Tag Archives: Passover

BLUEberry Buttercream Cups

May 12, 2014 Keep It Sweet 14 Comments

These Blueberry Buttercream Cups are the perfect no-bake chocolate treats. They are so easy to make.

I think I might be a little obsessed with buttercream candy cups now. First there were the Mint Cookies and Cream Buttercream Cups and then I made these Pretty in Pink Buttercream Cups. The thing is, this is such an easy dessert to make. I was able to do all of the work and clean up in the time it took Matt to go to the driving range. I could have eaten them all and he wouldn’t even have had a clue. Sometimes that is the best kind of dessert.

So when I was thinking endlessly of some sort of fancy gender reveal post, I’m glad that it finally occurred to me to make some buttercream cups again. I still don’t have high energy levels so it’s hard to motivate myself to make anything overly complicated. Besides, blueberry buttercream plus chocolate – it’s like a gourmet truffle on crack.

Wait, what? Did I say gender reveal? The filling might not be super blue (I’m trying to stay away from artificial coloring right now), but it is blue! And that’s pretty much my favorite color since we found out that we are having a boy a couple of weeks ago! It actually wasn’t a shock, everyone seemed convinced of that a couple of months ago. If I had been told anything else, I wouldn’t have believed the doctor anyway. I grew up with a sister so this whole boy world is new and exciting for me. And besides that, finding out the sex made things feel SO much more real. We’ve even started looking at furniture and all of the cute room decorations out there. Seriously, how is everything baby so darn cute? And Matt? I don’t think I’ve seen him this happy in the entire 10+ years we’ve been together. That might be the best part!

BLUEberry Buttercream Cups

Save Print

These Blueberry Buttercream Cups are the perfect no-bake chocolate treats. They are so easy to make.

Author: Lauren Lilling

Recipe type: Dessert

Makes: 12 candy cups

Ingredients

227g good quality dark chocolate (I used 72%), roughly chopped
7g (1/2 tablespoon) unsalted butter
1½ cups Blueberry Buttercream (see below)

Instructions

Line a mini muffin pan with 12 tin foil cupcake wrappers and set aside
Place chocolate and butter in a medium microwave safe bowl; melt by microwaving the chocolate and butter in 30-second increments and stirring in-between
Use a teaspoon to coat the bottom of each cup with melted chocolate; place muffin pan in fridge
Remove pan from fridge and pipe buttercream into center of each cup (about 1 tablespoon)
Spoon melted chocolate over buttercream and around edges so that coated on all sides
Chill for one hour in refrigerator before serving; store in refrigerator up to one week

Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

Blueberry Buttercream

Save Print

Author: Lauren Lilling

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

113g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
240g (1½ cups) powdered sugar
⅛ cup blueberry puree (made from ¼ cup of fresh or frozen blueberries)
½ teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter on high speed for several minutes until light and creamy
Scrape the sides of the bowl and add powdered sugar; beat on high speed until combined
Scrape the sides of the bowl and add blueberry puree, vanilla and salt; mix on medium speed for one minute; beat on high speed for at least five minutes and until frosting is light and creamy; if it appears too thick, continue to beat for another couple of minutes or until it reaches desired consistency

Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

Dear Pottery Barn Kids – you might just be the end of my bank account.

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

You might also like:

Mint Cookies and Cream Buttercream Cups

Pretty in Pink Buttercream Cups

Peanut Butter Caramel Candy Cups

Blog, Recipes

Pretty in Pink Buttercream Cups

April 9, 2014 Keep It Sweet 41 Comments

These dark chocolate candy cups are filled with a delicious creamy buttercream. They are a gluten-free, no-bake treat for any occasion.

Today’s post is exciting because I’m part of a huge group of blogging ladies celebrating Steph’s virtual baby shower! This sweet and talented blogger is due to have a baby girl in just a few weeks and I am so excited for her. I’ve never met Steph in real life, but through talking online I already know what a kind, friendly and lovely person she is. Not to mention she is writing a delicious looking e-cookbook!

