YOM YISRAEL CUPCAKES 1 cup margarine (2 sticks) 1½ cups sugar 4 large eggs (room temperature) 2 teaspoons vanilla ½ cup soymilk 2 teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon salt 2 cups flour (All recipes are pareve and nut-free.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the margarine and sugar. Add the eggs and mix well to get out all the lumps. Add the vanilla and soymilk. Blend well. Stir in the baking powder and salt. Slowly add the flour, mixing well. Fill lined cupcake tins halfway. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden on top. Let cool. Makes 24 cupcakes. SUKKOT PUMPKIN CRANBERRY MUFFINS (Recipe from Kosher by Design: Short on Time) Once cooled, decorate with blue and white frosting and sprinkles. 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon ½ teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling) 1 cup vegetable oil 3 large eggs ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries such as Craisins We enjoyed reading Sammy Spider’s First Trip to Israel by Sylvia A. Rouss and If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff. . Optional: Shelled pumpkin seeds or cinnamon sugar for topping Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Add the pumpkin, oil, eggs and cranberries. Mix together till smooth. Pour the batter into lined muffin tins about two-thirds of the way. Top each muffin with topping of choice above. Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry from center of muffin. Makes approximately 24 muffins. We enjoyed reading Succos with Binna, Benny and Chaggai Hayonah by Yaffa Ganz and “The Holy Succah” and “One Leads to the Next” from Bedtime Stories of Jewish Holidays by Shmuel Blitz. TU B’SHEVAT FRUIT BARS 1¼ sticks margarine ½ cup white sugar ½ cup brown sugar (packed) 2 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla ½ tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. cinnamon 2 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. salt 1½ cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ cups quick oats ½ cup raisins 1 cup corn flakes 1 cup Craisins 1 cup chocolate chips (pareve) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream margarine and sugars together. Then add eggs & vanilla. Add all the rest of the dry ingredients. Once blended well, add raisins, craisins and chocolate chips. Spread evenly in 9x9 inch pan (or brownie pan) and bake approx. 30 minutes until top is golden brown. Cut into bars. We enjoyed reading “Dani’s Tree” from Bedtime Stories of Jewish Holidays by Shmuel Blitz. ROSH HASHANAH APPLESAUCE CRUMB CAKE (Recipe from Kosher by Design) 1½ cups (3 sticks) margarine, softened for 10 minutes at room temperature 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ cups sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 large eggs 1 (16 ounce) jar applesauce 2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon sugar Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease an 8x11 inch baking pan. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the margarine, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Remove half of the mixture and set aside. Add the eggs to the original bowl and beat until combined. Press this mixture into the prepared pan. In a medium bowl, combine the applesauce with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and the vanilla. Mix well. Spread on top of the batter that is in the pan. Add the remaining teaspoon of cinnamon and teaspoon of sugar to the reserved dough. Using your fingers, combine until it resembles coarse crumbs. Crumble evenly over the applesauce layer. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Yield: 12-16 servings. We enjoyed reading The Jewish Child’s First Book of Why by Alfred J. Kolatch and “Higher than High” and “The Scale” from Bedtime Stories of Jewish Holidays by Shmuel Blitz. UNBELIEVABLE PASSOVER BROWNIES (Very Fudgy!) (Recipe from Kosher by Design for Passover) 4 large eggs 2 cups sugar 1 cup vegetable oil ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup good quality cocoa powder 1 cup potato starch ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350°. Spray an 11x7-inch brownie pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth. Add the oil and salt, mixing well. Sprinkle in the cocoa powder and mix. Add the potato starch and mix to combine. Scrape down the sides with a spatula. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool before serving. Makes 18 brownies. We enjoyed reading The Matzo Ball Boy by Lisa Shulman and The Mouse in the Matzah Factory by Francine Medoff. CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES ½ cup (1 stick) margarine, softened ½ cup white sugar ½ cup brown sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1¼ cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional: our secret ingredient!) 1 cup chocolate chips Preheat oven to 375°. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper. Mix in a large bowl with wooden spoon: margarine, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and egg. Blend well. Stir in salt, baking soda, and flour (and cinnamon, if desired). Make sure flour is fully incorporated. Add chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light brown. Makes 24 cookies. Tip: If you like crispy, flat cookies, use margarine and egg at room temperature. If you like more chewy cookies, use cold egg and margarine. We enjoyed reading If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff. .