It seems innocent enough, but there are pretty strong opinions out there about white chocolate. Some people love it, many people hate it, and don’t even get us started on the pareve version. The truth is that while it’s technically not chocolate at all, it has so much to add to your desserts in terms of texture and flavor. Silky smooth and perfectly sweet, adding white chocolate to baked goods and confections brings dessert to an entirely new level. We don’t care if you haven’t been a fan until now. Put away the brown stuff for a bit and trust us with this one.

White Chocolate Hazelnut-Cappuccino Custard

Recipe by Chaia Frishman

Chocolate mousse is a classic, but this easy white chocolate custard manages to take center stage while still keeping it simple.

Melt 12 oz (340 g) good-quality white chocolate in a double boiler. Add 3 Tbsp sugar and 4 Tbsp cappuccino-flavored vodka, mixing quickly. Add 5 eggs, one at a time, stirring quickly to make sure nothing curdles. If you can do it with an electric hand mixer, it will make your life easier. Next, scoop the custard into 7 dessert cups. Top with lotus cookie crumbs and decorate with chocolate curls and pearl candies.

Cheesecake Cookies

Recipe by Faigy Grossmann

These soft and buttery cookies are the perfect marriage between two incredible desserts. Your coffee will thank you!

For this recipe, cream ¹⁄₂ cup butter with 4 oz (110 g) cream cheese in an electric mixer. Add 1 cup sugar and keep beating until light and creamy. Add 1 egg and 2 tsp vanilla, mixing thoroughly to make sure everything gets incorporated.

Next, add 1³⁄₄ cups flour, and ¹⁄₂ tsp each of baking powder and salt. Once everything is just combined, place your batter in the fridge to chill while you go smash graham crackers until you get ¹⁄₂ cup’s worth of crumbs.

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and take the batter out of the fridge. Portion 2-inch (5-cm) balls of cookie batter, roll each cookie in graham cracker crumbs, then flatten slightly onto a cookie sheet. Place them in the oven for 10 minutes. Once they’re done, drizzle on some melted white chocolate and enjoy!

White Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Recipe by Michal Frischman

We totally understand that sentiment, and we have the perfect solution. Jam-filled buttery cookies dotted with shards of white chocolate. It’s a cookie that pops with color and flavor with each texture-filled bite.

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Cream 1 cup butter with 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add 1 tsp each of salt and vanilla extract. Fold in 2 cups of flour and mix until the dough is smooth. Chop up a 3¹⁄₂-oz (100-g) bar of white chocolate and add it to the mixture. Scoop the dough into balls. You should get about 18 cookies.

Make an indent with your thumb or a teaspoon into each cookie and fill it with jam. Bake for 15 minutes.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 896)