Monday, December 30, 2013

Cinnamon Rolls

This may be the true meaning of decadence.  Cinnamon Rolls have always been one of my favorites, but I certainly want the inside ones that are gooey all the way around!  My exciting news on the cooking front this holiday season is that I was able to purchase a Kitchen Aid mixer.  I have wanted one for a while, and finally with sales, rebates, coupons and found money... let's just say I got a deal that couldn't be beat!  The morning after I came home with my mixer, my husband let me know on his way out the door, that I had better make something with that new mixer.  I know how to follow orders!  I decided to make these cinnamon rolls.  It's an interesting recipe, because it starts with a cake mix.  This is one of those recipes that I have had for so long, that I have no idea where it came from.  After making a few adjustments, this will be a   Low  Sugar  recipe as we will need to use some brown sugar.


  • 2 1/2 c. warm water
  • 2 pkgs. yeast
  • 1 sugar-free yellow cake mix
  • 4 1/2 c. flour
  • I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
  • Splenda Blend brown sugar
  • cinnamon
  • raisins (optional)
  • chopped nuts  (optional)
  • 8 oz. cream cheese
  • 1/2 c. Splenda
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Remember, I was wanting to try out my new mixer, so I just did this in my mixing bowl and put the dough hook on.  If you don't have this option, any mixing bowl is fine.

 Add the cake mix and flour, then knead.  Let dough rise in a warm place until double.
 Roll dough out on a floured board or counter into a 1/4" thick rectangle.  Spread with a layer of the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.  For all of these filling ingredients, there are no set amounts; just decide how gooey you want your cinnamon rolls and how well you like the other ingredients and judge the amounts accordingly.  Next top with the Splenda blend brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts & raisins if you like them.  Roll up the dough, beginning at the wide side.  Seal well by pinching the edge of the dough into roll.
 Cut into slices about 1 or 1 1/2 inches thick.  Place into a buttered baking dish.  You will want to space them apart a little to give them some room to rise.  I had enough rolls for a 9 x 13 pan, as well as a round cake pan.
Let them rise a second time in a warm place; approximately 1 hour.
Bake at 345 degrees for 20-22 minutes.
You can stop here, but....
 I thought maybe a little icing was in order.  Put one 8 oz package of cream cheese in a mixing bowl and whip it until light and fluffy.  Add 1/2 c. Splenda and mix well, just to give it a little sweetness.
 Spread a little bit of the icing on each roll while they are still warm.  This will allow the icing to melt a little and ooze down in between the layers.
Mmmm, ... mmmm, ... good!

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Peanut Butter Balls

As I was making all of my Christmas goodies, the Oreo balls came out so well, that I started thinking about Peanut Butter Balls.  In the past, I have made them with Nutter Butter sandwich cookies, but since I haven't found those in a sugar-free format as of yet...(we can always hold out that some day they will arrive on the scene)...I needed to try and figure out how I could come up with that.
I looked through the sugar-free cookie section at the store and found some vanilla sandwich cookies.  I started thinking that maybe peanut butter and cream cheese are "approximately" the same consistency, so here is what I came up with:

  • 2 packages of sugar-free vanilla sandwich cookies  (in a regular recipe of Oreo cookie balls you use an entire package of Oreos - or 32 cookies; the vanilla cookies I bought came about 18 or 20 to a package and were just slightly smaller in size, so I used two packages; I might have eaten a couple of cookies from the package)
  • 3/4 package (6 ounces) of reduced-fat cream cheese; softened
  • 1 large scoop (you are looking to equate the other two ounces of the cream cheese) 
  • 1 package of sugar-free chocolate chips
  • 1/4 stick of paraffin; shaved
Start by adding your cookies to your food processor.  Pulse until your cookies become fine crumbs.



 Add the softened cream cheese in small chunks, and add your large scoop of peanut butter.  I just used regular peanut butter, which has a small amount of sugar.  If you would like to make this a completely sugar free  recipe, you could use an all natural peanut butter.
Pulse as you start and then turn on a medium low speed and allow to work until mixture turns in a dough.

You may have to work it just a little with your hands if you find some pieces of cream cheese have not completely mixed in.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and put into the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
Follow the steps for making out and dipping the balls in chocolate from my Oreo Balls recipe.

