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  • Peppermint Patties
  • Cookie Press Giveaway!
  • Strawberry Buttermilk Cake
  • Low Fat Banana Muffins
  • Applesauce

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  • My open roads on Cookie Press Giveaway!: fav desert, oh my, I have so many! All time fav is banana bread, good for everything, after dinner, with coffee,...
  • Seanna Lea on Peppermint Patties: I love dipping! I just drop the item straight in and then pick it up with a fork and use my small offset spatula to...
  • wendy wallach on Cookie Press Giveaway!: My favorite dessert is Grand Mariner Souffle. madamerkf at aol dot com
  • paula on Peppermint Patties: That was the worst part of making these – I hate dipping stuff in chocolate. At least my recipe had butter and...
  • veggievixen on Peppermint Patties: that’s awesome! despite the messy process they turned out pretty nice looking.

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Peppermint Patties

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I came across this this recipe and immediately got it in my head that I would make peppermint patties for my dad, nevermind the fact that I had no dipping chocolate in the house. So, off I went to Surfas, where I also bought THREE POUNDS OF SKOR BITS (why? I don’t know) and returned home ready to make candies, only to discover I was out of corn syrup. Not about to go to the market now, I searched the web and came across a corn syrup-less recipe and decided to give it a go.

These are minty, chewy, and delicious and taste just like a York peppermint patty. Would I make them again? Hell no. While I love to eat chocolate, I am horrible at dipping things in it. In fact, I ended up using a pastry brush to brush the chocolate on because I had trouble digging the first patty out of the chocolate after it fell in. So you see, I have absolutely no chance of ever having a career as a chocolatier. Unless ugly dipping styles become popular, then I’d be highly successful.

Ugly photos of the messy process here.

Ingredients
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips or dipping chocolate
2 teaspoons shortening (I used dipping chocolate so I omitted this)

Preparation
In a large mixing bowl, combine condensed milk and peppermint extract. Beat in enough confectioners’ sugar, a little at a time, to form a stiff dough that is no longer sticky. Form into 1 inch balls, then place on waxed paper and flatten with fingers to form patties. Let patties dry at room temperature two hours, turning once.

In double boiler over low heat, melt chocolate with shortening, stirring often. Dip patties, one at a time, into chocolate by laying them on the tines of a fork and lowering the fork into the liquid. (Or say screw that and use a brush to coat them, like I did.) Let cool on waxed paper until set.

Recipe adapted from All Recipes.

Cookie Press Giveaway!

I’m still here, I’ve just been super busy with family and friends, specifically one that was in town from Australia! And I promise to have new recipes soon. In the meantime, a giveaway.

You might remember back in March I won a bunch of cool Wilton products. Well, one of the items they sent me was a cookie press, which is similar to one I already have. So, I’m giving the new one away. To enter, all you have to do is tell me about your favorite dessert ever, whether it was something you made or ate a restaurant–just give me the details! And while you’re here, feel free to tell me (anything you want) about yourself, I like to know who reads this blog.

Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, July 5, 2009. One winner will be selected at random on Monday, July 6 and contacted by email shortly thereafter. Please note this contest is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.

Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

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I was down in San Diego visiting my parents for Memorial Day weekend when this recipe showed up in my Google Reader. It was 9 at night and my parents, sister, and I were all sitting around watching TV, stuffed from dinner and a party earlier in the day. I made this cake thinking we would taste it before bed and eat some of it the next day.

Which we did. Actually, we finished it the next day. And made two more as well. Oh yes, it was that much of a hit! The second time around, I made it a lot healthier by making a few substitutions: I replaced the butter with applesauce (tablespoon for tablespoon), the sugar with Splenda, and the flour with whole wheat flour. And it still got two thumbs up from everyone! It’s light, moist, delicious, and incredibly simple to make.

Notes: Since I was baking at my parents’ house and didn’t have my cake pans, I used a pie pan and it turned out just fine. I also made my own buttermilk (using Lactaid!) by adding 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar to the 1/2 cup milk and let it sit for 10 minutes. And finally, you can substitute any berry you wish.

