Eating a dairy meal on Shavuot has become an enduring tradition, but what’s the reason for this? If you check seven sources you’ll find seven different answers. Thus we’re not going to explain why we eat dairy on this holiday, we’re going to provide some sumptuous dairy dessert recipes instead.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake
Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups crushed chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350˚. Mix crumbs and 1/4 cup melted butter in medium bowl and press in bottom and 1/2 way up sides of a 9” springform pan.
In large bowl, combine cream cheese and 1 cup sugar. Beat until smooth. Add 1 cup sour cream, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla and beat until well blended. Pour onto crust. In small bowl, combine 1/4 cup butter, brown sugar, 1/4 cup sugar and beat until combined. Add water, 1 teaspoon vanilla and beat well. Stir in flour and mini chocolate chips until combined. Drop this cookie dough in 1 tablespoon portions evenly over cheesecake surface. Gently push dough beneath the surface of the batter.
Bake in a 350˚ oven about 35-40 minutes until cheesecake jiggles slightly when gently pushed. While cake is baking, combine 1 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a small bowl and spread this topping over the hot cheesecake when it comes out of the oven. Let cake cool on wire rack, then chill in refrigerator 4-6 hours until cold. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top when you serve.
Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream Pie
Crust Ingredients
• 25 chocolate cream filled sandwich cookies
• 6 tablespoons margarine, melted
Filling Ingredients
• 1 pint parve vanilla ice cream
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Topping Ingredients
• 7.5 oz chopped chocolate
• 3 oz sugar
• 1 oz water
• 6 oz Thai style coconut milk*
• 6 peanut butter sandwich cookies, coarsely chopped
• 6 chocolate cream filled sandwich cookies, chopped
Crust Preparation
Place 25 chocolate cream filled sandwich cookies in a food processor and process until finely ground. Combine the melted margarine and cookie crumbs in a large bowl and mix well. Press the cookie mixture into a 9-inch pie pan, making an even layer on the bottom and up the sides. Freeze the crust while preparing the rest of the pie.
Topping Preparation
Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside. Pour the coconut milk into a microwave safe glass or bowl and set aside.
Place the water and the sugar in a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Stir well to make sure the water and sugar are well mixed. Cook the sugar over medium high heat, without stirring, until the sugar caramelizes and turns a medium-dark amber color. While the sugar is cooking heat the coconut milk in the microwave until boiling. When the sugar is a medium-dark amber color remove the pan from the heat and carefully stir in the coconut milk (it will steam quite a bit, so use caution). Put the pan back over medium heat and stir until the caramel is fully dissolved. Pour the hot caramel over the chocolate and let it stand for 5 minutes. Stir the mixture until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture thickens and looks glossy. At this point it should not be too hot, but if it more than slightly warm to the touch let it cool a bit before proceeding with the recipe.
Filling Preparation
Combine ¼ cup peanut butter and ¼ cup powdered sugar in a bowl. At first it may look like the powdered sugar will never mix in but keep stirring and it will. (It may be easiest to knead the last bit of sugar in by hand.) Line a small plate with wax or parchment paper. Press the peanut butter “dough” onto the paper so that it is approximately ¼ inch thick and freeze the dough for 10 minutes. Remove the dough from the freezer and cut it into small chunks. Return the chunks to the freezer until ready to use.
Soften the parve vanilla ice cream slightly. The easiest way is to place it in the bowl of a stand mixer and use the paddle attachment to mix it for a minute or so. Once the ice cream is slightly soft add the peanut butter and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in the frozen peanut butter chunks.
Remove the crust from the freezer and pour in the peanut butter ice cream. Pour the chocolate fudge sauce on top in an even layer and top with the chopped cookies. Return the pie to the freezer and freeze until solid, at least two hours. Remove from the freezer a couple of minutes before serving to allow the ice cream to soften slightly.
Tiramisu Sandwich Cakes
Ingredients
• 1 pound store bought sponge cake
• 1 8 ounce container of cream cheese
• 1 cup of dairy unsweetened whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup coffee liquor
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup strong coffee
• 1/2 cup rum
• 1 bar of chocolate
Preparations
Thinly slice sponge cake into 16 slices to look like sliced white bread. Toast until lightly browned, set aside on cooling racks.
Whip cream in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. If using unsweetened cream, add 1/4 cup sugar to bowl. If cream is already sweet, do not add sugar.
Mix cream cheese into whipped cream; mix for about a minute just until the cream cheese is fully incorporated. Add the coffee liquor to the cream mixture.
Combine 1/2 cup strong coffee with 1/2 cup rum (if you do not want to use rum; use 1 cup coffee). Drizzle coffee mixture on toasted sponge cake.
Meanwhile make the chocolate sauce: In a small saucepan, or in a microwave, heat the cream on low until it starts to simmer. Take off heat and add chocolate, mix until completely melted.
Spread chocolate sauce on toasted slices of sponge cake, (not on wet side). Top 8 slices of sponge cake with coffee cream. Top cream with the remaining slices of cake.
Shave chocolate with hand grater and sprinkle on top of sandwiches.
Caramel Chocolate Banana Cream Pie
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups whole milk
• Yolks of 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 chocolate cookie crust
• 2 large, ripe bananas
Topping Ingredients
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/3 cup caramel sauce or dulce de leche
Garnish:
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons toffee crunch chocolate
Preparations
Whisk sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan to blend. Gradually whisk in milk, and then egg yolks. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and, stirring gently, cook 2 minutes to cook yolks. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Add chocolate and let stand 1 minute to melt, then whisk until blended. Refrigerate 15 minutes until slightly cooled.
Spread 1/3 cup chocolate custard over bottom of crust. Peel and thinly slice bananas; arrange over custard. Spread with remaining custard. Place plastic wrap directly on surface and refrigerate at least 5 hours or up to 1 day.
Up to 3 hours before serving: Beat whipped cream until stiff peaks form. Add the caramel and combine completely.