I got lots of compliments on these at this year's Christmas Eve party.  If you don't tell them, no one will ever know they are a Low Sugar recipe.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Peach Crisp

I have been doing so much baking in the last couple of weeks that I haven't had the time to get anything posted.  So you can expect quite a few new recipes coming in the next few days.
Recently I posted a recipe for peach cobbler.  Not long ago we had a potluck at my work for the holidays and my department was set to bring desserts.  The afternoon before, as I was struggling to make a decision on what to make, I was watching the Barefoot Contessa on Food Network.  She was making one of her famous crisps.  So I quickly wrote down her crisp topping recipe and took another package of peaches out of the freezer.  I was able to mix this up in no time and baked it that evening.  It was perfect for a potluck!  This is a  Low Sugar  recipe; there is some brown sugar in the recipe and the natural sugars in the fruit.

First, take a look at my peach cobbler recipe for the filling.  Remember that peach just happens to be one of my family's favorites.  You can always use any fruit or fruit combination that happens to be in season or that you might have in your freezer.  You won't have any crust, so spray your pie plate or dish and pour in your fruit filling.  I looked for the link to Ina Garten's crisp topping, but can't find one that doesn't have oatmeal.  Interesting because I wrote it down while I was watching and it came out great.  So I can't find the link, but here is what I wrote down with my little twists.

  •  1 c. flour
  • 1/3 c. Splenda
  • 1/4 c. Splenda Blend brown sugar
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1 t. cinnamon
  • 1 stick I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
Add the dry ingredients to your mixing bowl and mix on slow speed.  Cut your butter stick into small pieces and add, mixing until it resembles small peas.

 Cover the top of your fruit completely with the topping mixture.  Mine was more than a thin layer by the time I got it all on.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  This was a quick and easy preparation and perfect for the potluck.  No need to cut into pieces...just add a serving spoon and you are set to go!

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Christmas Goodies

Well, we had to address this issue sooner or later.  Christmas goodies...or more specifically, Christmas chocolates.  Ever since I remember, my mom made two kinds of candy at the holiday time:  Marshmallow Cream Fudge and Martha Washington Fudge.  Honestly, it just wouldn't be the holidays with these two candies.  Sure, she made some other things as well...peanut brittle among them and so far as the reviews go, that was great too.  But I didn't ever like it much, so I have always focused on the chocolate.

I wish that I could tell you that I had amazingly found a way to make both of these candies sugar free...but alas, I just don't think it is possible.  If you caught my earlier post about the fudge disaster gone right, you know that I did give it a try, but Marshmallow Cream Fudge is so dependent upon the structure of the sugar to make the candy.  And then there is Martha Washington Fudge.. a strange name I know, and I have no idea why it is named that, only that my mom got the recipe in the early 70's from a friend and neighbor.  This fudge is made specifically with a large quantity of powdered sugar...and well, we have discussed the powdered sugar issue before.

So this year, just as every other year in the history of my life, I have made these two decadent desserts to give out to friends and family and have tried to limit my consumption.  It is hard, but since my surgery, I do have to be mindful, or my tummy will not be happy with me.

Surely, there is a way to make some decadent chocolate candies for the holidays and stay in the sugar-free zone...Why, "Yes" Virginia, There Is!

A few years ago, Oreo Balls appeared on the scene.  Our family was introduced to these amazing tidbits of decadence one Christmas Eve by one of my nephew's girlfriends.  I didn't have words... and then when I found out how easy they are to make... well that is one winning combination.  Then you can use your imagination and the combination of different cookies and chocolates...Oreos and white chocolate chips...Nutter Butter cookies and milk chocolate chips... mint Oreos and white almond bark with peppermint extract... you get the idea.  Now, earlier this year, when I discovered the sugar-free Oreos, these Oreo Balls were the first thing that popped into my mind... I just can't tell you how excited I was; my family would probably tell you that I kind of lost it.

So without further ado:

  •  2 packages of sugar-free Oreos  (you need two packages to equal the number of cookies in a regular package)
  • 1  8oz package of reduced fat cream cheese
  • 1 8oz package of sugar-free chocolate chips
  • 1/4 stick of paraffin, shaved


