More Lightened Up Desserts

In honor of my friends Darren and Stacy, I thought I'd post a couple more desserts from my Lighten Up! 5-Ingredients Less Fat Recipes cookbook. After I posted the Mexican Chocolate Cake recipe, Darren decided to go home and bake it for Stacy. She was impressed. So, here are a couple more recipes that are equally as tasty. I haven't made them recently, but they are tried and true!

3 Ingredient Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
1 (16 oz.) can dark sweet cherries, drained, syrup reserved
5 egg whites
1 reduced fat chocolate cake mix

1. Puree cherries in food processor.
2. Mix pureed cherries and egg whites in a large bowl with electric mixer.
3. Add dry cake mix and 1/4c. reserved cherry juice.
4. Mix well, and pour into a sprayed 9" x 13" pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
12 servings; per serving: 225 calories, less than 4g of fat

Sissy's Variations: I like to make this cake in a bundt. I don't know what made me do that, but I really like that you get way more than the 12 servings and it's easy to transport.

Banana Pudding
When I first started using this cookbook, I made my husband (then my boyfriend) highlight all the recipes in it that he thought he would like. This one got highlighted and marked with "oh yes!" It did not disappoint. It's so good, that you don't even miss what's missing.
Ingredients:
1 large (6 servings) pkg. sugar free vanilla instant pudding
2 1/2 c. skim milk
1 (8 oz.) tub frozen light whipped topping, thawed
3/4 c. POST GRAPE-NUTS Brand Natural Wheat and Barley Cereal
4 bananas, sliced

1. Mix pudding mix and mild in a large bowl with a whisk.
2. Add thawed whipped topping.
3. Layer in a serving dish: half the cereal, half the banana slices, half the pudding.
4. Repeat layers.
5. This must be refrigerated 6 hours or up to overnight for the cereal to become soft.
8 servings; per serving: 200 calories, 4g fat

Sissy's Variations: I can't think of any variations that I've ever done myself except adding a few banana slices decoratively on top of the cereal. I've been meaning to try this with the lower calorie/lower fat/light 'Nilla Wafers used in classic Banana Pudding.

Mexican Chocolate Cake

Finally updating with a new recipe. Not really a new recipe to me, though. This Mexican Chocolate Cake is an old, easy standby that's not only super yummy, but also lower in calories and fat than most cakes (most desserts, in general). This makes it vastly different from the other recipes in my blog!

I made the cake for a Cinco de Mayo potluck lunch at the office and had one request for the recipe and multiple compliments on the cake, so what better way to start back on the blog?

The recipe is from my Lighten Up! 5-Ingredient Less Fat Recipes cookbook.

Ingredients (cake):

• 5 egg whites
• 2 1/2 c. unsweetened cinnamon applesauce
• 1 reduced fat chocolate cake mix
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
  

1. Beat egg whites with electric mixer until foamy.
2. Mix in applesauce.
3. Add dry cake mix, vanilla, and cinnamon.
4. Mix at medium speed for 1 minute.
5. Spread in sprayed and floured 9" x 13" pan.

Ingredients (topping:)

• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1. Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle on top.
2. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes.
12 servings; per serving: 220 calories, 3g fat

Sissy's Variations: I can never seem to find unsweetened cinnamon applesauce, so I just use plain unsweetened and add cinnamon until I think it looks right. Sorry, measurement! I also just spray the pan with cooking spray, but don't flour and have never had an issue with sticking.

Crack Cookies Gone Wild

In case you're wondering, yes, I've probably lost my mind. The very first recipe I ever blogged about was Crack Cookies, which are just crazy good chocolate chip cookies that I make that are kind of famous. So, last week my very good friends Dina had unexpected back surgery. Two days before her surgery, I had told her I'd make some Crack Cookies to bring to work that week to make her feel better (she LOVES my Crack Cookies--I bake them for her as her Christmas present every year). Well, her surgery ended up being scheduled way before we expected, so I didn't get to make them beforehand, so I told her that as soon as she was up for it after surgery, I would send her a whole batch via her sister (who I also work with). So, not knowing when I'd need to make them, I just got all the stuff to make them and decided to play with recipe a little bit.

Recently, I had bought some dark chocolate and white chocolate chips and some semi-sweet chocolate chunks.

 

So, I bought some more milk chocolate chips (the ones I prefer to use) and headed home to check out what all I had.

 

 

I found some Mini M&Ms for baking and some semi-sweet mini chocolate chips.

 

 

I had a plan. If they were already Crack Cookies, jazzing 'em up this way could only mean one thing: Crack Cookies Gone Wild. Hey, I already said I know I've lost my mind!