For the virtual shower, I went with one of my favorite party staples, a bite-size pickup dessert. I love small desserts at parties because they give guests the chance to try a little bit of everything. These candy cups are a new variation of the Mint Cookies and Cream Buttercream Cups I shared a few weeks ago. This version swaps the filling for a simple vanilla buttercream tinted in pink and perfect for a (girl) baby shower. Of course you could make them blue for a boy as well. I also left out the Oreos this time to keep them gluten-free and Passover appropriate (just in time!). I think this will be a nice treat to share at our seder on Tuesday night. Scroll down to see what treats everyone else is sharing!

Pretty in Pink Buttercream Cups

Save Print

These dark chocolate candy cups are filled with a delicious creamy buttercream. They are a gluten-free, no-bake treat for any occasion.

Author: Lauren Lilling

Recipe type: Dessert

Makes: 12 candy cups

Ingredients

227g good quality dark chocolate (I used 72%), roughly chopped
7g (1/2 tablespoon) unsalted butter
1½ cups Vanilla Buttercream (replace food coloring with just 2 drops red food coloring); optional

Instructions

Line a mini muffin pan with 12 tin foil cupcake wrappers and set aside
Place chocolate and butter in a medium microwave safe bowl; melt by microwaving the chocolate and butter in 30-second increments and stirring in-between
Use a teaspoon to coat the bottom of each cup with melted chocolate; place muffin pan in fridge
Remove pan from fridge and pipe buttercream into center of each cup (about 1 tablespoon)
Spoon melted chocolate over buttercream and around edges so that coated on all sides
Chill for one hour in refrigerator before serving; store in refrigerator up to one week

Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

Don’t forget to take a look at what the other bloggers are bringing to the shower!

Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes from Sarcastic Cooking

Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake with Lemon Drizzle from Greens & Chocolate

Super Chewy M&M Blondies from The Realistic Nutritionist

Strawberry Cinnamon Twist Knots from A Kitchen Addiction

Lemon Shortbread with Salted Chocolate Drizzle from The Lemon Bowl

Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream from A Zesty Bite

Blackberry and Mango Curd Pie from Joanne Eats Well With Others

Pecan Sticky Buns from Warm Vanilla Sugar

Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins from Garnish with Lemon

Chocolate Chip Pancakes from Susie Freaking Homemaker

Super Simple Sugar Cookies from Espresso and Cream

Raspberry Acai Frozen Margarita from Nutmeg Nanny

Berry Coconut Frozen Yogurt from The Law Student’s Wife

Pretty in Pink Buttercream Cups from Keep it Sweet Desserts

Broccoli Salad with Honey Toasted Walnuts from The Roasted Root

Neapolitan Baked Doughnuts from Climbing Grier Mountain

Giant Pink M&M and Raisinette Cookies from Steph’s Bite by Bite

No-Bake Rhubarb Cheesecake Parfait Cups from Hungry Girl Por Vida

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp from A Cedar Spoon

Freckled Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade from Take a Megabite

Vanilla Anise Cupcakes from Blahnik Baker

Mini Vanilla Bean Layer Cakes from The Baker Chick

Mini Blackberry Hazelnut Meringue Cakes from Eat Your Heart Out

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

You might also like:

Baby Shower Chocolate Clusters

Pink Champagne Pops

Mini Chip Brownie Bites with Pink Marshmallow Buttercream

Blog, Recipes

Chocolate Chunk Meringues

April 9, 2012 Keep It Sweet 31 Comments

How was everyone’s weekend? I can’t help but be envious of anyone who got an Easter basket yesterday. For my entire life I’ve wanted one, is that weird? You better believe that I will be taking advantage of the post-Easter candy sales, though! I hope I can get my hands on some of those solid milk chocolate Hershey’s eggs with the pastel candy shells, they have been my favorite Easter candy forever.

