I can’t stand when people say “Oh, my kids love this!” I always think – well, good for you! Your kids probably eat spinach too. Well, here I am doing the same.

If I’m perfectly honest, I had to BEG them to try it. My older kids are starting to warm to broccoli in general, but this one they devour. It’s really a kid-friendly recipe, and a bit less diabetic friendly. But it’s not sugary sweet. A drizzle of honey to complement the butter goes a long way, and this is like broccoli crack.

While I make this for dinners year-round it’s also perfect for Chanukah or Shavuot where the tradition is to double down on dairy!

How to Cook your Buttery Broccoli

In the Betty Crocker Pizza Maker

This originated from a mixture of “how can I get my kids to eat some greens” and “how can I get dinner on the table in minutes” issues. So I made it in the Betty – and it came out delicious.

The Betty Crocker pizza maker that I used has a pretty high temperature (I find it similar to frying). I think it’s officially about 450°F. While it’s close to roasting temperatures in the oven, it’s directly in contact with the food. This allows the liquids that drain off to dissolve quite quickly.

I find that it comes out so good like this and is ready in about ten minutes from frozen! It’s definitely my best way to make it – so do it that way if you can. It’s moist and soft, with a hint of sweet, and packed with cheesy flavor.

In the Oven

There’s no reason you can’t make this in the oven! The biggest drawback: you’ll probably want to defrost and drain the liquid first. I do it in a covered pan, and do it at 425 for about an hour. It’s more of a soft cooked recipe than a roasted one, and that’s the idea. My kids are averse to crispy edges and this recipe doesn’t need it.

While I used mozzarella, if you use parmesan and open it for the last ten minutes, you’ll get crispy deliciousness if that’s what you’re after.

In the Air Fryer

I haven’t done this in the air fryer – mine is dedicated to meat dishes – but I’d imagine it would be delicious. The texture would be very different – dryer and crispier. It also wouldn’t sit in the butter as much as you’re cooking it, so you’ll likely get less butter and more salty flavor, but you can also melt butter and toss it for the last few minutes.

I would recommend first melting the butter with the other ingredients. and tossing it thoroughly with the broccoli if you plan to air fry it.

Tips for prepping and serving buttery broccoli

Can you Make Buttery Broccoli in Advance?

I hate answering this question but I get it, I always have the same. Obviously it’s yummiest fresh!

But the truth is, you can prep it a couple of days in advance – it’ll last 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. But if you’re crisping it at all, you’ll lose that. If not, it’ll be quite delicious still if not totally fresh.

Cooked vegetables tend to not freeze very well. It’ll get mushy and lose its delicious texture. It’s very simple to prep so you really don’t need to advance freeze.

What to serve with buttery broccoli and cheese

I usually make this as a healthy addition to a pasta dinner. It goes great with rice as well, and is the perfect vegetable side for a salmon dinner.

I plan to serve it alongside potato latkes, an assortment of pastas and salads, and salmon sushi cups at our Hanukkah party.

Buttery Broccoli with Cheese Recipe

Ingredients

• 16 oz frozen broccoli (you can, of course, scale this up. If making more than 48 oz/ 2-24 oz bags, just double the other ingredients)
• 1/2 stick butter
• Drizzle of honey
• Shredded Mozzarella cheese
• Season it well – I use salt, pepper and a good spice mix in addition (such as Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning salute)
• A Betty Crocker pizza maker

Process

1. Line your Betty Crocker with parchment paper.
2. Put in your broccoli and cut pats of butter to place all over it.
3. Drizzle on honey and season it.
4. Close your Betty Crocker and let it cook for about 5-10 minutes, checking frequently after the 5 minute mark.
5. Turn it off when it’s still bright green but just starting to crisp at the edges.
6. Sprinkle Mozzarella on top and cover the Betty Crocker for another few minutes until the Broccoli is very soft and cheese is melted.

Enjoy it fresh! Try topping it with crispy onions, parmesan, or whatever you think will complement it!

Yield: 4

Delicious Cheesy Buttery Broccoli in the Betty Crocker (or oven!)

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

This delicious cheesy broccoli can be made in the Betty Crocker pizza maker or the oven! We prefer to make ours in the pizza maker. It's drizzled with honey for a hint of sweet, and is full of cheesy goodness. It's packed with nutrients and a kid-friendly recipe that even my pickier eaters enjoy.

