Julie Giuffrida is the former Test Kitchen coordinator for the Los Angeles Times.
10 recipes to feed your sweet tooth during Passover
Undoubtedly, the most challenging component of the Passover meal is dessert. The key underlying issue is that leavened flour is forbidden during the eight-day holiday, which starts on the evening March 27 this year. How, then, does one make a fluffy, spongy, moist cake? Or flaky, crumbly pastry? Or soft, chewy cookies? It seems a devastating blow but the truth is, many tempting desserts can be made with matzo cake meal as a substitute for flour. And there are countless delectable desserts that don’t call for flour at all. One simply needs to know where to find high-quality recipes. The good news is, you have found that place.
Whether you are looking for a chocolate cake or a nut torte, we’ve got you covered. Vegan, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are as good as if not better than “the real thing.” Italian pignoli cookies are the real thing. There are almond macaroons and ambrosia macaroons, as well as Parisian macarons. If you lean toward pastry, try Passover cream puffs. Fudgy brownies and haroset bars are great snacks to have on hand. Even without flour, it all bakes up luscious. Oh, and they are all pretty easy to make, too.
Flourless chocolate cake
Time 1 hour
Yields Makes 1 (8-inch-round) cake
Chocolate-glazed nut torte with strawberries in Sephardi syrup
Time 2 hours
Yields Serves 8
Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Time 2 hours
Yields Makes about 3 1/2 dozen
Italian pignoli cookies
Time 45 minutes
Yields Makes about 20 cookies
French country-style almond macaroons
Time 45 minutes
Yields Makes about 2 dozen
Ambrosia macaroons
Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Yields Makes about 4 1/2 dozen macaroons
Basic Parisian macarons
Time 1 hour
Yields Makes 2 to 2 1/2 dozen sandwich cookies
Passover coffee cream puffs
Time 1 hour
Yields Makes about 2 dozen puffs
Flourless Fudgy Brownies
Time 45 minutes
Yields Makes one 8-inch-square pan.
Haroset bars
Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Yields Servings: 16 bars