Kugels have their roots in Eastern European (Ashkenazi) Jewish tradition. They are casseroles and can be made with cheese or other dairy products, noodles, potatoes, matzoh, meat (but not with the milk) and more. My j column featured cereal milk kugel made with fruit-flavored cereal, a colorful and flavorful treat for one's actual or inner child.
This recipe sparked a renewed interest in my Chocolate Cookie Kugel which I decided to revisit and revise. First change for a SIP household of two, cutting the size. A full-size kugel was just too much, so I halved the recipe. I'm happy to report the recipe halves well (and leftovers store well for up to a week airtight in the fridge). Other minor tweaks include adding the cookie crumb topping. Enjoy.
(Oh, and believe or not, it's really not too sweet but it is rich and a small serving is usually very satisfying. The cookies undergo a kind of magical alteration when cooking and pretty much absorb the filling.)
Updated Chocolate Sandwich Cookie Kugel
Serves 12
Halves well – 6-8 servings
The works with any chocolate sandwich cookie with filling -- if using ones with a flavored filling, maybe switch to vanilla extract for the almond. It really doesn't matter if you use generic or brand name Oreo-style cookies.
3 Tbs. unsalted butter melted, divided
30 chocolate sandwich cookies (approx.)
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
8 oz. sour cream
1 cup milk
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. almond extract
3 Tbs. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chocolate sandwich cookies, cut or
crumbled into bits
Whipped cream or additional sour cream
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly brush 1 tsp.
of the melted butter inside a 9×13-inch baking pan. Cover bottom with cookies,
breaking some in half to fill in any large gaps.
Mash softened cream cheese with sour cream until
smooth. Add remaining butter, milk, eggs, almond extract, sugar and salt. Beat
until smooth.
Pour mixture over cookies. Scatter chocolate chips
evenly over top. Place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Rotate pan. Scatter cookie
crumbs over top. Bake for additional 15-25 minutes until custard top is firm
and puffy and pulling away from sides of pan. Let sit for 20 minutes. Serve
warm or at room temperature topped with dollops of whipped or sour cream if desired.
The photos show dollops of sour cream topped with additional, larger bits of chopped cookie as garnish.
See all my j cooking columns (published every other week) for more recipes. My earlier version of this recipe is also available on the blog along with some chocolate blintzes.
