Brownkies

Like many of you, there are tons of recipes showing up daily on my Facebook feed.  Some of them don't interest me at all, and then there are those that I just can't wait to try!  Especially the sweet ones... I immediately look at the list of ingredients and see if I think I can "de-sugarize" it.  Well, this one certainly fit all conditions, and I am happy to share it with you.
It came from someone named Wesley Jueckstock and he named them "Heaven".

 I agree with his description, especially when warm.  But to give people a little better idea of what they are...I am naming them Brownkies... half brownies, half cookies.

• 1 recipe of low-sugar chocolate chip cookie dough
• 1 recipe of sugar-free brownies
• 3-4 bags of sugar-free Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups

First, here's my recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Because there is some brown sugar blend in this recipe, it makes the overall recipe  Low Sugar.

• 2/3 c. shortening
• 1/4 c. Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
• 1/2 c. Splenda
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla

•  1 1/2 c. flour
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1 t. baking powder
• 4-6 ounces of sugar-free chocolate chips

Mix together the wet ingredients.  Stir in the dry ingredients just until combined.  Add chocolate chips and mix in.

Note:  If you would like to make chocolate chip cookies from this dough:  Bake at 335 degrees, spray the pan.  Flatten out small balls of dough to the size that you want your cookies.  They will not spread out like regular cookies.  Bake for 11 minutes.  Allow to rest (finish cooking) on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

 Press a little bit of chocolate chip cookie dough in the bottom of each muffin cup in a mini muffin tin.  Unwrap individual mini sugar-free Reese's peanut butter cups and turn them upside down, pressing down slightly.

Mix a prepared sugar-free brownie mix according to package directions, adding an egg, oil and water.  Mix just until dry ingredients are combined.

 Scoop a small amount of brownie batter into each muffin cup, allowing the batter to cover each peanut butter cup.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.  Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes.

You can use the tines of a fork to gently pry each brownkie out of the muffin tin.  Move to a cooling rack.

I suggest that you eat them/ serve them while warm!  They are "Heaven" and will melt in your mouth.  If they have sat around and have come to room temperature... 10 seconds in the microwave will warm them back up.

I won't say that they are "equally" delicious...  but they are also very good, even if you don't have any of the peanut butter cups to put in the middle.  Chocolate Chip Cookies and Brownies... what could be bad??  But my take is that they still need to be warm.

Citrus Cranberry Bread

For me, right after pumpkin, cranberry is the other most important holiday flavor.  I have kind of gotten in to using dried cranberries this last year, and although growing up I never liked cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, this year I made some fresh cranberry relish and really enjoyed it.  So I bought some more cranberries after Thanksgiving and was looking for ways to use them.

I saw someone making lemon cranberry bread on tv and of course I could not remember who.  I started searching for a recipe and found one on the Food TV site for Betsy's Lemon-Cranberry Bread.  I used this recipe as a base for my changes. (I just went back to share the link with you and the recipe doesn't seem to be there.) I used fresh cranberries and along with the lemon, this was a very tart bread.  It was delicious, but if you prefer something a little sweeter, you may want to substitute orange in this recipe.  I made it a second time and did just that.  The other thing that I did the second time was to cook the fresh cranberries for a few minutes.  It did change the complexity of this recipe.  Both were wonderful, just different.  This bread does have a glaze and because it was the holidays, I did use regular powdered sugar.  Therefore, this is a   Low Sugar  recipe.  If you would like to make it a  No Sugar Added  recipe, simply make the glaze from a powdered sugar substitute.

•  2/3 c. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, softened
• 1 1/2 c. Splenda
• 1/2 c. no-fat, plain yogurt
• 4 T. lemon or orange juice
• 2 T. lemon or orange zest
• 4 eggs
• 3 c. flour
• 3 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 1 c. low-fat milk, 1% or 2%
• 2 c. cranberries, dried or fresh*
• 1 c. pecans or walnuts, chopped  (optional)

Glaze

• 3 large spoonfuls powdered sugar
• fresh citrus juice

 Cream butter, Splenda, juice and zest.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one.
In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Then add the dry ingredients alternately to batter with milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.

 Stir in cranberries and nuts.  Spray 2 loaf pans.  I was making some gifts for the holidays and had some mini loaf pans.  This recipe will make between 4 and 6, depending upon the size of your pans.
Bake at 335 degrees for 1 hour for the regular loaves or 40 minutes for mini loaves.

 Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan to a wire rack.  Use a skewer, or other sharp object and poke 12 or so holes into the loaf.  Cool the bread completely.

 Whisk together the glaze by adding the juice to the powdered sugar just a little at a time, until you have a thin, pour-able consistency.

For powdered sugar substitute:  Mix 1 c. non-fat dry milk, I c. cornstarch, and 2/3 c. Splenda

 Spoon glaze over the bread allowing it to soak into the holes.  You may want to put some wax paper under your wire rack, just to make clean up a little easier.

 This bread has a refreshing taste and with the red color of the cranberries, it certainly is festive for the holidays,  But I think it would be good any time of year.

*The second time I made this bread, I decided to cut down on the tartness of the cranberries.  I put them in a small skillet with about 1/3 c. Splenda and a T. of lemon juice.  I cooked these down for about 10-15 minutes on a medium-low heat.  The cranberries will burst open and the sugar will dissolve.  Allow the cranberries to cool before adding to the batter.

Crustless Hot Fudge Pie

I had some friends over for lunch the other day and was looking for a new and easy dessert.  I looked through some recipes that I had seen and written down; I settled on this one.  It had come across in a shared format on my FB feed.  I found it at the following link.  It took no time at all to mix up and we were able to eat it warm.

• 1 stick I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, softened
• 1 c. Splenda
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla
• 3 T. cocoa powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 c. flour

Cream butter and Splenda for 3 minutes.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix in well.  Finally add the dry ingredients and stir until combined.  (This recipe originally called for 1 t. salt.  It was just a little too salty for my taste, so above I have reduced the amount to 1/2 t.)

 It doesn't look like much batter, but is enough for this small pie.  It will make 6 regular size dessert pieces.  Spray an 8" pie plate and pour in the mixture.

 Heat oven to 335 degrees and bake for 30-35 minutes.  Allow to cool for just a few minutes.  You will want to eat it warm.

I just happened to have some sugar-free ice cream in the freezer...  It was the perfect addition to make it very delicious!

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!

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.

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!

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!