A few weeks ago, I blogged about homemade Chocolate Chip Macaroons. I had never made macaroons before and they were so much better than the ones in a can that I swore I’d never go back to the “packaged” macaroons again. But … the day before Passover started, I was at my local Tom Thumb grocery store finishing up some last minute shopping when I discovered the yummy item pictured above – a Manischewitz Kosher for Passover frozen macaroon dough. The dough comes in Coconut and Chocolate flavors, althoug my store only had the coconut.

The $6.49 price tag seemed way to high, but I was so tempted that I splurged and bought 1 package. Just before time for the holiday to start, my 6 year old daughter and I decided to make a batch of these macaroons.

The process was very simple: scoop out a tablespoon of the dough, place on greased cookie sheet, flatten the top a bit with the back of your spoon and bake.

We were amazed by how easy the macaroons were to prepare and even more so by how delicious they tasted. Our Seder guests asked me to pull the package out of the freezer so they could see exactly where this yummy dessert came from. No one believed the macaroons were made from a frozen dough.

I went back to Tom Thumb yesterday hoping the macaroons would be on sale so I could buy a few extras but no luck. Still $6.49 but also still a bunch left so I’ll be checking back next week as well.

If you have time, check the frozen kosher for Passover section at your local grocery store to see if they have this easy dessert. It’s definitely worth having in your freezer for those times you need to whip up a quick dessert for guests or even an after-school snack.

You may recall as part of my Passover Cooking Frenzy, I made a Crumb Cake from the Passover by Design cookbook. I didn’t have high hopes for the cake because it looked like, well … sand. It appeared to be so dry that I called my MIL and asked if she could bring another dessert because I was afraid mine would end up in the trash.

Let me tell you that we were all so pleasantly surprised by this cake. I think it’s the Passover diamond cake in the rough because the taste is completely amazing. It looks like sand but has a moist, fluffy, almost angel food cake like taste. And what’s even more odd is that there is a hint of apple flavor in the cake, even though there’s not an apple anywhere to be found. Even my hubbie, who is not a dessert person, loves this cake.

I tried to find an online version of this “beauty” but had no luck. So if you have the Passover by Design cookbook, it’s on page 248. If not, drop me a comment and I’ll hook you up.

If you have some free time tomorrow, whip this cake up for Shabbos. The recipe calls for ingredients you probably already have in your pantry (yes, even during passover) and it’s super easy to make:

• Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Baking Powder
• Vanilla sugar
• Vegetable Oil
• Eggs
• Potato Starch
• Cinnamon
• Butter or Margarine
• Ladyfinger cookies (or any kind of Passover boxed cookies that crumble well)

Enjoy the rest of your Passover and Happy Kosher Treif Cooking!

By the time I’ve finished cooking food for two Seders, the last thing I want to think about is Passover desserts. I’m exhausted, grumpy and quite frankly, know I’ll be annoyed when no one touches my desserts because it’s 1:00 am and everyone is too tired and too full to eat another bite.

Case in point, last Passover I wanted to make the beautiful Chocolate Chip Cheesecake (page 260) in Susie Fishbein’s Passover by Design cookbook. I spent hours shopping for the ingredients (some of which seemed impossible to come by in Dallas) and then more hours making the cheesecake, which was barely touched during the holiday because everyone was way too full of Matzo! Nuff said.

This year I decided to go easy on the desserts but still wanted to make something instead of buying the ready-made stuff, so I was thrilled to find this recipe for Almond-Coconut Macaroons from Martha Stewart. The ingredient list is short and the preparation is quick and easy. Perfect for the very tired Passover cook who HAS to make dessert but doesn’t really have much energy left.

Plus, we love the store-bought macaroons that come in a can, but I’m guessing they are probably not the healthiest treat around so this recipe seemed like a great alternative. On baking day, I didn’t have any almonds on hand so I substituted pareve chocolate chips instead. I think you could play with this recipe and use all sorts of different ingredients like dried fruit such as cranberries or raisins.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Macaroons for Passover

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup(s) sugar
• 1 large egg white
• 1 cup(s) unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup(s) whole almonds, chopped (I used a handful of pareve chocolate chips instead)
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of coarse salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat or parchment. Whisk together sugar and egg white in a large bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
2. Form dough into eight 2-tablespoon mounds, and drop each onto sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake macaroons until golden-brown on bottoms and edges, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks, and let cool. Macaroons will keep, covered, for up to 1 week.

The above recipe only makes 8 or 9 macaroons so if you’re feeding a large group, you might want to double or triple the recipe … or you could even make multiple batches with various substitutions for the almonds such as chocolate chips or raisins, etc. Let everyone choose which one they like best.

Happy – try to keep your sanity – Passover and Happy Kosher Treif Cooking!

The Kosher Connection, an informal group of creative kosher food bloggers from all around the world, proudly present our monthly kosher recipe challenge.  Each month we will present you with recipes on a different theme from all the kosher food bloggers.

This month is Passover Desserts!  Follow our recipes on Twitter with #KosherRecipes.

Check out all the great recipes!