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
1 large egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup fresh strawberries (you can use any berry you want)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup (146 grams) sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about two minutes, then beat in vanilla and zest, if using. Add egg and beat well.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes (mine were all done in about 18 minutes). Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate (I skipped this part and just cut, sliced, and served–much easier).

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Low Fat Banana Muffins

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I’ve read about how applesauce can be used in baked goods in place of fats such as eggs, oil, and butter but hadn’t tried the substitution until now. And I’m happy to report it’s a good substitution!

Of course, these muffins are not meant to replace my favorite banana bread. They are simply a low fat alternative, and even with the chocolate chips they are still only three points each. They’re easy (no need for a mixer!), moist and flavorful, and lighter than I was expecting after reading some of the reviews.

The lightness may be because I made muffins rather than a loaf (I like wrapping them individually then freezing them so I can defrost one at a time). I made the mistake of using paper liners, and the muffins completely stuck to them so I suggest spraying a muffin tin with Pam and forgoing the liners.

Photos of the process here.

Ingredients
4 very ripe bananas
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar (I used Splenda Sugar Blend)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
4 tablespoons applesauce (I made my own)
1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional

Preparation

1. Mash bananas in a bowl.
2. Add all other ingredients and mix well.
3. Pour into greased loaf pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes if making muffins (or 50 to 60 minutes if making a loaf), or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Yields 16 muffins or one loaf.

Recipe adapted from Recipe Zaar.

Applesauce

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I hate applesauce. Mushed apples and water? Blech. I like my apples crisp with a nice crunch when I bite into them. So when I noticed the apples in my fridge (yes, I keep apples in the fridge) were going soft, I knew I had to do something with them. And since I had over-ripe bananas in the freezer, I figured this was the perfect time to make applesauce to use in a low fat banana muffin recipe (coming soon!) I had bookmarked earlier in the week.

I scoured the Internet for applesauce recipes and with the help of Rachel over at Coconut & Lime (she’s so patient!), I got to work. I was pleasantly surprised to learn applesauce is extremely easy to make (and not so surprised to find that I still don’t like it). I didn’t add much sugar since I knew I was going to bake with it, but if you’re planning to eat it and are using tart apples, throw it in. Also, I divided it into small individual Glad containers which I froze to use in future recipes.

Ingredients
4 apples (I used Fujis)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar, optional
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional

Preparation

1. Peel, core, and slice apples.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the apples are soft enough to mash.
3. Mash with a fork (or pulse in a food processor like I did).

Yields approximately three cups.

The Baked Brownie

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A few weeks ago I had lunch with my friend Jenn who was kind enough to bring me some of the Baked brownies she had just made. Of course, as soon as I got home I ate one and stuck the rest in the freezer where they proceeded to stay for oh, two days. These brownies are so good, even straight out of the freezer!

This meant I needed to dust off my copy of the Baked cookbook that has been sitting on a shelf collecting dust. What better time to try a new recipe than when it’s 80 degrees outside? Yeah, that’s how good these brownies are. Mine were slightly underbaked so they were chewy and fudgy, but I’m not complaining!

Ingredients
1-1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons dark cocoa powder (I used Hershey, shh don’t tell the Baked guys)
11 ounces quality dark chocolate (60-72%), chopped coarsely (I used semi-sweet chips, again, this is between you and me)
8 ounces butter (2 sticks), cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tsp instant espresso powder (I omitted this)
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter the sides and bottom of a glass or light colored metal pan 9×13x2 pan. (I lined it with foil and sprayed with Pam.)
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, the salt, and cocoa powder.
4. Configure a large sized double boiler. Place the chocolate, the butter, and the instant espresso powder in the bowl of the double boiler and stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and combined. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water of the double boiler and add both sugars. Whisk the sugars until completely combined and remove the bowl from the pan. Mixture should be room temperature.
5. Add three eggs to the chocolate/butter mixture and whisk until just combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until just combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not over beat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
6. Sprinkle the flour/cocoa/salt mix over the chocolate. Using a spatula (DO NOT USE A WHISK) fold the dry into the wet until there is just a trace amount of the flour/cocoa mix visible.
7. Pour the mixture into the pan and smooth the top with your spatula. Bake the brownies for 30 minutes (rotate the pan half-way through baking) and check to make sure the brownies are completely done by sticking a toothpick into the center of the pan. The brownies are done when the toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
8. Cool the brownies completely before cutting and serving.