The recipe makes 4 dozen cookies, so I decided to try 4 different kinds of Crack Cookies.

I made up the dough as usual. Then I split the dough into four 3/4 c. batches. I used about 1/2 c. (probably a little more) of add-ins for each dozen since the original recipe calls for 2 c. chocolate chips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regular (milk chocolate)

 

 

 

 

Dark Chocolate Chip

White Chocolate/Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chip

Mini M&M/Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunk

Unfortunately, I was a bit distracted and the first night's batch didn't turn out quite as good as I liked. They were a little more over cooked than I usually like, but they were still good, so I hear. That batch went to work with Bill. I made the same thing the next night to take to work with me, and while they didn't get quite the same reception as regular Crack Cookies, they were enjoyed. The white chocolate in particular seemed to be a hit.

Update 9/10: I made Dina her Crack Cookies this week. Her sister was going to be able to take them to her on Tuesday, which happened to be the same day she got her staples out. I got an email from her this morning saying they were the best batch ever. I had to agree. I knew as soon as I pulled them out of the oven that they were perfect, and of course I had taste one. There really is no other cookie like a Crack Cookie!

Boston Cream Pie

I love Boston Cream Pie. I always have, even as a kid. My dad used to buy them at this pie place when I was little. Years later, I found a recipe for one in my stepdad's Betty Crocker cookbook. I was so excited! And then my stepdad said he really liked it too, so I knew I had to try it. Boston Cream Pie was actually the first thing I ever baked that wasn't from a box mix. Really, a pretty heavy undertaking for a fairly novice baker, but it turned out great. I now have my own Betty Crocker cookbook, but I've compared the recipes and they are the same. I usually make it for my stepdad's birthday, but I didn't get to this year, so when he invited us for Labor Day dinner, I said I'd make it for him.

For anybody who hasn't had a Boston Cream Pie (and if you haven't, what the heck are you waiting for), it's not actually a pie. It's a fabulously layered cake with a cream filling and a chocolate glaze. Really, it's heaven.

Boston Cream Pie
(from Betty Crocker)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. shortening
3/4 milk
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg
Cream Filling
Chocolate Glaze

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and side of round pan, 9 x 1 1/2 inches, with shortening; lightly flour.

2. Beat all ingredients except Cream Filling and Chocolate Glaze in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.

3. Bake about 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

4. Make Cram Filling and Chocolate Glaze. Split cake horizontally in half. Spread filling over bottom later; top with top layer. Spread glaze over top of cake. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

Cream Filling
Ingredients:
1/3 c. sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. milk
2 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in 2-quart saucepan. Mix milk and egg yolks; gradually stir into sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 2 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Press plastic crap on filling to prevent a layer of skin from forming on top; cool.

Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. butter or stick margarine
3 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
1 c. powdered sugar
3/4 tsp. vanilla
About 2 tbsp. hot water

Melt butter and chocolate in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently; remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in water, 1 tsp. at a time, until smooth and spreadable.

Sissy's Variations:
Since it was Labor Day and I didn't have anything else to do, I decided to make an attempt at Boston Cream Cupcakes. I've been wanting to do this for awhile. I made up another quick batch of batter and made a little over a dozen cupcakes.

I made another batch of cream filling, which I put in a pastry bag with a tip. I filled the cupcakes through a few different holes in the top. I thought I got enough in them, but we discovered upon eating them that I'm going to have to work on filling cupcakes.

The other thing I thought I wanted to try after having made it the day before was chocolate ganache instead of the chocolate glaze. They are pretty similar, but I was so nervous about screwing it up. The last couple of times I've made the glaze it hasn't quite turned out right. No matter what I do the texture is off--almost lumpy. So I thought the ganache would be perfect.

I went ahead made the chocolate glaze and decided to use it on the cake and the ganache on the cupcakes. Turned out, I had enough ganache to cover the cupcakes and the cake. I glazed the cake with the glaze and then topped it with the ganache. I think the outcome was prettier and had a richer chocolate flavor.

(Oh, I said it made just over a dozen cupcakes. Well, Bill and I had to taste test a few to make sure they came out okay!)

The family raved!

White Coconut (Cup)Cake: Take 1

 

My mother-in-law's birthday was August 28, but we were not celebrating until the following Sunday. Since I'm on this big baking kick right now, I decided I was going to make her a cake. Bill's family doesn't do birthdays like my family does, but I'm trying to change that a little bit and baking  a cake seemed like the way to go. So, after asking the clueless Bill what kind of cake his mom liked, I texted my sister-in-law to find out.  I was shocked when she came back with white coconut. Why, you ask? Because white coconut happens to be my mother's favorite cake, and I was planning on making one for her birthday later in September. Only thing was, I'd never done a coconut cake. Now, I had the opportunity to do it twice. And cupcakes were an even more perfect choice because I knew in my family nobody but Mom likes coconut cake (which means she never gets one for her birthday) and I was pretty sure nobody else in Bill's family did either.