Print

Ingredients

• 16 oz frozen broccoli (you can, of course, scale this up. If making more than 48 oz/ 2-24 oz bags, just double the other ingredients)
• 1/2 stick butter
• Drizzle of honey
• Shredded Mozzarella cheese
• Season it well - I use salt, pepper and a good spice mix in addition (such as Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning salute)
• A Betty Crocker (or similar) pizza maker

Instructions

1. Line your Betty Crocker with parchment paper.
2. Put in your broccoli and cut pats of butter to place all over it.
3. Drizzle on honey and season it.
4. Close your Betty Crocker and let it cook for about 5-10 minutes, checking frequently after the 5 minute mark.
5. Turn it off when it's still bright green but just starting to crisp at the edges.
6. Sprinkle Mozzarella on top and cover the Betty Crocker for another few minutes until the Broccoli is very soft and cheese is melted.

Enjoy it fresh!

Notes

Try topping it with crispy onions, parmesan, or whatever you think will complement it!

I usually make this as a healthy addition to a pasta dinner. It goes great with rice as well, and is the perfect vegetable side for a salmon dinner.

You can prep it a couple of days in advance - it'll last 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. This will get mushy if frozen.

You can make this in the oven at about 425 for an hour (covered). You'll need to defrost your broccoli and drain the liquid first. If cooking it uncovered, check after half an hour and gauge accordingly.

Try it with maple syrup for a slightly different flavor!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Amazon Grocery, Golden Pure Honey, 16 Oz (Previously Amazon Fresh, Packaging May Vary)
• 
  Baking Parchment Circles, Set of 100, 12 Inch
• 
  Betty Crocker Countertop Pizza Maker

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The post Best Ever Buttery Broccoli with Cheese (Betty Crocker or Oven) appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

Do you have a favorite Shavuot cheesecake recipe? Many people look forward to celebrating the Shavuot holiday with dairy treats.

This is a delicious new take that is just perfect whether you’re looking for a change from the traditional cheesecake or something extra to serve alongside it.

The cream cheese filling makes these cookies rich and delightful like cheesecake, but with plenty of cookie all around it to keep it neat and clean. The strawberries also add a perfect complement, keeping it refreshing and fruity.

Consider setting aside a couple of fresh strawberries to garnish your serving plate and add a pop of color to your presentation. I’m also thinking of adding a little drizzle of glaze or icing – the cookies look and taste great on their own, but a simple glaze can easily take it up a level for an extra-special occasion.

Some people think of cheesecake as a more complicated project, and your guests will certainly be wowed by the filled cookie concept, but these cheesecake-inspired cookies are actually quite easy to make. They require some time in the fridge before baking, but not too much, so you can still pull it off if you’re a bit of a last-minute person.

You can tell I’m excited about these, so let’s stop talking and get baking!

Ingredients

Cookie:

• 1 cup butter
• ¾ cup granulated white sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup frozen or fresh strawberries

Filling:

• ¾ cup cream cheese
• ¼ cup powdered or confectioner’s sugar

Assembling your strawberry cheesecake cookies

1. First, we’re going to prepare the filling. 

Line a pan or baking sheet with cling wrap or parchment paper.

Mix cream cheese with powdered sugar until smooth – it may help to use a beater. 

Use a teaspoon to place 10-12 pats of the mixture onto the prepared pan or sheet.

Place the pan with the spoons full of filling into the freezer until they are almost completely frozen – about two hours (it’s fine if you let them freeze longer.)

2. Next, we’ll make the cookie dough.

In a bowl, beat the sugar, egg, egg yolk, butter, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.

Combine the flour, salt and baking soda, and add to the bowl of other ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

Cut the strawberries into little pieces. Add them to the dough and fold in.

3. To assemble the cookies:

Prepare a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Using about a tablespoon of dough for each cookie, form balls and place them on the baking sheet.

Use a teaspoon to lightly press down the center of each ball.

Remove the chilled pats of cream cheese mixture from the freezer. Place one into each cookie’s center cavity.

Place another tablespoon or so of dough on the top of each cookie to cover the filling. Pinch the edges closed.

Put the cookies in the fridge to chill.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F.

Once chilled, bake for 13-17 minutes until the edges are light golden-brown and the tops are set. Cool on a wire rack.

Aren’t these strawberry cheesecake cookies delish? Now give it a try with another flavor!

Yield: 12 Cookies

Strawberry Cookies with Cheesecake Filling

Do you have a favorite Shavuot cheesecake recipe? Many people look forward to celebrating the Shavuot holiday with dairy treats. This is a delicious new take that is just perfect whether you’re looking for a change from the traditional cheesecake or something extra to serve alongside it.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• ¾ cup white sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup frozen or fresh strawberries
• ¾ cup cream cheese
• ¼ cup powdered or confectioner’s sugar

Instructions

Filling:

1. Line a pan or baking sheet with cling wrap or parchment paper. Mix cream cheese with powdered sugar until smooth - it may help to use a beater. 