Yields 24 brownies.

Recipe from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

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I bookmarked this recipe a couple years ago, after a friend sent me a link to a blog post about a food blogger who received an email from a reader asking for a refund because she tried this recipe on the blog and didn’t like it. I kid you not.

While I have received emails and comments from people not liking a recipe and calling it a waste of money, I have never been asked for a refund. (I just don’t understand some people!)

These muffins are good–they’re moist, fluffy, and taste like a snickerdoodle, but look like a muffin. While they’re easy to make, they are a little messy but definitely worth it. And they’re also a nice change from everyday chocolate chip or berry muffins.

Photos of the process here.

Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
¾ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp cream of tarter
¾ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 and ¼ cup sour cream
2 and ¼ cups all purpose flour
plus 1 cup sugar and 2 TBSP cinnamon mixed together for rolling

Preparation

1. Cream the butter and sugar until soft about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the vanilla. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until each is incorporated.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cream of tarter.
3. Add the flour mixture and the sour cream alternately to the egg-butter mixture in three additions. Start with the flour and end with the flour. Scrape the bowl occasionally.
4. Using an ice cream scoop (I used a large cookie scoop), scoop out muffin batter one at a time and drop into a shallow bowl filled with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the muffin around in the mixture until it is covered completely in cinnamon sugar. Place muffin into a greased muffin tin. Depending on the size of your tins, you should get about 12 to 14 muffins (I got 18).
5. Bake them for approximately 20-22 minutes in a 350F degree oven or until they are golden brown.

Recipe from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody.

Caramel Crunch Bars

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I know it’s a weird thing to say, but I’m not sure how I feel about these bars. You’re probably thinking “shortbread base, chocolate and toffee top, what’s not to like?” and so am I, kinda. But I liken these bars to a so-so date. (Stay with me here.)

Like a so-so date, these bars are nice and sweet and pretty attractive. I could see myself having one and saying, “Eh, that was OK, but I’m not sure I want another.” And I could also see myself eying them on a tray and thinking, “You know, one more wouldn’t be so bad.” Like a date that you’re unsure about. Get it? Come on, I know you single ladies understand what I’m trying to say here.

Update: These were a huge hit and I think even better the second day. Go figure.

Anyway, fortunately for me, these bars are around 1,000,000 points each so the bulk of them are in the freezer while the rest are going with me tomorrow to force feed the girls at my eyebrow place. And finally, Dorie suggests using these to make ice cream sandwiches. I think she may be on to something there.

Base Ingredients
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. instant espresso powder or finely ground instant coffee (I omitted this)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon (I omitted this)
2 sticks (8oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 oz. bittersweet or premium milk chocolate, finely chopped

Topping Ingredients
6 oz. bittersweet or premium milk chocolate, finely chopped
¾ cup Heath toffee bits

Preparation
Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9×13 inch baking pan, line the pan with foil and butter the foil. Put the pan on a baking sheet.

To make the base: Whisk together the flour, coffee, salt and cinnamon.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the sugars and beat for another three minutes or until the mixture is light and creamy. Beat in the vanilla and turn off the mixer. Add all the dry ingredients, cover the stand mixer with a kitchen towel (so you and your kitchen don’t get showered in flour) and pulse the mixer on and off at low speed about 5 times, at which point a peek at the bowl should reveal that it’s safe to turn the mixer to low and mix, uncovered, just until the dry ingredients are almost incorporated. Add the chopped chocolate and mix only until the dry ingredients disappear. If the chocolate isn’t evenly mixed, finish the job by hand with a spatula. You’ll have a very heavy, very sticky dough. Scrape the dough into the buttered pan and, with the spatula and your fingertips, cajole it into a thin, even layer. (I cajoled using an offset spatula.)

