[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt] Note: Sweet red bean (adzuki) paste is widely available from either a can or in a bag, the latter in the refrigerated section of your typical Chinese grocery store. I've had much better luck with good... More

Inspired by Dunkin Donuts' Munchkins, these doughnut bites are actually cake doughnuts instead of the traditional yeast-raised doughnuts. You can squeeze a little jam into the finished doughnut holes. Especially great if you're celebrating a gluten-free Hanukkah! More

The other day I stumbled upon my mother's collection of old recipes. I sat for a long time looking at recipe after recipe scribbled on thin pieces of paper or, in fancier cases, stiff recipe cards. One seasonal recipe grabbed my attention: Nabby Apple Cake. Nabby? Oh! I bet the writer meant nubby. The idea of a cake studded with apple pieces sounded good to me. And if my mom kept the recipe, it must be worth making. More

The trick to making matzo toffee impossible to put down is simple: generous sprinkling of fleur de sel. The salt combined with the bittersweet chocolate and butter pretty much spells doom for everyone who comes in contact with it. If you make this for your guests on Passover, I guarantee glee and gratitude all around. More

Note on the biscuits: I used Pillsbury biscuits for this recipe. One roll of "Buttermilk" biscuits yields ten small (about 2 1/2-inch inches in diameter) doughnuts and ten tiny doughnut holes. You'll need a 1/2-inch round cutter to punch out... More

I decided to give rugelach another go this year, this time with a recipe from Sarabeth Levine's Sarabeth's Bakery. I've had more than my fair share of rugelach from Sarabeth's storefront over the past year and I can honestly say that these were every bit as good as the ones from the bakery. More

I'd never really given much thought to why apple cake was synonymous with Jewish desserts until reading the intro to this Polish Hanukkah Apple Cake from Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous by Joan Nathan. As it turns out, the Jewish part comes from the fact that the cake is parve (made without dairy) and therefore acceptable in a meal served for the main course. More

Up until recently my repertoire of Hanukkah edibles consisted of potato latkes (obviously), jelly-filled doughnuts, and little bags of chocolate coins a.k.a. Hanukkah gelt. But while perusing Joan Nathan's Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous I came across a less familiar Hanukkah treat, Hutzel Wecken, a dense, fruit studded bread from the Alsace region of France. More

After a filling Hannukah meal, no matter how much I've eaten, I always want some dessert at the end. Sadly, I never took to sufganyot, the Sephardic jelly-filled doughnuts traditionally served during the holiday, but I've always, always had a soft spot for homemade doughnuts, especially the apple cider kind. More

In the introduction to this recipe for Honey Crisp Apple Cake from Fresh from the Market, Laurent Tourondel explains that he adapted this cake from his favorite carrot cake recipe. A quick perusal of the ingredients confirms this—all of the usual carrot cake suspects are represented, even canned pineapple. But this recipe is a little more complex than that. You start by caramelizing the apples in butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar, then line your baking dish with the apples, in essence creating a tarte tatin-carrot cake mashup. More