In my ongoing attempt to get away from my old stand-by recipes, I went in search of a new white cake recipe. Turned out I didn't need to look far. My dad gave me the Texas Country Reporter Cookbook for Christmas a few years ago, and I've tried a few things in it. When I went to cakes, I found Sam Houston White Cake. From the cookbook: "According to legend, this was Sam Houston's favorite cake recipe." So, I had to try it. I tried to make the White Mountain Frosting from my Betty Crocker cookbook, but that didn't work out so well, so I went back a traditional buttercream. I made half the batch of cupcakes with white buttercream and coconut and the other half I made my first attempt at ganache--all I can say about that is yum.

As this was my first attempt, I'm not sure it was quite as much of a coconut cake as it probably should have been, but I know what I'll differently next time!

Sam Houston White Cake
(adapted from Texas Country Reporter Cookbook)

Ingredients:
3/4 c. margarine or butter, softened
2 c. sugar
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. water
1 tsp. almond extract
6 egg white at room temperature

1. Cream butter and gradually add sugar, beating well.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine milk and water.

 

3. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with mild mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition.

4. Stir in almond extract.

5. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into batter.

6. Pour batter into three greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

Sissy's Variations:
I'm all about sifting these days, even recipes aren't calling for it, so I sifted the dry ingredients. Like I said, I baked these as cupcakes--it made about 2 dozen large.

 

I filled up the muffin pans a little more than I probably should have, but I still though the result was great.

 

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
(from the Betty Crocker Cookbook)

Ingredients:
3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. butter or stick margarine, softened
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 to 2 tbsp. milk

1. Mix powdered sugar and butter in medium bowl with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and 1 tbsp. of milk.

2. Gradually beat in just enough remaining mild to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more mild, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar. Frosts 13 x 9-inch cake generously, or fills and frosts an 8- or 9-inch two-layer cake.

Sissy's Variations:
Here's where the coconut part of the cake came in. I frosted the cupcakes generously and topped with flaked coconut and toasted coconut. Sorry for the bad picture--bad lighting in MIL's kitchen!

 

Chocolate Ganache
(from the Betty Crocker Cookbook)

Ingredients:
2/3 c. whipping (heavy) cream
6 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, chopped

1. Heat whipping cream in 1-quart saucepan over low heat until hot but not boiling; remove from heat.

2. Stir in chocolate until melted. Let stand about 5 minutes. Ganache is ready to use when it mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon. It will become firmer the longer it cools.

3. Pour ganache carefully onto top center of cakes; spread with large spatula so it flows evenly over top and down to cover side of cake. Glazes 13 x 9-inch cake or top and side of an 8- or 9-inch two-layer cake.

Overall, I thought the cake part was just okay--not quite moist enough for my taste, but my mother-in-law loved it asked for the recipe. She thought it was the perfect amount of coconut, but I think I will try using coconut extract next time--maybe in both the cake and the icing, or maybe just the icing. Recommendations welcome! As for the ganache, I will definitely make this again. I can't believe I've gone this long without it in my life.

Seriously Chocolate Brownies

 

That's no lie--these were the chocolate-iest  (no, it's not a word, but I'm a copy editor--we get to make them up) ever.

Little did I know that these brownies would be the kick-off to my six-day baking marathon. Seriously, I baked six days in a row. These brownies were to be for poker night. We have a group of friends we play poker with every week or so. There is usually food involved, and I insisted on bringing dessert. I really wanted to make something with lots of cinnamon and butter, so I settled on apple cobbler, but our one very good friend Scott is a bit of a picky eater and I wasn't too sure he'd do cobbler. But I knew he'd go for brownies. To say Scott loves brownies would be an understatement.

So, I went in search of another good recipe. I made some for work a few weeks ago, and they were really good. But I like this whole experimenting thing right now, so I decided to try a new recipe. After searching my Google Reader full of WC girls' blogs, I settled on these from Baking Blonde's Weblog Seriously, the perfect brownie.

Best Brownies
(adapted from Hershey's Best Brownies)

Ingredients:
1/2 c (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. Hershey's Chocolate Syrup*
2 eggs
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 c. mini Semi-sweet Chocolate chips*
1/4 c. mini Milk Chocolate chips*

*Baking Blonde's variations.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 8 x 8 inch pan with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, stir together butter and sugar. Add and stir in vanilla and syrup. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Gently fold in flour mixture until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.

4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan.