While I didn’t get an Easter basket, I did have a wonderful weekend, one of the best in a while. We spent both Friday and Saturday nights with family for the Passover seders. It was such a nice treat that we got to be with both my family and Matt’s family on Saturday.

I have to admit that the weekend highlight, though, was Saturday morning and afternoon. That was the first day since I don’t remember when that Matt and I got to just relax and do whatever we wanted for the better part of a Saturday. It started with sleeping “late” (i.e. 7am) and then proceeding to be in my PJs all day while we watched TV and started planning a vacation. Speaking of which, would someone like to plan that vacation for us?

After months of working around the clock every.single.day. and a head full of stress, it was the best Saturday I could have asked for. It was sad to see the weekend end, but next weekend we are going on a mini getaway to Philly. We had a credit for a hotel stay so we are taking advantage of it to get some time to ourselves. Any suggestions of things we should do are welcome. Note: I grew up outside of Philly so we have already done all of the regular tourist stuff.

For Saturday’s seder, I brought dessert of course. After being on my feet all week I was happy to have some leftover Matzo Crack and Flourless Brownies (special requests) from Passover orders. I did want to make a little something else, though. With all the extra egg whites I had in my fridge, I had big plans for a fancy pavlova. However, tired feet and lack of sleep got the best of me so I stuck with something simple, meringue cookies. I spiced them up with chopped chocolate chunks and you know what? These were such a hit! I’ll say it again, the key to Passover desserts is sticking with things that aren’t meant to be something else. Naturally flourless is key.
Chocolate Chunk Meringues
Makes ~6 dozen meringues
Note: Before making your meringues, make sure your mixing bowl and whisk attachment are very clean. I wiped mine down with white vinegar to ensure there was no leftover grease to prevent the meringue from forming.

Ingredients:
6 egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
8 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees; line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside
In the large bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt at medium speed until the mixture has formed soft peaks
In crease the speed to medium high and slowly add the granulated sugar, one heaping tablespoon at a time
Keep mixing for several minutes until the meringue is stiff and glossy
Remove bowl from mixer and gently fold in the chocolate
Use a teaspoon to drop meringues onto prepared baking sheets about 1/2 inch apart (they do not expand much in the oven)
Place baking sheets in the middle and lower portions of the oven; bake for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until meringues are firm and no longer spongy; the edges may start to brown
Remove parchment paper from the baking sheets and allow to cool; store in an airtight container away from humidity up to three days
Adapted from Food and Wine

There is another dessert giveaway on Chocolate and Carrots today! Go check it out and say hi to Caroline:-)

Blog

What to Bake for Passover

March 28, 2012 Keep It Sweet 35 Comments

In case you didn’t notice, we are officially moved over to my new site! You may want to double check that your feed or email subscription are coming from the right place. Please let me know if you are having any problems as we are still working out some glitches… which may include disappearing recipes.

———————————————————————–

I am a little bit all over the place this week! Monday’s post never happened and it is a small miracle I’m getting this one up today. The new website launched Sunday afternoon and I’m already busy fulfilling orders like a mad woman. It looks like next week I’ll be up to my eyeballs in matzo! While the first influx of orders seemed overwhelming at first, once I took a step back and got organized with lists and spreadsheets I felt a lot better. That really has been the key for me working from home this last week and a half… lots of lists and very specific daily schedules.

Some of you commented that you were interested in hearing about the business so I’ll definitely give you some updates on how things are going and how life has changed. For one thing, I think my blog post regularity might come in waves. Whenever I have some KISD downtime, I work on the blog… but sometimes there is none. I’ll do my best to keep the new recipes coming, though! And be on the lookout for special discounts or giveaways in upcoming posts.