 Start by putting all of your cookies into the food processor.  (Well, maybe you can eat 1 or 2)  Pulse until the cookies become fine crumbs.
Of course, if you don't have a food processor, you can always put them into a large zip bag and pulverize them with your rolling pin... you may want to actually do this if you need to relieve a little stress.
 Let your cream cheese sit out for a bit and soften.  Add it in chunks to the food processor.  Use the pulse at first to start to incorporate the cream cheese into the cookie crumbs.  You will know that it is ready when it all comes together in a large ball of dough.
 Empty the dough out onto a large piece of plastic and wrap it up tightly.  Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
 Line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper.  Use a small spoon or melon baller and make small balls.  You will want to roll them in your hands to make them smooth.  Do it fairly quickly, as you don't want the dough to warm up too much.  These will be pretty rich, so I think you will want to keep the size fairly small.
Put the sheet of balls into the freezer to allow them to harden slightly, so that they won't melt in the warm chocolate.
In a double boiler, or a glass dish over a pan of simmering water, add the chocolate chips and the shaved paraffin. (I use a vegetable peeler to shave it.)  Allow the chocolate to melt and then stir well until smooth.
Remove the pan of Oreo balls from the freezer.  I like to use a toothpick to dip the chocolates.  I also like to tilt my bowl forward to make the chocolate deeper in the bowl.  Once you have dipped them, set them back on the paper to set.  Work quickly so that the dough does not start to soften.
Return them to the freezer to set; this will happen quickly.  You can store these in the freezer or in the refrigerator, although I don't think they will last too long!




So as I was trying to think of some other fun goodies I could make and keep in the sugar free zone, I started thinking about turtles.  If you have read some of my other posts, you will remember that I do really love caramel.  Why couldn't I use some of the sugar-free caramel ice cream topping with some pecans and then dip them in the sugar-free chocolate chips.

Using a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet, I put a small spoonful of the caramel and then added 3 or 4 pecan halves.  I then placed them in freezer to harden.  Well, that's what I thought would happen.  Sometimes these items don't react exactly like we think they should.  While the caramel did get thick and a little stiff, it didn't "harden" like regular caramel does.
So, after melting some of the chocolate chips with some shaved paraffin, I just used a spoon to add some chocolate to the tops of the turtles.  I did leave the pecans peeking out of the side.  Another few minutes in the freezer and I used a small icing spatula to flip them over.  Again, the caramel wasn't completely hardened so this took a little finesse.  I then added some more of the melted chocolate on the other side and returned to the freezer for one last time.
It was necessary to store these in the fridge or freezer to keep the caramel as thick as possible until ready to eat.  Now these taste really good, but I think if I make them again, I will start with the chocolate on the wax paper first, and build them up from the bottom;  chocolate, caramel and pecans, chocolate.  This will be a way to keep the caramel encapsulated.  I still think they will need to be stored in the fridge.



The last treat I tried was a peanut butter cup.  Flipping through my cookbook, I found where I had written in a copycat recipe for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  I have had this recipe for more than 20 years, so I am not sure where I got it, or who passed it along to me before the internet was a reality.

  •  8 oz Hershey's chocolate (this original recipe called for a Hershey's chocolate candy bar--I substituted the sugar-free chocolate chips; this makes the peanut butter cups a little less sweet than what you might be used to)
  • 1 1/2 c. peanut butter  (I use Peter Pan; this has a little sugar in it, but I am sure that you could use a natural one and add a little Splenda to get some sweetness)
  • Cupcake-full-size or mini -- cut the larger cupcake papers down a bit  (I decided to make them using the small mini cupcake papers in a mini muffin tin and didn't worry about cutting down the papers)
So the trick to making these treats is to melt some of the peanut butter into the chocolate.  Melt your chocolate with 1/2 c. of the peanut butter.  You can use a double boiler or you can melt in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time, stirring until melted and smooth.
 Put a spoonful of the melted chocolate into the bottom of each cup.  Be sure to only use half of your chocolate mixture.  I then put the pan in the fridge and allowed the chocolate to get hard again.
 In the meantime, put the last cup of peanut butter in a glass bowl.  You can set the peanut butter on a double boiler or just another bowl of warm water, or you can microwave for a few seconds until you can stir it and it has a "pourable" consistency.
Put one spoonful of peanut butter in each cup.  Return to fridge and let the peanut butter set up.
Reheat/Remelt your remaining chocolate mixture.  Add an additional spoonful as the top layer.  Return to fridge one last time to allow chocolate to set up.

I declare these a complete success!  As I mentioned earlier, they aren't quite as sweet, but they are very good!  With the peanut butter in the chocolate, they will soften a little more quickly so store in the fridge.  When you have them out to serve, I don't think they will last long enough to have to worry about them getting messy...but if they do melt a little, I don't think anyone will have trouble just licking the paper!

Who said you can't enjoy some indulgent goodies at Christmas time!

Monday, December 16, 2013

Peach Cobbler

I have to admit that one of the main reasons why I go to the trouble of freezing peaches in the summer is so that I can enjoy wonderful, warm peach cobbler in the winter.  So I know that technically it isn't winter yet, but it has been cold here and this weekend just felt like I needed a decadent dessert.

