Tag Archives: sweet tooth

Skinny Lemon Cheesecake Tartlets {recipe}

by

Who doesn’t LOVE finding (and EATING) ”healthified” versions of their favorite guilty treats…that taste just as good as the original?!  Right?  Like my Skinny Chocolaty Chippers, and of course one of my all time favorites, the Skinny Espresso Martini!   Well this is certainly the case with today’s Skinny Lemon Cheesecake Tartlets. Cheesecake.  Not the best choice if your trying to get into that bikini for the summer…but SKINNY cheesecake, bring it on!  Thanks to Skinny Taste for the inspiration to make this recipe, the Skinny Lemon Cheesecake Tartlets…

 Skinny Lemon Cheesecake Tartlets {recipe makes 32 mini cheesecakes}

Approx. 30 calories per mini cheesecake

Ingredients

8 oz (one package) of 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

6 oz fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)

2 large egg whites

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 tbsp flour

32 blackberries

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°
Insert mini cupcake liners into mini cupcake tin. Place a vanilla wafer at the bottom of each liner.
Slowly beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Gradually beat in fat free yogurt, egg whites, lemon juice, lemon zest and flour. Do not over beat. Pour into cupcake liners filling half way.
Bake 20 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool to room temperature. Chill a few hours in the refrigerator, then top each cheesecake with one black berry.

Perfection!

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
How many pickles would you give this post?
Rating: 4.3/5 (6 votes cast)

Strawberry Lime Sweeties {recipe}

by

With the warm weather just around the corner, I’ve been all about refreshing, fruity treats lately. It all started with the Skinny Watermelon Smash Cocktail I feel in love with last week…well here’s a sweet treat that’s a definitely a crowd pleaser and super simple to make too!  Introducing the Strawberry Lime Sweetie Recipe…

 Strawberry Lime Sweeties  {recipe}

Crust:

1 box strawberry cake mix

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg

2 tablespoons lime zest

Topping:

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup lime juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix crust ingredients and press into 9×13 pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
Mix together topping ingredients and pour over crust. Bake for an additional 25 minutes, until set.

 Sprinkle with powdered sugar while warm. Cool. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
How many pickles would you give this post?
Rating: 3.0/5 (4 votes cast)

Glitz & Glam Dark Chocolate Truffles {recipe}

by

I’ve always been a bit intimidated when it came to making truffles.  I suppose because they look so impressive, I just always assumed they would be difficult to make.  Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong!  I recently agreed to make chocolate truffles for an anniversary party that was “diamond” themed.  I searched through my favorite cook books for a truffle recipe that was delicious & impressive, yet simple enough for a first timer ;)   I have to say, after a few trial and error experiments, I think I finally struck gold!  I ended up slightly modifying a great chocolate truffle recipe from (my favorite) Nordstrom’s cookbook for an amazing delicious and beautiful result, here it is: my Glitz & Glam Dark Chocolate Truffles Recipe…

Glitz & Glam Dark Chocolate Truffle Recipe

Gather Up:

16 oz. good quality dark chocolate, chopped into squares (I used 8 oz. Godiva, 8 oz. Dove)

½ cup heavy whipping cream

½ stick butter

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Melon baller tool

1 package of silver edible glitter flakes and one package of sugar crystals (you can use only one type of coating, I just liked the look of both together)

Instructions:

In a medium sauce pan, bring ½ cup heavy whipping to slight boil, remove from heat.   Add chopped chocolate and butter.  Stir until everything is melted and blended together, add ½ tsp. vanilla.

Pour mixture into a bowl, refrigerate for 24 hours (6 hours at the very least).

Remove mixture from fridge and let stand at room temperature for one hour.

Using the melon baller tool, scoop into the truffle mixture, forming a ball.  You may need to quickly roll the ball of chocolate in your hands to better form each truffle (but remember, they don’t have to be perfect).   I kept a cold glass of water handy to dip the melon baller into (then wipe dry) as the chocolate began to build up on it.  I also had to run my hands under cold water a few times (and dry well) to keep the chocolate from melting in my hands.  After this step, your truffles should look like this…

Once all of the truffles are formed, pour the edible sparkles and sugar crystals onto a dish.  One by one, roll each truffle around in the sparkles and crystals.  I did half of the truffles in sparkles, and half in the sugar crystals.

Keep on rolling!

Arrange the completed truffles on a lovely platter and prepare to completely wow you guests =)

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
How many pickles would you give this post?
Rating: 4.3/5 (8 votes cast)

The Party For One Cookie {Skinny Recipe}

by

It’s okay.  It happens to the best of us.  You have an itch for something sweet, 20 minutes later you find yourself whipping up an entire batch of chocolate chip cookies of which you will later (regretfully) overindulge in…Next time save yourself (and your waistline!) and make these instead…The Party For One Cookie.  This delicious chocolate chip & sprinkle cookie recipe only serves one, and the whole thing rings in at just under 100 calories!