Next week Passover starts and for those of you who don’t know, it means 8 days without bread, or really anything with leavening… plus a whole list of surprising rules like no peanuts or chick peas (depending on your sect). Let’s just say I follow the holiday to the best of my ability. My biggest Passover pet-peeve, though, is the recreation of foods that just aren’t meant to be made without flour, especially when it comes to dessert. Trust me, a kosher-for-Passover chocolate chip cookie is jut not going to be very good. So as a result, I’ve made some recipes that lend themselves to being Passover friendly without even trying:

Chocolate Truffles 3-ways

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

cookie 14

Flourless Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies

cookies 9

Low Fat Banana Cheesecake with Almond Crust with Mixed Berry Sauce

slice of cheesecake 8

Mint Chocolate Chip Meringues

Mint Chocolate Chip Meringues 2

Blog

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

April 28, 2011 Keep It Sweet 43 Comments

You know I can’t go anywhere with only one dessert. That just isn’t my style.

So, once I made cheesecake with berry sauce for Jessica’s Passover dinner, I had to make something else. Originally I planned to make Passover brownies. They weren’t a ton of work, but the idea of separating eggs and whipping them separately just wasn’t in the cards that day. I wanted something easy.

I went through my gmail recipe folders to see what else I could make. As soon as I found this recipe I knew it was the one. A few months ago, I made these Flourless Chocolate Cookies with my mom and my family ate most of them that day. There isn’t any butter, so they are healthy, right?

These cookies are easy to make and are really delicious. The inside is chewy and fudgey, but the outside is light and crisp like a meringue.

Start with some good quality cocoa powder, confectioners’ sugar and salt

Whisk these dry ingredients together

Add in 2 egg whites

Whisk the egg whites into the dry ingredients; if the batter does not get thick and glossy like below, add one or two more egg whites as needed

Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips

Bake the cookies on parchment paper until the top of the cookie is glossy and the outside forms cracks

Recipe from Recipe Girl

Happy almost weekend! What are your plans?

Blog, Recipes

Light-as-Air Banana Cheesecake

April 24, 2011 Keep It Sweet 55 Comments

When I saw these sitting on my counter the yesterday, I knew something needed to be done.

You know how I feel about wasting precious ingredients.

Since I had plans last night to go to a Passover dinner at my sister’s, I wanted to make something that would be kosher-friendly. Then I realized cheesecake is almost entirely flour-free. The only real issue is the typical cookie crust.

My mom made a non-fat banana cheesecake a few years ago that was really delicious. I remember being so impressed by the creaminess despite using fat-free cream cheese. This time around, I used light cream cheese for half to prevent the cheesecake from being too dense.

Instead of using graham crackers, I made an almond crust. So not only is this cheesecake Passover friendly, but it is also gluten-free.

Start by making your crust; grind almonds in a food processor until nuts are in very small pieces with some crumbs

Mix almonds with granulated sugar and then add melted butter

When crust ingredients are combined, press them down in a spring-form pan sprayed with cooking spray and wrapped tightly with tin foil

Bake crust for ~7 minutes or until nuts are lightly browned

While crust is cooling, make cheesecake batter; beat cream cheese at high speed with the mixer whisk attachment for several minutes or until it is light and creamy

Add non-fat greek yogurt and mix well

Mix in the banana, sugar and vanilla at medium-high speed

Then, add your eggs, one at a time, mixing at medium speed

When batter is creamy and all ingredients are combined, pour into prepared pan; place uncooked cheesecake in a roasting pan and fill the pan with water to ~1/3 the height of the cheesecake

Bake in center of oven for about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until top is firm

Chill cheesecake in refrigerator for 12 hours or until set; when ready to serve, carefully use a knife to skim the edge of the cheesecake and separate from the pan

[print_this]

Almond Crust

Ingredients

3/4 cup whole almonds (if using unsalted, add a dash of salt to crust ingredients)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cooking Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Grind almonds in a food processor until nuts are in very small pieces with some fine crumbs
Mix almonds with granulated sugar and salt (if needed); stir in melted butter
When crust ingredients are combined, press them down in a 9-inch spring-form pan sprayed with cooking spray and wrapped tightly with tin foil
Bake crust for ~7 minutes or until nuts are lightly browned

