Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 ounces butter substitute, softened
1 egg
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3-4 Tablespoons heavy cream or soy creamer
Filling:
8 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
8 ounces heavy cream or soy creamer
Dash salt
Rum to taste (optional)
Chopped cherries, cranberries, nuts, or toffee (optional)

Cream butter, sugar, and salt if using until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix until incorporated. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Add to butter mixture in two stages, alternating with the heavy cream. More or less cream might be needed depending on the consistency of the dough. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap, and form a flattened disc. Chill for at least one hour.

To prepare filling: Over a double boiler (or Pyrex bowl over small pot of simmering water), heat cream and chopped chocolate. When chocolate is mostly melted, lightly whisk until ganache-filling is smooth and shiny. Whisk in rum and salt. Chill for several hours.

To form hamantaschen: Roll chilled chocolate dough to slightly more than 1/8 inch thick. Using a round cutter or glass rim dipped in flour, cut circles of about 3 inches in diameter. If adding dried fruit or nuts, sprinkle a small amount in the center of the cut discs.

Remove ganache from fridge, and using either a small ice-cream scoop or by hand, form about 1 inch round balls and place in center of circles. Carefully fold in the edges to form a triangular shape, and pinch the corners to seal. Ensure there are no gaps or tears in the dough, to prevent filling from oozing out during baking. Bake hamantaschen on greased cookie sheets at 350 F for about 15 minutes, until crust is baked through. Ganache will liquify during baking, but will set as hamantaschen cool.

Ingredients:
3⁄4 cup (1 1⁄2 sticks) unsalted butter substitute (such as Earth Balance), softened
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
6 Tbsp. red food coloring
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
1 1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1⁄2 tsp. salt
3 1⁄2 cups cake flour
(not self-rising), sifted
1 1⁄2 cups buttermilk or soy milk
1 1⁄2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 1⁄2 tsp. baking soda

store-bought vanilla frosting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two muffin pans with paper liners. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.

In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts, alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin pans. Bake the cupcakes until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack before icing. To ice, mound about 1/4 cup of frosting on top of each cupcake and use an icing spatula to make a swirl on top. If desired, decorate with colored sprinkles.

You can make these cookies in any shape, size and color you want. To make it easier, skip the frosting and just sprinkle with crystallized sugar or colored sprinkles. Your kids will love to decorate their own!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter substitute
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour
1 lb confectioner’s sugar
3 oz cream cheese ( can use tofutti for non-dairy cookies)
5 tsp milk or soy milk
food coloring
colored sprinkles

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream butter and sugar with a hand mixer till blended. Add egg and vanilla. Sift flour and baking powder in separate bowl, then add to butter mixture. Refrigerate for 10 minutes to chill dough.

Roll out dough on floured parchment paper. Make shapes with cookie cutters. If using sprinkles only, top cookies with sprinkles of your choosing. Bake cookies for 6-8 minutes. Cool completely.

While cookies are cooling, blend confectioner’s sugar, cream cheese, milk and a couple drops of food coloring (not too much, you can always add more if needed). Use butter knife to frost cookies and top with sprinkles.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup strawberry preserves
1/3 cup plus 4 Tbsp orange liqueur, divided
1/3 cup orange juice
1 pound mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese)
1 1/3 cup chilled whipping cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 pounds fresh strawberries
52 crisp ladyfingers

Whisk preserves, 1/3 cup liqueur, and orange juice in a measuring cup. Place mascarpone and 2 Tbsp liqueur in large bowl; fold just to blend. Using electric mixer, beat cream, sugar, vanilla, and remaining 2 Tbsp liqueur in another large bowl to soft peaks. Stir 1/4 of whipped cream mixture into mascarpone mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining whipped cream.

Hull and slice half of strawberries. Spread 1/2 cup preserve mixture over bottom of 3 quart oblong serving dish or 13x9x2″ glass baking dish. Arrange enough ladyfingers over preserve mixture to cover bottom of dish. Spoon 3/4 cup preserve mixture over ladyfingers, then spread 2 1/2 cups mascarpone mixture over. Arrange sliced strawberries over mascarpone mixture. Repeat layering with remaining ladyfingers, preserve mixture, and mascarpone mixture. Cover with plastic and chill at least 8 hours or overnight. Slice remaining strawberries and arrange over tiramisu and serve.

This is actually a cake, not a pudding. Its a classic British dessert and is sweet, sticky and really moist.
Ingredients:
7 oz pitted dates, finely chopped
1 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup water
3/4 cup butter
1 cup golden superfine sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup self-rising flour
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350. Put the dates, baking soda and water in a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes until the dates are softened. Set aside.

Beat butter with golden superfine sugar (if you can’t find, mix 1/2 superfine sugar, 1/2 granulated brown sugar) until light and fluffy. then beat in the eggs, vanilla, and flour, then the dates and their cooking liquid. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan or baking dish with a little butter and add the mixture. Cook for about 35 minutes, checking after 20 minutes that it isn’t burning. It is ready when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: put the brown sugar, butter and cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until fully mixed. Increase the heat and boil for 1 minute to thicken. Remove from heat and keep warm. To serve, place a piece of sponge on each of 4 plates and top with the sauce.
* If you are not serving right away, keep sauce covered tightly and stir before drizzling over cake.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup OJ
5 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbps baking powder
1 cup fruit preserves or chocolate filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. Beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add oil, vanilla and OJ. Combine flour and baking powder. Stir into batter to form stiff dough. If dough is not stiff enough to handle, add more flour. Roll out to 1/4 ” thick. Cut into circles and spoon 2 tsp of filling into center. Pinch edges to form three corners. Bake 12-15 minutes until light brown.

Ingredients:
1¾ cup flour (or mixture of whole wheat and regular flour)
½ tsp salt
½ cup oil
3 Tbsp water
½ cup sugar
1 Tbsp soy milk
1 bag frozen blueberries or 2 pints fresh blueberries
2 pears (optional)
1½ Tbsp corn starch
2 tsp sugar (or more)
lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix ingredients together. Roll out into 2 circles. Place one in pie pan. Mix filling ingredients together and place in crust. Cover with other circle. Coat with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 minutes then lower to 350 and bake for 1 hour until brown.

This is a great cookie to make if you don’t want to use butter or margarine. I substitute half apple sauce for half of the oil to make it even more low fat. These are great half dipped in melted chocolate.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
¾ cup oil
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups + 1 Tbsp flour
½ cup white chocolate chips
cinnamon and sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Beat eggs, oil and sugar. Add baking powder, vanilla, flour and chips. Form 2 loaves. Bake 20-25 minutes. Cut up into 1 inch slices and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake another 5 minutes on each side to brown.