Now we could have a debate here about exactly what cobbler is... I know that are several definitions, but I'll just be real honest here:  I am from Oklahoma and a cobbler is basically a pie in a square or rectangular dish.  End of my discussion... ya'll can discuss further if you want to.

First you start with a pie crust, you will need one for the bottom and one for the top.  This will make enough for an 8 x 8 dish.  If you want to double this recipe as far as the fruit is concerned and make one in a 9 x 13 pan, you can make 3 pie crusts and use 1 1/2 for the bottom and 1 1/2 for the top.




For one crust:
*1 1/4 c. flour
*3 T. Shortening
*1/2 t. salt
*3-4 T. cold water

Use a pastry blender or a fork and work the shortening into the flour and salt.  Add 3 T. water and mix together with a fork, incorporating all of the flour.  If needed, add the additional T. of water.  Empty out onto your counter or board dusted with a little flour.  Roll out just as you would for a pie, but don't worry too much about the shape.  A cobbler is supposed to be rustic, and remember this is going into a square dish.

For this size you are going to use:

4 c. fruit  (thawed and drained, if you are using frozen)
3/4 c. Splenda
1/3 c. flour
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg

Now I will be the first to admit that I used to be a purist and if I was making a peach cobbler, it was going to be peach... period.  But lately I guess my taste buds have gotten more sophisticated, or maybe just more open-minded.  I still had some blueberries in my freezer from this summer, so I decided to add a few to my peaches.  Mix together to coat the fruit.

 Pour the fruit into the cobbler dish.  Dab a few dots of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter on the top of the fruit.  Roll out your other crust.  Again, don't worry too much about the shape, but you may want to trim it so that it doesn't hang over the edge too much.  You don't want to have super thick crust along the edges.

Cut some slits into the top of your crust to let the steam escape and sprinkle with a little Splenda just to make it sparkle.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  You will just want to make sure that the crust begins to turn golden and becomes flaky.  If you decide to make a bigger one, it will probably take a little closer to an hour.
Now I don't know about you, but there is not much better than a warm cobbler, served with some vanilla ice cream!  If you haven't tried Blue Bunny's No Sugar Added ice cream, you should give it a try.

One of the things I remember from my childhood, is that when my mom made pie or cobbler, we got cinnamon crisps!
So when you trim off your top crust, give these a try just for a little snack.





Spray a cookie sheet and place your pieces of extra dough on the sheet.  Using a knife, spread a little I Can't Believe It's Not Butter on each piece.  Mix a quarter cup of Splenda with a teaspoon of cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle the tops with the mixture.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.  Careful... they are hot when they come out of the oven!

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Blueberry Cheese Danish

My sweet tooth does not have boundries and it often finds its way into the morning.  Since I haven't found a donut shop that serves sugar-free donuts  (ha ha)  I will continue to look for some yummy breakfast pastries.

This recipe was shared through my news feed on Facebook from Jan Moore Griggs.

  • 1 can crescent rolls (here we go again...)
  • 4 oz. cream cheese (half a package)
  • 2 T. Splenda
  • 1/2 c. blueberries
As you can see, this is a super simple recipe, but don't be deceived...it is very delicious!  I was thinking this might be a completely sugar free recipe, but I double-checked the crescent rolls package and there is a trace of sugars in the dough...so  No Sugar Added  it is.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Divide your crescent roll dough into four rectangles.  Press the perforations back together.
In a small bowl, mix your softened cream cheese and Splenda.  Divide it into 4 portions and spread each portion onto one of the rectangles, staying about 1/2" from the edges.

 Put a handful of blueberries onto each rectangle of dough.  Then bring the four corners together on top and pinch together to seal and make a little pouch.
 Carefully move each danish to a sprayed baking sheet.  Bake for 13-15 minutes.  Enjoy!!



Even my husband commented that these were really good...must be something special.

Pumpkin Rolls

The day before Thanksgiving is all about baking and doing the prep work ahead so you aren't crazy on Thanksgiving day.  This year was great because I had a lot of help...my daughter, my mom and my sister.  So even the prep day wasn't crazy...we were able to just take it slow, do a little at a time and enjoy each other's company.

In order to have a little something to eat and not have to worry about "snacking" on what we were preparing for the following day, I wanted to make something pumpkin...well, you all know how I feel about pumpkin.  This recipe comes from Bloom Designs Online.  It is a  Reduced Sugar  recipe as it calls for brown sugar, so we will have to use the Splenda Blend, and it calls for powdered sugar in the glaze.