2. Use a teaspoon to place 10-12 pats of the mixture onto the prepared pan or sheet.

3. Place the pan with the spoonfuls of filling into the freezer until they are almost completely frozen - about two hours.

Cookies:

1. In a bowl, beat the sugar, egg, egg yolk, butter, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.

2. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda, and add to the bowl of other ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

3. Cut the strawberries into little pieces. Add them to the dough and mix very gently.

4. On a covered baking sheet, use about about a tablespoon of dough and form balls and place them on the baking sheet. Use a tablespoon to lightly press down the center of each ball.

5. Remove the chilled pats of cream cheese mixture from the freezer. Place one into each cookie’s center cavity.

6. Place another tablespoon or so of dough on the top of each cookie to cover the filling. Pinch the edges closed. Put the cookies in the fridge to chill.

7. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake for 13-17 minutes until the edges are light golden-brown and the tops are set. Cool on a wire rack.

Did you make this recipe?

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The post Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies Recipe appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

Shavuot can feature some pretty hot weather – especially if you’re in a warmer climate.

So why not feature a fun, frozen variation on traditional cheesecake? These cheesecake popsicles are heavenly cold treats on a sweltering late Spring day.

While these cheesecake popsicles were made with blueberries, you can try it in other flavors too! The blueberries, of course, have an incredible, rich color, but others will look – and taste- fabulous too!

The obvious choice would be to try making a strawberry cheesecake popsicle. You can try other berries, and even switch out the fruit completely!

And if you mix blueberries and strawberries, and make the swirl variety (more on that soon) you’ll have a patriotic Fourth of July dessert too!

The best part about making these: they come together literally in minutes (minus the cleanup)! Yes, you don’t need more than ten minutes to make this, so if you remember half an hour before Shavuot that you flaked on tomorrow’s dessert, you’re covered! Yes, this has actually happened to me. I plan a complex menu and forget the desserts… Our Shavuot menu planner can actually help with that.

Note: You’ll still need eight hours for it to freeze.

Tips for making cheesecake popsicles

You can play around with the amount of sugar in these, if you want to reduce your intake. However, a lot will depend on the sweetness of your berries.

One way to allow for less sugar is to avoid tart berries. You can even use slightly overripe ones. You can also add in overripe bananas, but don’t put too much or the flavor will come through strongly.

The gorgeous marbled effect on this cheesecake popsicle recipe is totally optional, and yes, it does make the process into much more of an operation. But it’s optional! This is one of those recipes that you can literally just dump, blend, and freeze.

Skip the lemon zest if that’s beyond your scope of easy recipes! It definitely adds a lot, but it’s not necessary. You can replace it with two additional tablespoons of lemon juice, half a teaspoon of lemon extract, or another citrus fruit’s zest.

If you’re making cheesecake popsicles for young children, you can make them as freeze pops instead! Just use these disposable ice pop bags, or these reusable silicone ones. We’ve been using the disposable ones for years to make juice pops for the summer and my kids love them! They won’t look as pretty and classy, but they’ll be a hit among the littles!

What you need to make the cheesecake popsicle recipe

• Yield: 10 pops
• Prep: 8 min
• Freeze time: 8 hours

Equipment needed

• Popsicle molds
• Popsicle sticks – food grade (you can get reusable ones too)
• Blender
• Measuring Cups
• Optional: lemon zester
• Optional: Saucepan if making the pretty marbled version
• Recommended: hand or stand mixer if making the pretty marbled version
• Optional: piping bags if making the pretty marbled version

Ingredients to make blueberry cheesecake popsicles

Note: While I do my best to link appropriately, I can’t take responsibility for the Kosher status of any of these ingredients. Please double check according to your standards!

• 1 cup frozen blueberries 
• 1/3+1/3 cup of granulated sugar (separated if you’re making the marbled version)
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest (or an additional 2 tsp lemon juice)
• Optional: Milk (if you feel you need additional liquid to enhance the texture)

There are two ways to make blueberry cheesecake popsicles

As you can see here, these cheesecake popsicles feature a gorgeous swirl. But that’s optional. I’m going to show you how to make it both ways – the easy way and the pretty way!

If you’re hosting a classy Shavuot meal and making this for dessert, you may prefer to put in the extra effort and go all-in with the pretty way.

If you’re simply making these as a summer treat, are short on time, or don’t care about how it looks, definitely go with the “dump, blend, and freeze” version!

How to make them the pretty way

First, combine the frozen blueberries, 1/3 cup of sugar, and lemon zest in a small saucepan.