5. Cool brownies on counter for 5 minutes. Place brownies, still in pan, in refrigerator for 30 minutes (this was a tip from Baking Blonde to bring out the chocolate flavor--it worked) to cool.

6. Remove from fridge and finish cooling on counter. Once completely set and cooled, lift foil and brownies from pan. Peel back foil and using a sharp plastic knife, cut brownies. Store covered at room temperature.

Sissy's Variations:
I loved the idea of the chocolate syrup, so I used that.

I changed up the addition of the chocolate chips just a little, using 1/4 c. each of milk chocolate and dark chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chunks.

 

I used my stand mixer instead of mixing my hand, and it worked  great. I did use the refrigerator trick, but then mine sat for another 24 hours before eaten.

They seemed to be a hit--super rich and very chocolate-y.

A blonde and brunette walk into a bar . . .

Every time I say or type blondies and brownies, I feel like I'm starting a joke. Yeah, I know, I'm weird.

So, for week two of my "I'm back in the baking game" thing, I wanted to try something new and something I've made so many times before. I've never made blondies and since I wanted to make something my manager could eat (she can't eat chocolate), they sounded perfect. I also wanted to make a different brownie from my old Betty Crocker brownies that I've made a million times before. The girls on What's Cooking message board (from The Nest) came through with some awesome recipes.


Blondies
(Basic Blondie Recipe, from Bakingblonde's Weblog)




6-7 TBS butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder (optional, creates lighter blondie texture)

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8×8 pan with foil and lightly spray with PAM. In a large microwave safe mixing bowl melt the butter. Allow to cool for 5 mintues. Mix the brown sugar with the melted butter and beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla. Add salt, stir in flour and baking powder (if using). Mix in any additions (some ideas below).


Pour into prepared pan and use a greased spatula to evenly spread mixture in pan and level the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set in the middle. Cool on rack before cutting.



Add in ideas:
1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate or butterscotch chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds
1/2 cup M&M candies
1/2 chopped Reese’s PB cups
1/4 cup toffee pieces
1/2 tsp mint extract in addition to, or in the place of vanilla extract

Sissy's Variations:
For my add ins, I used little caramel pieces (about 1/2 c.) in one batch and chocolate chunks (about 1/2 c.) in the other.
I used right at 6 1/2 tbsp. butter.
I used the baking powder in the caramel blondies, and I think I liked the texture better on those.
Mine were done right at 20 minutes.



Brownies
(Deep-Dish Brownies, from Lauren's Kitchen)





3/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8 inch square pan.

In a large bowl, blend melted butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time. Combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually blend dry mixture into the egg mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.


Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let brownies cool, then cut into squares. Enjoy!


Sissy's Variations:
I used chocolate chunks in one batch and the caramel pieces in the other (about 1/2 c. each).
Mine cooked in about 30 minutes. That may have been because the the oven was already hot.

Ashley's Crack Cookies

So, I make these really basic chocolate chip cookies. Really simple, from my good old Betty Crocker cookbook. But for some reason, they are the best cookies ever. Seriously. So good that they have become known in my circles as Crack Cookies.

A couple of years ago, I decided to make gift baskets as Christmas gifts for friends and family. Since I already knew that a lot of people loved my chocolate chip cookies, I decided to include those in the baskets. B (oh, that would be my soon-to-be-hubby, Bill; see our blog to your left) and I have these friends, Jamey and Kelly, who happen to be sisters. Both received these gift baskets from us. So, Jamey and Kelly are talking about how they have each already eaten their cookies and wondering what I put in them that makes them SOOOO good. Kelly says I must put crack in them because they are addicting. And so they became known in our little circle of friends as Crack Cookies. Now, I had already made these cookies and taken them to work on numerous occassions. When I relayed the Crack Cookie story there, the name stuck and now it's official.

Betty's Recipe:

3/4 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. butter or stick margarine, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 large egg
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. coarsely chopped nuts (I skip these because I don't like nuts in my cookies.)
1 bag (12oz) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)--Sometimes I use milk chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Beat sugars, butter, vanilla, and egg in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.

3. Drop by the rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove to wire sheet rack.

Sissy's Variations:

Now, a couple of things that we have determined recently that may be the cause of these being deemed "crack cookies." I use salted butter instead of unsalted butter and I do not omit the other salt from the recipe. I also add a splash more vanilla than the recipe calls for (did it by accident the first time and they were so good I kept doing it). And, in my opinion, the most important part is taking them out of the oven before they appear to be fully cooked. They actually almost look underdone, but once they sit out for a minute, the harden nicely on the outside, but are still nice and gooey on the inside.

I'll try to remember pictures next time!