Low Fat Banana Cheesecake

Ingredients

2 8-ounce blocks fat free cream cheese, softened at room temperature
2 8-ounce blocks light cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 cup fat free greek yogurt, plain
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (~3 medium)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Cooking Directions

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees once crust is finished baking
While crust is cooling, make cheesecake batter; beat cream cheese at high speed with the mixer whisk attachment for several minutes or until it is light and creamy
Add non-fat greek yogurt and mix well
Mix in the banana, sugar and vanilla at medium-high speed
Then, add your eggs, one at a time, mixing at medium speed
When batter is creamy and all ingredients are combined, pour into prepared pan; place uncooked cheesecake in a roasting pan and fill the pan with water to ~1/3 the height of the cheesecake
Bake in center of oven for about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until top is firm
Chill cheesecake in refrigerator for 12 hours or until set; when ready to serve, carefully use a knife to skim the edge of the cheesecake and separate from the pan
Serve topped with mixed berry sauce (recipe coming) or fresh whipped cream

[/print_this]

Adapted from Cooking Light

What is your favorite light dessert?

Blog

3 Reasons to Make Truffles

April 17, 2011 Keep It Sweet 52 Comments

I had a huge problem on Saturday.

There was almost an entire pint of organic heavy whipping cream in my fridge and it was about to expire.

The horror!

But I prevailed. I went through cookbooks and blogs searching for the perfect recipe to experiment with. Whipped cream, ganache, caramel… for some reason I just wasn’t moved.

But then I saw some truffles and realized a few things:

1) Truffles might be one of the easiest desserts to make

2) Truffles are fun to make

3) Truffles are kosher for Passover!!!!!

Chocolate, cream and butter. No flour, no baking powder, nothing like that. I actually see truffles as an un-Passover Passover dessert.

I’ve experimented in the past with ingredients like potato flour and matzo meal, but those desserts often have an “off” flavor. The problem with trying to replicate a normal dessert and make it work for the holiday is that it will never come close. Desserts that are kosher to begin with, those are the ones to go with. Flourless chocolate cake- yes. Kosher-for-Passover chocolate chip cookies- not so much.

Granted, some of the toppings I used aren’t actually acceptable for those who follow Passover strictly (for example, peanuts aren’t kosher for Passover), but they can easily be modified to be so.

Start by putting your heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan over low-medium heat

Bring the cream to a light boil and add chocolate

Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in chocolate until completely melted

When well-combined, whisk in butter until smooth

Then, chill mixture in refrigerator for two hours or until it is firm

Use a small teaspoon or small ice cream scoop to form small ball-shaped truffles approximately the size of thumb-tip

Dip each truffle into topping of choice

Store finished truffles in refrigerator for up to a week

Chocolate Truffles
Yield: Makes ~20 truffles

Ingredients
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
5 ounces chopped chocolate, any type*
2 ounces unsalted butter, softened at room temperature*
1/2 cup topping of choice

Cooking Directions
Start by putting your heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan over low-medium heat
Bring the cream to a light boil and add chocolate
Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in chocolate until completely melted
When well-combined, whisk in butter until smooth
Then, chill mixture in refrigerator for two hours or until it is firm
Once firm, use a small teaspoon or small ice cream scoop to form small ball-shaped truffles (approximately the size of thumb-tip)
Dip each truffle into topping of choice
Store finished truffles in refrigerator for up to a week

Notes:
Source: Lindt Chocolate Passion Recipe Book
*When using white chocolate, do not add butter
My flavor/topping combinations were dark chocolate + chopped peanuts, milk chocolate + unsweetened cocoa powder, and white chocolate + non pereils

What would you use to coat your truffles?

Keep It Sweet Desserts

Tag Archives: Passover

BLUEberry Buttercream Cups

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

You might also like:

Pretty in Pink Buttercream Cups

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

You might also like:

Chocolate Chunk Meringues

What to Bake for Passover

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

Light-as-Air Banana Cheesecake

3 Reasons to Make Truffles

Cookie cakes, dessert platters, pop-ups and more!