle chocolate chips all over the top of the batter, and bake at 180 C for about 25 min (160 C if using the convection setting). I've also baked these in my "Shabbat mode" oven on 140 C (the highest I can leave it on Shabbat mode. I know, that's very strange, but that is what it is) for about 35 or 40 minutes, and it was perfect. But not everyone leaves the baking for the chag, so if you're baking on a weekday, go ahead and bake it according to these directions.

Allow to cool before frosting. Cut. Serve.

YUM. Chocolate craving solved. And with the roller coaster ride we've been on here in Israel, I'm guessing I'm not the only one craving a chocolate fix.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bars (Cookies)

 This post is for the people who felt my Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Squares weren't quite cookies. Admittedly, they are a bit mushy. I happen to love eating them, and making them is SOOO easy!

But someone told me they preferred a more traditional cookie texture, so here's one that will fit the bill.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bars (Cookies)

Ingredients:

3 Tbp ground flaxseed, plus 2/3 cup warm water OR 2 eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar (plain sugar works. brown sugar is better)

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1.5 cups whole grain flour (wheat or spelt both work)

2/3 cup oats (the flake kind, not steel cut)

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

6 oz chocolate chips (dairy or non-dairy, whichever works for you)

(OPTIONAL: 100g of chocolate - dairy or non-dairy, whichever works for you. Save this for topping the cookies. I break up a bar of "cow chocolate".)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 190C/375F

First, mix the flaxseed with water in a large mixing bowl. Let sit for about 10 minutes before you continue. OR beat the eggs.

Then add the rest of the ingredients (except the chocolate chips and chocolate pieces, save those for the end) and mix well.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spread the mixture out on a large cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 15-17 minutes MAX. Take them out, even if you don't think they are done.

OPTIONAL: While they're still hot, dot the top with pieces of chocolate and let that sit for a few minutes till melted enough to spread around. Spread the chocolate over the top with a heat-proof spatula. Cut into squares before the chocolate fully cools.

Cool further before serving. There won't be any leftovers, so don't worry about storing them. If there happen to be leftovers, I wrap the whole pan well in plastic wrap.

Banana Coconut Bread (with a twist of lime) - "Tropical Coffee Cake" (Vegan)

I made a last minute banana bread on Friday, but I didn't have much sifted flour left on hand, and I had a LOT of mushy bananas (note to self: stop buying too many bananas!).

I also had a lot of limes. Our lime tree has been giving us SO many limes!

(But the lemon tree. Don't ask me about the lemon tree! It's got about 3 lemons on it. What a stingy lemon tree - the lime tree is way more generous.)

So, I decided it would be banana with coconut and lime. And I am a fan. The kids seemed to like it, too - they pretty much polished off this cake without leaving any for me.

Here's what I did:

Banana Coconut Bread, with a twist of lime

3-4 overripe bananas, mashed well
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. oil
1 T. chia seeds
2/3 c. water

juice of 1 lime
1 cup flour
1.5  c. shredded coconut                                                                       
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
 

First combine all the wet ingredients, and then mix in the dry ingredients.

Pour into a loaf pan and bake at 180 C for about 1 hr.

You can make muffins instead if you like, use a greased muffin tin or paper liners, and bake for about 30 minutes.

This is a pretty dense loaf, though! So - keep that in mind.

It went well with my coffee! I'll call it my "Tropical Coffee Cake"!

Enjoy!

Recipe: Pesach Brownies (GF, Pareve)

What is Pesach without brownies?
I mean, this year we are all home in our houses, no guests, and feeling a little out of sorts... It's a very different experience that Pesachs past. (I'm sure one day we'll tell our grandkids about the Pandemic Pesach of 2020, right?) So we needed something to jazz up our day - and I decided it would be a new brownie recipe!

I know that we are the lucky ones, we're not alone - there are six of us living in this house. So there's always someone to talk to when you don't want to feel alone. On the other hand, there's also always someone right there - even when you need some space! I'm sure you understand.

Anyway, brownies have always been a favorite in this house, so for the chag, we had brownies for dessert to help make sure everyone was feeling the holiday cheer! And they were a hit, so I'm sharing the latest variation with you.