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the base is bubbly – so bubbly that you can almost hear it percolating – and puckery. It will look as though it is struggling to pull away from the side of the pan. Transfer the pan to a rack and turn off the oven.

To make the topping: Scatter the chocolate evenly over the top of the hot base and pop the pan back into the oven for 2 to 3 minutes, until the chocolate is soft. Remove from oven and immediately spread chocolate over bars, using offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the toffee bits over the chocolate and press them down lightly with your fingertips (again, I used the offset spatula because hot desserts and my fingers do not get along well). Place the baking pan on a rack to cool to room temperature.

If, by the time the bars are cool, the chocolate has not set, refrigerate them briefly to firm the chocolate.

Carefully lift out of the pan, using foil edges as handles, and transfer to a cutting board. Trim the edges if they seem a bit thick. Cut about 54 bars, each about 2 inches by 1 inch, taking care not to cut through the foil.

Recipe from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.

Fudgy Brownies

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Hi there! Remember me? I’m the one that used to bake all kinds of fat and calorie filled desserts and force my coworkers to taste them at 8:00 a.m., before they even got their first cup of coffee of the day.

Yeah, about that. I’m trying to lose weight. And I have no coworkers because I’m currently unemployed. And well, that combination makes it hard to make decadent desserts every week, because there’s no one to force feed two dozen brownies to on a regular basis. And I have no willpower, so keeping them in the house is out of the question. Duh.

Enter these brownies. They are chocolaty. And rich. And fudgy. But the best part? Around 100 calories and 3 grams of fat. And let me tell you, a little goes a long way. One of these brownies and I’m happy. OK fine, I ate the corner of a second one and immediately put the rest in the freezer. Remember that willpower thing I mentioned before? Still don’t have it.

Ingredients
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, American-style or Dutch-process
3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (50-72% cacao), coarsely chopped, plus 2 1/2 ounces chopped into mini chip-size pieces (I chopped up some caramel-chocolate swirl chips), divided
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup blended with 3 tablespoons lukewarm water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts (I omitted these)

Preparation

1. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with foil, letting it overhang on two opposing sides (I used parchment). Coat with cooking spray.
2. Sift flour, confectioners’ sugar and cocoa together into a small bowl. Combine the 3 ounces coarsely chopped chocolate and oil in a heavy medium saucepan; place over the lowest heat, stirring, until just melted and smooth, being very careful the chocolate does not overheat. Remove from the heat and stir in granulated sugar, corn syrup mixture, vanilla and salt until the sugar dissolves. Vigorously stir in egg until smoothly incorporated. Gently stir in the dry ingredients. Fold in the walnuts (if using) and the remaining 2 1/2 ounces chopped chocolate just until well blended. Turn out the batter into the pan, spreading evenly.
3. Bake the brownies until almost firm in the center and a toothpick inserted comes out with some moist batter clinging to it, 20 to 24 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 1/2 hours (hahaha, that’s funny).
4. Using the overhanging foil as handles, carefully lift the brownie slab from the pan. Peel the foil from the bottom; set the slab right-side up on a cutting board. Using a large, sharp knife, trim off any dry edges. Mark and then cut the slab crosswise into fifths and lengthwise into fourths. (In other words, cut the brownie slab into 20 pieces.) Wipe the blade with a damp cloth between cuts.

Recipe adapted from Eating Well.

Low(er) Fat Lemon-Raspberry Muffins

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As I’ve mentioned before, I’m watching what I eat (I’ve lost 4 pounds thus far, yay!) and am always looking for good low(er) fat and low(er) calorie recipes that don’t have weird ingredients in them. Fortunately, I stumbled upon this recipe.