I absolutely LOVE cinnamon rolls, so I just knew that this had to be good:


  • 1 can crescent rolls
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 3 T. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, melted
  • 1/4 c. Splenda Blend brown sugar
  • 1/4 c. Splenda granulated
  • 1/2 t. cinnamon
  • 1/8 t. nutmeg
  • 1/8 t. ginger
Glaze

  • 1 c. powdered sugar
  • 1 T. milk (I used 2%)
  • 1 T. melted I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
  • 1/4 t. cinnamon


 Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees.  Next, mix together the pumpkin filling.  Add pumpkin, sugars and spices to a small mixing bowl and stir together until well incorporated.
Unroll the crescent rolls, being careful not to separate them.  I don't know about you, but I say that anything that starts with crescent rolls is going to be wonderful. Press all of the seams together into one big rectangle.  Spread the filling all over the dough.  Starting on the short end of the rectangle, carefully roll up the dough.
 Cut the roll into 8 pieces and place them in a sprayed 8" cake pan.  Bake them for 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly; approximately 5 minutes.
In the meantime, whisk together the ingredients for the glaze.  You can use a powdered sugar substitute here, but when you start getting into a cup or more, sometimes I find it difficult and I find that there is a little "after taste".  I decided that today was a special day and went for the real stuff.
Absolutely delicious!  Everyone really liked them.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Chocolate Fudge??...or Gelato??

My daughter came home for the Thanksgiving holidays and as we worked to make our holiday dinner menu and list for the grocery store, I told her that I was really missing some good old-fashioned marshmallow cream fudge.  I have wanted to try and see if I could make some with Splenda, but up until now I have been hesitant.  Being part of the tech generation that she is, by this time she was already on the internet checking out the forums to see what someone might have to say about that.  Her report back was that you can't just replace the sugar because it is more than a sweetener in fudge...it is a structural component.  She looked a little and found 2 or 3 recipes that were posted there to make fudge without the large amount of sugar.

We chose one and decided to see if it would work:

  • 1 can of evaporated milk
  • 1 T. liquid sugar substitute (I had some agave nectar in my pantry)
  • 1/2 c. sugar-free chocolate chips
  • 2 T. cornstarch
  • 3 oz. cream cheese (I chose reduced fat)
  • 1 1/2 t. vanilla






 Start by adding the first four ingredients to a small saucepan and heat until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is starting to thicken.
In the meanwhile, put the cream cheese in a mixing bowl and whip until light and fluffy.  (It doesn't take that long for the chocolate mixture to melt and thicken, so you might want to whip up the cream cheese beforehand.)
 Pour the melted chocolate and milk into the mixing bowl and mix to combine.  Add the vanilla and mix once more.
Butter a piece of parchment paper and line an 8 x 8 pan.  Pour mixture into pan and put in the fridge to set up.
I found this recipe to be very easy to do.  As I tasted..you know that I was going to taste it, right?...it wasn't really as sweet as I thought it should be and so I added about 3 teaspoons of Splenda and combined well, tasting after each teaspoon.  Once I had a sweet enough taste, I poured it into the pan.
A few hours later I checked on it and it wasn't really set up, so I decided to leave it over night.  The next day, it still wasn't set up and I noticed that there were some small clumps in the surface.  Finally after about 24 hours, I used a spoon and I tasted it.  The taste was good, but the small clumps took away from that taste, and it had the consistency of a thick pudding.
So we put our heads together to brainstorm just exactly what this mixture could become, since it was clear to us that it wasn't going to be fudge.
My daughter came up with the idea of putting it into the ice cream maker.  First she emptied it into the food processor and turned it on for a short time to try and remove those clumps.  Then, she added a small amount of cream to get the consistency of an ice cream mixture.  Once she added it into the ice cream machine it only took a small amount of time (maybe 5-7 minutes) for the mixture to freeze.  It only made a small amount, but it was rich, and smooth, and creamy and tasted like Chocolate Gelato.
I definitely think I will make this again and will make the following changes:  Beat the cream cheese ahead of time and be ready to add the chocolate mixture just as soon as it is melted and starts to get thick; Once the mixture has been combined with the cream cheese, pour it through a strainer, to remove any clumps; Add cream and put in fridge to chill; Once cold go ahead and add it to the ice cream machine.
The moral of this story is to never be afraid to try something new.  Even if it doesn't turn out to be what you thought it would, you might find out that it is something amazing!