How to Keep a Kosher Diet When You Have a Sweet Tooth

Keeping Kosher can be a challenge but satisfying your sweet tooth doesn’t need to be. Belgian Boys Certified Kosher treats are as effortless as they are delicious. And best of all, you can indulge in sinfully delicious desserts and snacks knowing that you are following the rules and maintaining the strictest standards of purity for yourself and your guests.

Kosher, or kashruth, are the Jewish dietary laws. Kosher means “fit,” as food fit for religious Jews to eat. For some people, kashruth (that’s the official term for Kosher dietary laws) is a strict religious obligation. For other Jewish people, it’s a way to a global community, history, and tradition. But you don’t have to be Jewish to love Kosher food! 

Did you know that Muslims account for 16 percent of the $100 billion-a-year U.S. kosher market because many Kosher food products fit the Quran's dietary laws of halal? And if you are health-and-safety conscious, you might choose Kosher products because of the extra supervision in Kosher certification (more on that soon).

Whether it's religion, health, or quality, there’s lots of interest in the Kosher lifestyle. Having delicious Kosher Certified snacks, cookies, and desserts on hand will make sure that your diverse friends and family always feel welcomed and nurtured in your home. 

What Is Kosher Food?

Kosher rules have to do with what foods are permitted, how they are prepared, and when they are eaten. Almost all the foods you love can be Kosher – with the notable exceptions of pork, shellfish, and a few creatures like rabbits. 

The laws of Kashruth divide foods into 3 categories: meat, dairy and pareve. A Kosher meal usually has meat or dairy, but not both. Meat and dairy are always prepared and eaten separately – they cannot be cooked or consumed together. Pareve foods are neutral and can be enjoyed any time, with either dairy or meat or on their own.

For meat to be Kosher, it must be a specific cut of meat (forequarters) from a mammal with cloven hoofs (think beef or lamb) or fowl like chicken, turkey, or duck, slaughtered in a Kosher manner. Some people choose Kosher meats because they feel that animals are processed more humanely than typical in the meat industry.

All dairy is considered Kosher (think butter, milk, cream, yogurt, and cheese), if it is processed so that it does not come into contact with any meat products.

Pareve foods can be combined with either meat or dairy. These include fruits, vegetables, grains, oils, and nuts. Plus, fish and eggs are both classified as pareve as well. Those are the basics.

Keeping a Kosher Diet

Whether you interpret the rules more liberally or keep a strict Kosher diet at home and away, a Kosher diet offers plenty of variety and nutrition.

Keeping a Kosher home can feel like a lot of work. If your family is strictly Kosher, you have separate cookware, utensils, and even dishwashers to avoid mixing milk and meat. Cooking, baking, and meal planning require planning and thought.

One way to simplify meal-planning is to build Pareve meals around a plant-forward menu of veggies and grains, and use healthy food like fish and eggs to add protein. Plant-forward, vegetarian, and egg and fish-based meals take the worry out of meal planning. Follow with a scrumptious dessert, like Belgian Boys dark chocolate lava cake or New York cheesecake.

Kosher Food Certification

When shopping, observant Jews look for the Kosher Certification on all packaged and prepared products. Certification of Kosher foods helps make the process of eating Kosher simple and worry-free. There are different certifying bodies, but all ensure that the ingredients meet the standards of Kashruth and that the facilities and processing methods are free from cross-contamination.

Easy Kosher Desserts Hacks

Choose a Certified Kosher product and get creative to build a Kosher meal, snack, or dessert.

Master a Simple Kosher Dessert Recipe

Belgian Boys ready-made authentic Crêpes or Belgian Waffles are perfect for breakfast when topped with fresh fruit, for a light lunch served with smoked salmon, or for dessert with Nutella, ice-cream, or whipped cream. Only the finest ingredients are used. 

Belgian Boys frozen desserts are the perfect Kosher-Certified foundation for your creativity! Start with individually portioned New York Cheesecake and add chocolate chips, whipped cream, or top with fresh strawberries macerated in your favorite Kosher liquor.

​​Find a Local Kosher Restaurant

If you live in a big city like New York or Miami, there might be plenty of wonderful Kosher restaurants to choose from. In smaller towns, or places with less of a Jewish population, scoping out great Kosher food may be more of an endeavor, or even require some compromise.

Websites and apps like Kosher Without Borders can help you navigate where to eat when you’re on the road, or help you discover Kosher dining destinations in your hometown. When you find a restaurant you love, make sure to support it. Talk it up to friends and family, leave a great review online, and tip generously.

Never Run Out of Kosher Cookies

Nobody ever complained of having too many delicious Kosher cookies on hand. All Belgian Boys treats are made in Europe from high quality, non-GMO ingredients. Dig in with the best whenever a craving emerges. 

In terms of happy cookie snacking, we love Raspberry Cookie Tarts – a crunchy, buttery cookie base covered in raspberry jam. They’re made in France with real butter, real sugar and the ethos of indulgence baked right in. Another fine option, if you’re in the mood for something chocolate-y, are Mini Choco Stroopwafels, our original caramel stroopwafels dipped in real Belgian Callebaut Chocolate. Yum!

Our cookies are individually wrapped, which makes them easily shareable and portable. Shop now for sweet Kosher snacking.