Stressed Spelled Backwards With Chocolate

Have you figured it out, Beautiful People? Credit for this brilliant linguistic discovery belongs to a little cute French bistro (unfortunately not kosher) called Otentic.

Hanging right over the counter, facing you when you walk in, is a sign STRESSED IS DESSERTS SPELLED BACKWARDS.  What better food idea for the Lasting Joy club February get-together than de-stressing while making this no-bake festive Purim dessert? My challenge in planning those get-together events is coming up with no cook, no bake, easy and fun to make dishes that could be tasted and enjoyed on the spot. In January, we made sushi (please click here). This one, the day before Purim, had to be Hamentaschen – what else do you do on Purim but stuff yourself with these scrumptious stuffed pastries! For the video recording of the process, you’ll have to click on It Works! at the Lasting Joy club site, but a simpler recipe you’ve never seen.

I took my own basic recipe for Cake Pops (see here), and endeavored to fashion them into triangles. Note: instead of Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge, full of sugar, I used Smart Balance mixed with unsweetened cocoa powder. However, triangular shape alone does not Hamentaschen make! They do have to be stuffed with nuts, seeds, or fruit, or a combination thereof (to learn the reason, please go here). For this important  – and delicious! – purpose, I had minced walnuts, roasted cashews, and pre-soaked Medjool dates as fillings. Traditionally, Hamentaschen are not topped, but I use glazes and toppings even with my regular baked Hamentaschen, so for this experiment I offered a choice of shredded coconut, rainbow candy sprinkles, and, of course, mohn (poppy seeds).

The rest is history, Beautiful People! You crumble the leftover cake (yes, you don’t have to bake one just to crumble it!) or grind cookies or graham crackers. Mix it with peanut butter and chocolate flavored Smart Balance or any non-dairy butter substitute (if you want it dairy, just use butter) to form pliable dough and flatten it on a working surface. Taste it first, though, and add a little sugar or substitute if you want it sweeter.

Balance the proportion of peanut butter to chocolate according to your taste. As you see, this participant chose to make two of each kind. Once you flatten the dough to about 1/3 inch (less than 1 cm) thickness, cut it into squares, place your choice of fillings in the center of each square, and proceed to play a sculptor. If the dough is too soft, as substitute butters vary, mix in some more crumbs and refrigerate it for about twenty minutes. Meanwhile, listen to the story of Purim in a song.

Two cups of crumbs will get you 3 – 4 Hamentaschen, depending on size you want.  Garnish with your choice of topping and keep them refrigerated until you are ready to serve.

These were made by the club members present and joyfully tasted right there and then! As you see, not all of them – pastries, not participants! –  came out looking triangular, but they were yummy just the same! It takes about ten minutes to make these original pastries with delicious surprise hidden inside, so impress and de-stress your family and friends with lots of chocolate joy!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups crumbled leftover cake (alternatively, ground cookies or graham crackers)
• 2 tablespoons Smart Balance or any non-dairy butter substitute (alternatively, dairy butter)
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter

Note: increase or decrease proportion of Smart Balance to peanut butter according to taste.

• Xylitol or sugar to taste.
• 1/3 cup minced walnuts
• 1/3 cup minced roasted unsalted cashews
• 1/3 cup minced Medjool dates, pre-soaked in water
• Shredded coconut, candy sprinkles, poppy seeds for topping

PROCEDURE

• Mix cake or cookie crumbles with Smart Balance and peanut butter. Add xylitol or sugar to taste, if necessary. Form pliable dough.
• Flatten dough on working surface to 1/3 inch (less than 1 cm) thickness, refrigerate for 20 minutes, if too soft and sticky.
• Cut into 2 – 2.5 inch (5 – 6 cm) squares, place 1/2 teaspoon of your choice or combination of minced nuts and dates in center of each square. Shape into triangles or any shape desired. Sprinkle with topping of your choice.
• Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Enjoy!