Second Chances: Cheese Kugel and Brookie Recipes

Meal Monday

For the past month, about five portions of a (if you ask me) really tasty noodle kugel have been languishing in my freezer. Apparently I didn't get the memo before I made it that the kiddos no longer eat kugel. Kugel was one of the first "real" foods I fed the kids, and it was immediately loved. "Kugel" was even one of their first words.

But the past couple of times I served it, the kids would not partake. If it didn't end up in their hair, it was on the floor. And it's not easy to clean up a noodle-cottage cheese-shredded vegetable concoction from either surface, FYI. I had all but given up on that kugel.

While "kugel" hasn't been in their vocabulary for a while, "cheese" (pronounced "Zeeez… nummy num num") certainly is. Flying high after a victory with egg and veggie quesadillas, I realized that I needed to milk the trio's love of cheese for all it's worth. So I put a new spin on an old favorite.

Not one little mouth could resist the "CHEESE kugel" mommy served for dinner. It was such a hit, I had to teach Zeke how to lick his fingers. Dude excitedly proclaimed, "Zeez!" before each bite. Bitty was too busy stuffing her face to speak.

That second coming of Kugel led me to resurrect a cookie recipe I made a couple of weeks ago. It was for Brookies—a cookie/brownie hybrid—that I screwed up royally.

I could blame my mistake on fatigue. Or trying to do something too quickly during naptime. However you want to spin it, I mistakenly used baking soda in place of baking powder.

So what did I do yesterday during the nap? Made another batch. And boy, am I glad. When made correctly, they are insanely delicious. Just ask the triplets. If there's anything they like more than cheese, it's a cookie.

Noodle Cheese Kugel Recipe

Ingredients:

1 12-ounce package egg noodles (medium or wide), cooked
1 medium zucchini, grated
2 carrots, grated
1 10-ounce package chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
2 cups cottage cheese
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp vanilla
8 ounces vanilla yogurt
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Pour into a greased 9x13-inch pan.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, until almost set. Uncover, then bake 10 more minutes or until the kugel has lightly browned.

Notes:

You can omit the veggies, or add any others that your family likes.

It freezes beautifully, so you can make it ahead. I cut it up into portions for the kids before freezing so I only defrost what I need.


Brookie Recipe
From Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp unsalted butter (1/3 of a Tablespoon, as marked on the package)
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ tsp vanilla
½ cup flour
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

Preparation:

Melt the oil, butter, and chocolate together in a stainless steel bowl of a double boiler (or in a non-metal bowl in the microwave in 30 second increments). Let the mixture cool.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla together until combined. Fold the melted chocolate into the egg mixture.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until combined.

Freeze the batter in a shallow pan for 6-8 minutes until the batter sets and hardens softly. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees at this time.

Scoop the cookie dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment.

Bake 9-11 minutes, until the tops look dry and cracked.

Cool completely on a wire rack.