Dessert Recipes

Chef Shelley R. Pogue asked:


Rugelach are a cross between a cookie and a little rolled up pastry. They are a Jewish sweet treat that is traditionally rolled into a crescent-shape. This recipe uses a chocolate chip, walnuts and cocoa filling, this recipe will take some time, because the dough needs to chill, and then rolled out, and cut.

For the cream cheese dough you will need:

2 3/4 Cups all purpose flour

1/2 Cup sugar

1/2 Teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

8 Ounces of cream cheese, softened

1/2 Teaspoon vanilla

2 Large egg yolks

Chocolate Chip Filling:

1/4 Cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

3/4 Cup finely chopped walnuts

1/2 Cup sugar

1 Tablespoon unsweetened powdered cocoa

1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon

You will combine all of the above ingredients in a bowl and set aside for a minute.

Glaze:

1 Beaten egg yolk

1/4 Cup water

1/4 Cup sugar

Combine the three ingredients above and set aside.

To make the dough, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. In another large bowl, beat together the butter and cream in a mix-master or hand held mixer until light and fluffy. Then beat in the egg yolks and vanilla. Slowly mix in the flour mixture until it is just combined.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and knead the dough just until it is smooth. Then divide the dough into halves, and shape each piece into a disk. Wrap each disk in wax paper or plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours or overnight.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough at a time into a large round. Spread half of the chocolate chip mixture evenly over the dough. Using a pastry cutter or paring knife, you will then cut the dough into about 16 wedges. Starting at the wider end, roll each pastry up in jelly-roll fashion, ending with the pointed edge resting on top of each cookie. Roll the remaining rugelach in the same manner.

Preheat the oven to 350F if you have an electric oven, and 325F if you have a gas oven. Turn off the convection fan if you have a gas oven with the convection features.

Lay the cookies on a lightly greased cookie sheet, or on a silicon mat If you prefer to use them. You will then brush each pastry very lightly with the egg wash. You will then bake the rugelach for about 10-15 minutes, and then turn them 180 degrees in the oven to make sure they are cooked evenly. You will want to cook them until they are golden brown in color, about 25-30 minutes, watching closely to make sure they do not burn on the bottom. Remove from the oven and cool on wire baking racks until cool enough to eat. Enjoy!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shelley_Pogue



Bryon

Godrob asked:


We’ve all heard it before, avoiding exercise and eating lots of fats and sugar as well as being overweight can cause type 2 diabetes. The good news however is that if you act now you can prevent this form of diabetes from occurring, or reduce and even cure the condition if you’ve been recently diagnosed.

As type 2 diabetes is usually in direct relation to your lifestyle it’s important to make changes to the way you live your life to see improvements. Now this isn’t as bad as it sounds and in most cases you can continue eating the foods you like; you just need to be more selective.

One of the ways to follow a diabetic diet is to consume foods from all of the four food groups, as well as limiting your intake of alcohol, fat, and sugars. You can incorporate a wide variety of nutritious foods into a diabetic diet plan and combined with regular exercise will help you control your condition.

Now don’t think that desserts and snacks are out of the question. In most cases they’re not. If you’ve got a sweet tooth then check out these delicious diabetic desserts.

DIABETIC PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1/3 c. plain flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

Pinch of salt

2 tbsp. shortening

2 tbsp. peanut butter

1 tsp. Sweet ‘n Low

1 egg, beaten

Mix and stir all ingredients in order (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, shortening, peanut butter and Sweet ‘n Low). Add beaten egg and mix well. Drop by large teaspoon on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

DIABETIC FUDGE

1 14 1/2 oz. evaporated milk

3 tbsp. cocoa

1/4 c. oleo

Liquid Sweetner to equal 1/2 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

1/4 c. nuts

Combine milk and cocoa in saucepan. Beat well. Add oleo, sweetner, salt. Bring to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients except 1/4 cup graham crackers. Cool about 15 minutes. Divide mixture into 32 balls. Roll in remaining cracker crumbs and chill.

These recipes look delicious don’t they? Believe me, they taste even better too. So by combining sensible eating with regular exercise you can control and even beat your type 2 diabetes for good. It just goes to show that with a little research you can still eat the delicious types of foods and snacks that you did before.



Kris