The muffins are moist, flavorful, filled with fruit, and only four points each! (Update: These got a thumbs down the next day from my family. Oh well.) Also, I found it interesting that the recipe calls for grinding the sugar (or in my case, Splenda blend) with the lemon zest. I think I may try that next time I make sugar cookies.

Ingredients
1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup nonfat buttermilk (I could only find low-fat)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white whole-wheat flour or whole-wheat pastry flour (see Shopping Tip)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) raspberries

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 large (1/2-cup) muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
2. Zest one lemon. (If you don’t have a Microplane zester, treat yourself to one!) Combine the zest and sugar in a food processor; pulse until the zest is very finely chopped into the sugar. Add buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla and pulse until blended.
3. Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture and fold until almost blended. Gently fold in raspberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.
4. Bake the muffins until the edges and tops are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. (Mine took about 18 minutes.) Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm.

Recipe from Eating Well.
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Passover Apricot Bars

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Because the Passover Mandelbrot recipe was such a hit, I decided to try another Passover treat from the same cookbook. And since we already had so many chocolate desserts, I was happy to find this apricot one. (If you don’t like apricot, substitute with any flavor preserves.)

The bar has a buttery cookie base with a chewy fruit center and crumbly top. It got rave reviews at the seder, and I think it will definitely become part of the Passover dessert rotation for years to come.

Ingredients
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted nondairy margarine or butter, at room temperature plus extra for greasing the baking pan
1 cup sugar
Yolks of 2 large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups matzoh cake meal
1 jar (12 ounces) apricot preserves
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch glass (I used aluminum) baking pan.
2. Cream the margarine (or butter) and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks and continue beating until well combined, scraping the bowl as necessary. Then add the lemon zest, vanilla, and salt. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the cake meal, beating until combined.
3. Press about two-thirds of the mixture over the bottom of the prepared baking pan and bake on the center oven rack for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and spread the preserves evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the walnuts over the preserves, and crumble the remaining dough over the top. Bake until the topping feels set and is beginning to turn golden, 30-35 minutes (mine was done in about 20). (Check the bottoms. They should be just beginning to turn golden too.) Cool in the baking pan set on a wire rack. Then cut into squares and serve.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Jewish.

Passover Mandelbrot

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Passover mandelbrot is usually something my mom makes, but this year I decided to give a new recipe a whirl. Unlike Aunt Helen’s (non-Passover) Mandelbrot, this one is made using a mixer rather than a bowl and wooden spoon, but let’s just not tell her that, OK? Thanks!

This recipe was easy to make and work with, and the end result is crispy, chocolately, and pretty damn good! (Of course, the real test will be when we taste test them against my mom’s recipe. Stay tuned.) I left mine in the oven for about an hour once it was turned off, but if you don’t want yours so crispy, just take them out earlier.

Ingredients
1/2 pound (sticks) unsalted butter or nondairy margarine, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
6 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups matzoh cake meal
3/4 cup potato starch
4 cups (two 12-ounch bags) semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it.
2. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl several times. Then beat in the vanilla Reduce the speed to low, and add the cake meal and potato starch. Scrape the bowl, and blend just until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. (If the dough feels to sticky to handle even with floured hands, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it is stiff, 30 minutes to several hours.)
3. Divide the dough into four portions. Flour your hands with cake meal, and form each portion into a log the length of the baking sheet. Space the logs evenly on the prepared baking sheet, and bake on the center oven rack until they are golden and the tops are firm to the touch, about 30 minutes.
4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the logs cool for three minutes. Then, using a serrated knife, cut each log on the diagonal into 3/4-inch thick slices. Place the slices, cut side down, on the baking sheet and bake on the center oven rack until golden brown, 10 minutes. Turn the cookies onto the unbaked side. Turn the oven off and put the baking sheet back in the oven. Leave it there for 15 to 30 minutes for softer mandelbrot, longer for crisper ones. Let the mandelbrot cool completely on the sheet set on a wire rack before serving.

Recipe from Cooking Jewish.

Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Broccoli

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Don’t worry, you’re on the right blog. This is Nosh With Me. But now we’re cooking!