Heat it until the sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Keep an eye on it – you don’t want to leave it at this point.

Pour the blueberry and sugar mixture into a blender and blend it until you get a smooth consistency.

Mix your cream cheese, the second 1/3 cup sugar and lemon juice together. Mix until smooth

You may need to add a little milk to your cream cheese mixture if it’s chunky. That’ll loosen things up and help you get a smooth consistency.

Add roughly 1/3 cup of the blueberry mixture to the cream cheese and fold it in gently.

Optional: if you want you can work with piping bags, if you have good control with them and want to be more specific with where you place your two shades of mixture.

Start by adding some cream cheese mixture to the popsicle mold. Then add some blueberry mixture. Keep rotating. This is what gives it a two-toned, gorgeous marbled effect.

You can use a skewer, knife, or toothpick to swirl it gently if you want, but don’t overdo this as you’ll be mixing the colors together if you do. This will also help to pop air bubbles, if there are any.

The cool thing about marbling your blueberry cheesecake popsicles is that each one will be totally unique!

Cover if your mold comes with it, and then add add a popsicle stick to each mold.

Freeze for 8 hours or overnight and then enjoy!

How to make these the easy way

Short on time, don’t care how it looks, and want to save time? Simply dump all your ingredients into a blender, blend it, and pour it into a mold. Freeze it for at least eight hours and enjoy! These will be a solid color and won’t have the gorgeous marbled effect featured here.

Which occasion will you be making this cheesecake popsicle recipe for? Comment below!

Yield: 10 Pops

Frozen Berry Cheesecake Pops

Prep Time: 8 minutes

Additional Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 minutes

These decadent blueberry cheesecake popsicles can be made in any berry flavor! Make these as a delicious Shavuot dessert, and mix berries for patriotic July 4th treats. There are two ways to make these: marble two tones of mixture for a beautiful, elegant look, or blend, dump, and freeze for a 5 minute treat!

Print

Ingredients

Equipment

Toggle ingredient group

• Popsicle molds
• Popsicle sticks - food grade
• Blender
• Measuring Cups
• Optional: lemon zester
• Optional: Saucepan if making the pretty marbled version
• Recommended: mixer if making the pretty marbled version
• Optional: piping bags if making the pretty marbled version

Ingredients:

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/3+1/3 cup of granulated sugar (separated if you're making the marbled version)
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest (or an additional 2 tsp lemon juice)
• Optional: Milk (if you feel you need additional liquid to enhance the texture)

Instructions

The pretty way:

1. First, combine the frozen blueberries, 1/3 cup of sugar, and lemon zest in a small saucepan.
   
2. Heat it until the sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Keep an eye on it - you don't want to leave it at this point.
   
3. Pour the blueberry and sugar mixture into a blender and blend it until you get a smooth consistency.
   
4. Mix your cream cheese, the second 1/3 cup sugar and lemon juice together. Mix until smooth
   
5. You may need to add a little milk to your cream cheese mixture if it's chunky. That'll loosen things up and help you get a smooth consistency.
   
6. Add roughly 1/3 cup of the blueberry mixture to the cream cheese and fold it in gently.
   
7. Optional: if you want you can work with piping bags, if you have good control with them and want to be more specific with where you place your two shades of mixture.
   
8. Start by adding some cream cheese mixture to the popsicle mold. Then add some blueberry mixture. Keep rotating. This is what gives it a two-toned, gorgeous marbled effect.
   
9. You can use a skewer, knife, or toothpick to swirl it gently if you want, but don't overdo this as you'll be mixing the colors together if you do. This will also help to pop air bubbles, if there are any.
   
10. The cool thing about marbling your blueberry cheesecake popsicles is that each one will be totally unique!
    
11. Cover if your mold comes with it, and then add add a popsicle stick to each mold.
    
12. Freeze for 8 hours or overnight and then enjoy!
    

The easy way

1. Short on time, don't care how it looks, and want to save time? Simply dump all your ingredients into a blender, blend it, and pour it into a mold.
2. Freeze it for at least eight hours and enjoy! These will be a solid color and won't have the gorgeous marbled effect featured here.

Notes

You can substitute 2 tsp lemon juice for the zest.

To reduce added sugar, use sweeter berries.

You can make these in freeze pop sleeves too - ideally for young kids.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Popsicle Molds Set
• 
  Floral Place Cards Printable Flower Napkin Wraps Holders and | Etsy
• 
  Jewish Recipe Binder Organizer for Jewish Holiday | Etsy

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The post Blueberry Cheesecake Popsicle Recipe – an Easy Shavuot Dessert appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.