If I were to write a dessert cookbook, I would want it to be exactly like this one. My friend and fellow food blogger, Miriam Pascal, has worked tirelessly for months on her gorgeous cookbook debut. I had been talking to Miriam throughout the process and am blown away by how much work it takes to put this all together. Miriam shares her kitchen talents on her blog Overtime Cook. She understands that nobody has time to spend hours in the kitchen and tailors her recipes to be quick, simple and impressive. Over the years she not only perfected some amazing recipes, but she also honed her photography skills and took every photo in her cookbook.
Here is some exiting trivia for you: I baked 3 of Miriam’s recipes for her to photograph for this cookbook! The chocolate celebration cake, bakery style cake donuts, and the cookies decorated with royal icing were all done by me using Miriam’s recipes. How cool is that?! I’m so happy to help and I would love to do it again.
“Something Sweet” is really the perfect baking resource. It includes notes about every essential kitchen tool, recipe ingredient substitutions, and baking tips and tricks. Most of the recipes in this stunning book are new, but Miriam did include a few of her readers favorite recipes that were originally posted on her blog.
While Miriam does it all in the kitchen, this book specifically focuses on desserts which I am really excited about. There really is a lack of good kosher dessert cookbooks on the market. Although all the recipes in the book are strictly kosher, these desserts will appeal to everyone; especially those with dairy sensitivities. Nearly every dessert category is covered from cookies and bars, cakes and cupcakes, muffins and pastries, pies and tarts, desserts and party treats, candy and chocolate, drinks and frozen treats and finally, frosting and toppings. She even included a healthy, dairy-free pie crust recipe!
As a cookbook lover, I have read many, many cookbooks. This one has a perfect layout. The recipes are easy to read and the directions are very clear. Each and every recipe is accompanied by a high quality color photo. A few of the recipes have step-by-step photos to make those possibly complicated steps really easy to understand.
I can’t wait to dig in to these delicious dessert recipes, but the few that immediately caught my eye are the fruity pebble cookies, snickerdoodle bundt cake, cinnamon cheese buns, cookie dough fudge pie, cookies n’ cream stuffed waffles, and chewy sea salt caramels.
Do you want a preview? This recipe for Neapolitan Trifles from Something Sweet by Miriam Pascal, is reproduced with permission from the copyright holders, ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications.
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup oil
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream or nondairy whip topping
- 1 cup strawberry pie filling, pureed
- 8 oz. cream cheese or soy cream cheese
- ⅓ cup sour cream or soy sour cream
- 1 tsp, vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream or nondairy whip topping
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- Combine all crumb ingredients in a bowl. Mix until combined and the texture of crumbs. (I found it easiest to mix this with my fingers.)
- Spread the crumbs in a single layer on prepared baking sheet; bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven; cool completely before assembling the trifles.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, on high speed, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form.Remove whipping cream to another bowl. There's no need to wash the bowl before continuing.
- Add pie filling, cream cheese, sour cream, and vanilla to mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed until combined and smooth. Add powdered sugar; beat until incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold whipped cream into strawberry mixture until combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, on high speed, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until combined.
- Place crumbs into a 6-ounce jar or cup, filling it about one-quarter full, Spoon or pipe strawberry mousse over crumbs, filling container a little more than three-quarters full. Pipe on vanilla cream, filling container almost to the top. Repeat with remaining jars.
Plan Ahead: These trifles freeze beautifully. Move them into the fridge for a couple of hours before serving to allow them to soften a bit.
Now for the giveway sponsored by Artscroll/Mesorah Publications! One lucky reader will win a free copy of Something Sweet. Contest open to US mailing addresses only. One winner will be chosen at random. Giveaway ends at 11:59PM EST on Monday, December 28, 2015. Please provide a valid email address; winner will be notified via email. Winner has 24 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. Good Luck!
I make the lemon cheesecake mousse quite often. It’s similar to this mousse recipe and it’s a crowd pleaser. One question – the vanilla cream topping – it has no vanilla!
Yum!! Looks wonderful and I’d love to own this book!! Great Giveaway! Happy Holidays to all!
yum looks so pretty! i make her chocolate cookie dough pie all the time, it comes out amazing
i love deep fried brownie fritters
not sure how to enter the contest as nothing poped up, but thank you for a chance to win this wonderful cookbook…and congrats on the nice shout out that you baked some of the items for the book!!
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My fav recipes are the cookies…any and all
I would have to say either brownies or lemon squares. OH I could go on but these are tops.