Pesach Brownies (gluten free, non-gebrokts, pareve)

4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp pesach vanilla (optional)
1 3/4 cups sugar
2/3 cup potato starch
1 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Optional: chocolate frosting (I used part of a jar of pareve chocolate spread) or chocolate chips to mix in to the batter

Mix together eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. In a second bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Make a well in the dry ingredients, and add the wet mix. Mix well with a wooden spoon. If you want to use one bowl, you can, but you'll probably find this needs to be mixed with an electric mixer, rather than a wooden spoon. (Optional: mix in 1/2 package of chocolate chips)

Pour into a large pan (I used a lasagna size pan), and bake at 180 C for about 25 min. I actually baked these in my "Shabbat mode" oven on 140 C (the highest I can leave it on Shabbat mode. I know, that's very strange, but that is what it is) for about 35 or 40 minutes, and it was perfect. But not everyone leaves the baking for the chag, so if you're baking on a weekday, go ahead and bake it at 180 C for 25 min!

Allow to cool before frosting.

Cut. Serve.

YUM. Chocolate craving solved.

Hope you are managing this Pesach, and please know that you're not alone, we're really all in this together. Hang in there!

Gluten Free "Bread" Experiment

I was asked to make sure I have a bread substitute for this Shabbat for someone eating here who has recently gone gluten free and is not so happy about it.

Gluten Free breads tend to be very pricey in my neck of the woods, so I figured I should save a bunch of money making my own! But I didn't want to spend a lot of time patchey-ing, and I didn't want to use starch and xanthum gum to figure something out...

So I thought back to that Techina Bread that made the rounds one Pesach in the not-so-distant past, and that I had made using cashew butter for Pesach (as we are not kitniyot eaters). I remembered it being slightly more cake-like than bread-like, so I decided to tweak it a bit. No, this is not a real bread that you can make "hamotzi" on, but I think anyone who really cannot eat gluten doesn't need to make hamotzi, so it's ok (that's my understanding, but I'm not giving you a halachic psak - check with your halachic authority).

The Techina bread recipe calls for eggs, techina, honey, and baking soda. That's it! Hoping to make it a bit more like a hearty, whole grain bread, I changed things up a bit.

Here's my version:

4 eggs
1/2 cup techina
2 tablespoons silan
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp flaxseed
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds (+ more for topping, if you want)
pinch of salt

Mix together eggs, techina, silan, salt, and baking soda - mix well with a whisk until thoroughly combined and batter thickens slightly. Fold in seeds.
Fill greased baking pan(s) - I used 3 mini loaf pans, but it can certainly be made in 1 loaf pan for one loaf
 - and sprinkle extra sesame seeds on top (optional).

Bake 25-35 min at 180 C (about 360 degrees F) It turned a rich golden-brown color, and resembles a whole grain bread (at least that!)!

Hoping it goes over well! I nibbled one and it's definitely less cake-like than my last experiment! I liked it! Hoping my picky "customer" enjoys it too!

Let me know if you give it a try!

How to make a bunch of cakes in a hurry!

Mine's purple, really!

This is my secret to making multiple cakes for every Shabbat, with very little effort (I usually bring cakes to kiddush). I really don't have time for complicated baking, and erev Shabbat is super crazy - so here's what I do to bake 2-3 cakes every week - and only spend about 10 min. on it (besides baking time)!

Makes TWO 9 x 13 inch baking pans, or 3 round cake pans

Cake Batter:
4 tablespoons flaxseed mixed with 1/2 cup hot water, (allow to cool)
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
4 cups flour (I used whole spelt, you can make it with whole wheat or white wheat, or a mix too)
pinch of salt
1.5 tsp baking soda
1.5 cup water + 1 tsp vinegar 
Toppings (these are my go-to options, you can be as creative with this as you like!): 


1. 
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup flour
2 Tablespoons of oil - best if solid like palm shortening or coconut oil

2. chocolate chips, sprinkled on top

3.
Reserve about 1/4 of the cake batter after filling the pans and add 1/3 cup cocoa powder, mix well. Add to a half filled pan and mix very gently - to make marble cake

4. fruit jam of your choice folded into one of the pans

Instructions:

Mix together flaxseed/water mixture, oil, vanilla,  and sugar. Combine flour with salt and baking soda. Slowly add flour mixture to wet ingredients. Mix well to combine (this is best done with a mixer or a whisk). Add water/vinegar mixture slowly while whisking. Whisk till smooth.
 
Pour HALF the batter into each 9 x 13 inch baking pan, or reserve some if making the marble cake option. Top with your choices of toppings.

Voila! You've got (two or) three very easy cakes ready to go into the oven!
 
Bake for about 1 hour at 175 C (check with toothpick to make sure it's done) 

Allow to cool before cutting. 
Enjoy!

