Sweet Noodle Kugel

1 (8 ounce) package wide egg noodles 2 cups small curd cottage cheese 1 ½ cups sour cream ½ cup white sugar ½ cup raisins or golden raisins 3 large eggs, beaten ½ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon ⅛ tsp. ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rapid boil. Cook egg noodles at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain.

Mix cottage cheese, sour cream, sugar, raisins, eggs, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Mix in cooked noodles. Pour into the prepared baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven, until golden brown on top, about 40 minutes.

Cinnamon Apple Cake (Hanukkah Cake)

Cooking spray 1 ½ cups white sugar 6 ounces cream cheese, softened ½ cup butter 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 eggs 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ tsp. baking powder ¼ tsp. salt ¼ cup white sugar 2 tsp. ground cinnamon 2 large baking apples, peeled and chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

Beat 1 ½ cups sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract together in a bowl with an electric mixer until soft and creamy; beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Combine ¼ cup sugar and cinnamon in a separate small bowl. Stir 2 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar into flour mixture; reserve remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.

Stir flour mixture into cream cheese mixture until batter is smooth; stir in apples. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle batter with reserved cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven until cake slightly pulls away from edges of the pan, about 1 ¼ hours. Cool cake completely on a wire rack before removing from the pan and slicing.

Rugelach

2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into cubes ⅓ cup sour cream ¼ tsp. salt 1 cup finely chopped walnuts ½ cup raisins, finely chopped ½ cup white sugar 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

Place butter, cream cheese, sour cream, flour, and salt in a food processor; pulse until crumbly.

Shape and press crumbly dough mixture into four equal disks. Wrap each pastry disk; chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Combine walnuts, raisins, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl.

Roll each pastry disk into a 9-inch round keeping other disks chilled until ready to roll them. Sprinkle round with walnut-raisin mixture; press lightly into dough. Cut each round into 12 wedges with a chefs knife or pizza cutter. Roll wedges from wide to narrow, you will end up with point on outside of cookie. Place on ungreased baking sheets and chill rugelach for 20 minutes before baking.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

After rugelach are chilled, bake in the preheated oven on center rack until lightly golden, about 22 to 25 minutes; cool on wire racks.

Caramel Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Coins

6 ounces dark chocolate, broken into small pieces 1 Tbsp. white sugar ¼ cup heavy cream Sea salt to taste 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder, for dusting

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pour about 1 inch of water into the bottom of a saucepan and place over medium-low heat; bring the water to a simmer and turn off the heat. Place a stainless steel bowl over the saucepan. Put the chocolate in the bowl and soften over the hot water.

Place the sugar in a small skillet over medium-low heat and cook until it forms a dark liquid and begins to bubble, 7 to 9 minutes. Carefully pour the cream over the caramelized sugar. Cook and stir the mixture until the caramelized sugar is dissolved into the cream; immediately remove from heat. Pour the hot cream mixture over the warmed chocolate; stir quickly with a spatula until completely incorporated.

Drop the mixture by the teaspoon onto the prepared baking sheet. Top each portion with a sprinkle of sea salt. Cover with plastic wrap. Gently press a second baking sheet onto the chocolate coins to flatten. Chill in refrigerator until firm. Dust with the cocoa.