This may come as a surprise to many of you, but I don’t eat cookies, cakes, and candy for every meal. I do try to cook every now and then, but I have to admit, I am horrible at it. I think what makes me a good baker is what also makes me a terrible cook. In baking there are always exact measurements and specific ingredients, and in order to make a substitution you need to know about the ingredients. In cooking, if it tastes good, it works.

What I do cook is always very simple and usually something that either can be grilled or steamed, or comes from the freezer section of Trader Joe’s. I do have a few actual recipes that have proven successful, but they tend to have lots of cheese and aren’t very healthy. Now that I’m back to counting points, I’m constantly searching for easy low-fat yet still yummy recipes. Fortunately for me, shrimp is both delicious and a good protein, and the last time I was at the market, I bought a two-pound bag (hello, I live alone) of fresh frozen shrimp (it was on sale and the fish guy said it was an amazing deal–I’m a sucker) and I immediately got to work searching for recipe that seemed foolproof. Fortunately, I stumbled upon this one.

The original recipe includes peppers and asparagus, but I’m more of a broccoli fan, so I swapped that out. It also says to cook the vegetables in oil and add lemon zest and salt, but I steamed my broccoli and left out the salt and zest (I’m living on the edge here). I didn’t make any additional changes, but I did omit the parsley, just because I can’t stand the stuff (why yes, I am a picky eater). I am quite pleased with the results–the sauce is garlic-y and lemony and it was great spooned over the broccoli and shrimp. And the way I prepared it made it only three points so I enjoyed it with some brown rice (from Trader Joe’s, naturally), yum!

Ingredients
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
steamed vegetables
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound raw shrimp (26-30 per pound), peeled and deveined
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
Steam vegetables and cover to keep warm.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk broth and cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth and add to the pan along with salt. Cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve the shrimp and sauce over the vegetables.

Adapted from Eating Well.

Thin Mint Fudge

Remember the Cookies and Cream Fudge? Same idea, different cookies.

Whoopie Pies*

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It’s official, I’m back to counting points (if you don’t know points are, consider yourself lucky). But have no fear, I will still be making yummy treats, I just won’t be eating any as many of them, and I hope to find some tasty lower fat/calorie recipes as well. Speaking of lower fat, I first saw this recipe about six years ago when I did WW for the first time, but wasn’t as into baking back then so I never tried it. Fortunately, the recipe was just a Google search away.

These cookies were simple to make, quite good, and have a nice mild chocolate flavor (and not at all bad for two points!). And while marshmallow fluff adds a little bit of sweetness, it also caused a whole lot of problems. First, I was using my small cookie scoop to scoop the fluff on the cookies when the scoop broke. The spring popped out, it made a horrible noise, and it ended up in a few pieces. Who knew fluff was so sticky and stiff? Secondly, after adding the fluff and sandwiching the cookies, they all started to tilt (they aren’t flat after all), causing the fluff to leak out, thus making a huge mess and some ugly looking cookies. (I know WW chose fluff to help keep the fat and calorie count down, but there must be another option that won’t spread and leak. Any suggestions?)

*I understand these are not true Whoopie Pies. They are simply a Weight Watchers version of them. If you have an issue with the name, complain to Weight Watchers, not me. Thanks in advance.

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 egg white
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk (I used buttermilk because that’s all I had in the house)
3/4 cup marshmallow cream

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
3. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the sugar, shortening and egg white in a medium bowl until fluffy and well blended (about 2 minutes).
4. Stir in the flour mixture, then add the milk until just blended.
5. Drop the dough (it will be a cross between cake batter and cookie dough in consistency) by spoonfuls onto large, ungreased baking sheets (I used Silpats), making 36 cookies.
6. Bake until top springs back when lightly touched (5-7 minutes).
7. Cool completely on the sheets on a rack.
8. Spoon 2 tsp. marshmallow fluff and spread on the bottoms of half of the cookies.
9. Top with remaining cookies.

Yields 18 cookies (I got 15). Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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