Sweet Whole Wheat or Spelt and Oat Bran Challah Recipe -With Vegan Option

I change up my challah recipe sometimes, and my kids have definitely expressed a preference for the times when I make them *sweet*. No real surprise there, though!

So lately, I've been making this version. It's been a hit with my family. If you make it, I'd love to hear your feedback!



Sweet Whole Wheat or Spelt and Oat Bran Challah

8 cups whole wheat flour (or whole spelt flour)
1 cup oat bran
2/3 cup ground flaxseed
1 T. salt
1/2 cup sugar

3 cups of lukewarm water
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp dry yeast

1/2 cup honey or vegan honey (optional)
1/2 cup oil + a little more for oiling the bowl

Directions:
1. Mix 1 tsp sugar with the water. Add the yeast. Allow to proof for about 10 min

2. Mix together dry ingredients (flour, oat bran, flaxseed, salt, sugar)

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add liquid ingredients. Mix well. Then knead. 

4. coat the dough with oil and flip over a couple of times, so the bottom and sides get oiled too. cover with a tea towel to rise till doubled. On warm days, this can be about 1 hour, on cold days it can take a lot longer!

5. Punch down. Shape your challot. Cover with a tea towel to rise for about 1/2 an hour. (I usually make 3 challot out of this size batch, so I often double it!)

6. Optional: glaze your challot. I never bother, especially since I've basically gone vegan for baking! Bake for about 30-40 min at 350 F (175-180C)

Allow to cool before you devour them. For some reason, these cut much better when they've cooled properly.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cake (vegan)

Chocolate Chip Cake

4 tablespoons ground flaxseed 
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup oil
1 cup lukewarm decaf coffee OR soy milk or other milk subsitute
2/3 - 1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup shredded coconut or your favorite ground nuts
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 - 6 oz chocolate chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350 F (about 175 C)

Combine ground flaxseed with boiling water in a large mixing bowl. Stir a couple of times, then allow to cool slightly. Add oil, coffee/soymilk, sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add coconut/ground nuts, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Fold in half the chocolate chips.

Pour batter into a large cake pan. Spread it evenly. Spread the rest of the chocolate chips on top of the cake.

Bake for 45-50 min. Test with a toothpick to be sure it's fully baked.
Allow to cool before cutting.

Let me know if you try this recipe out!

Chocolate Bread Recipe

This recipe is being published at Joy of Kosher and here at Frugal and Kosher, at the same time.

Be sure to check out my guest blogs at Joy of Kosher too!

I was thinking about Purim, and while I love giving real food for mishloach manot, I like to keep it fun too. And then we discovered...

Chocolate Bread (whole wheat variation)

Note: traditional Italian chocolate bread is made with a sourdough starter. This recipe is for those of us who don’t keep sourdough starter on hand. 

This recipe makes 6 mini-loaves or 3 regular size loaves.

Ingredients:

3 ¼ cups warm water

2 tsp sugar

3 tsp dry yeast

9 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup cocoa

1/3 cup oil + more for coating the bowl

½ bar dark chocolate, crushed with a hammer or the end of a wooden rolling pin

Mix together the first three ingredients, and allow the yeast to proof for about 10 minutes. (I know, lots of people say you don’t have to do this, but I always proof my yeast, that way I’m sure it is alive!)

Mix dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, and cocoa) in a large bowl, and make a well in the center. Pour the oil and the yeast mixture into the well, and then combine everything. You can start with a wooden spoon, but eventually you will need to use your hands (unless of course, you have a powerful enough mixer to handle bread dough). Knead dough for about 10 min. Coat the dough with oil and cover with a tea towel to rise.

Allow to rise until doubled in size. After it has risen, punch down the dough, and sprinkle chocolate bits evenly over the dough. Use a knife to cut the dough into 6 approximately equal pieces, if making mini loaves (3 pieces if making regular size loaves). Work the chocolate into each piece of dough, shape into circles and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper (you may need two, I did). Cover with a tea towel, and allow to rise for another half hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

When your loaves have risen, bake for about 30 minutes. Watch them! Chocolate burns quickly if left in too long.

Allow to cool before slicing.

Tastes great with butter. Or hazelnut spread.

It’s actually pretty addictive. Don’t get me started...

Let me know if you try this!

Corn muffins with molasses

Today I changed my corn muffin recipe - and the new version was really good!

Here it is:

2 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. corn meal
2 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. molasses
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. oil
2 c. water + 1 T. vinegar

Mix well, with a spoon, and bake at 190 C (375 F) for about 25 min (makes 12 muffins)

YUM

Shared with the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop on May 17, 2012