The Party For One Cookie (serves one)

5 tsp. flour

1/16th tsp. baking soda

a pinch of salt

1 tsp. butter

1 tsp. apple sauce

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. sprinkles

8-10 chocolate chips

1 packet of Stevia (or 1 tsp. brown + 1 tsp. white sugar)

1 tsp. skim milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients then add the remaining ingredients.  Shape the dough into two balls then bake for 10-12 minutes.  The inspiration for this delicious treat came from Chocolate Covered Katie!

Now go ahead, feel free to indulge.  This time without the guilt =)

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
How many pickles would you give this post?
Rating: 4.4/5 (9 votes cast)

Spring Poppy Lemon Cupcakes {recipe}

by

What better way to welcome spring than with the happiest little lemon & poppy seed cupcakes!  These cupcakes look great and have such a deliciously refreshing taste, the perfect addition to any spring gathering!  Oh, and the best part?  Each large cupcake is only 125 calories, and mini cakes are only around 65 calories!

Gear up for spring and dig into these scrumptious treats!

 Spring Poppy Lemon Cakes

(makes approx. 6 cupcakes or 12 mini cupcakes)

Gather Up:

1 Tbsp poppy seeds

1 tsp grated lemon zest

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup skim milk

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 Tbsp maple syrup

1/4 cup butter

3 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp powdered ginger

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 355 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ginger. Stir in the poppy seads, lemon zest, lemon juice, milk, maple syrup, sugar and butter. Pour into cupcake tins of choice and bake for 12-15 minutes until tops are slightly browned.

For the frosting, you can use any simple frosting recipe.  For my frosting, I blended one (8 oz.) package of cream cheese with 3 cups of powdered and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Regular size cupcakes are only 125 calories each, mini cupcakes are approx. 65 calories each.

Enjoy!

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
How many pickles would you give this post?
Rating: 5.0/5 (5 votes cast)

Skinny Peanut Butter & Hazelnut Ice Cream {Recipe}

by

I had a SERIOUS craving for ice cream the other night, and there’s nothing that can come between me and an ice cream craving.  The only problem was that it was 10pm and since there was no simple way of obtaining it at this time, so I decided to make it!  I searched the web and found a great, HEALTHY homemade ice cream recipe on Chocolate Covered Katie (no ice cream maker needed).  I used Katie’s basic recipe and made a few small modifications to arrive at the ever so scrumptious Skinny Peanut Butter & Hazelnut Ice Cream…bonus, each serving is under 125 calories AND gluten free!

healthy-homemade-icecream

 Skinny Peanut Butter & Hazelnut Ice Cream (makes 2 servings)

*note: the texture of this ice cream is much more icy than regular ice cream since it’s “skinny”, but it’s still delicious!

Gather up:

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

a pinch of sea salt

1 packet of Stevia sweetener (or 1 tbsp. sugar)

1 cup skim milk (substitute for whole milk, or even Almond milk for a richer texture)

1tbsp. peanut butter

1 tbsp. Nutella hazelnut spread

Mix the ingredients in a plastic container. Freeze. Once frozen, you may need to let thaw for a few minutes since the texture will be somewhat icy.

Enjoy your Skinny Peanut Butter & Hazelnut Ice Cream!

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
How many pickles would you give this post?
Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote cast)

The Dirty Monkey Cookie {recipe}

by

I love to experiment with different variations on the everyday chocolate chip cookie.  Every so often I hit on something sinfully delicious and blog-worthy; this was definitely the case with my Dirty Monkey Cookies {these were almost too good to share}.  The concept for this cookie came from one of my favorite tropical drinks “The Dirty Monkey”.  Years ago, while vacationing in Punta Cana, I discovered an amazing frozen rum drink blended with fresh banana, milk, and a dash of chocolate, the locals called this a “Dirty Monkey”, you can find the skinny version of that drink here.  I had this drink on my mind as I conjured up this delicious banana & chocolate cookie =)

Gather Up:

{this may sound like a long list of ingredients, but these are really very simple to make!}

- 1 cup whole-wheat flour -

- 1 tsp baking soda -

-1/2 tsp salt -

-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon-

- 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature) -

-1/2 cup sugar-

-1/2 cup light brown sugar-

-1 tbsp maple syrup-

- 1/4 cup organic smooth peanut butter-

- 1 1/2 tbsp honey-

 1 tsp pure vanilla-

-1 large egg-

-1 large ripe banana (mashed)-

-1 cup chocolate chips-

-1 cup rolled oats-

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, blend the flour, baking soda, salt & cinnamon.

In a medium bowl mix the butter, sugars, maple syrup, peanut butter, honey, vanilla & egg.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together in the large bowl.  Add mashed banana, chocolate chips & oats

Spoon heaping chunks of the Dirty Monkey batter onto a cookie sheet, bake for 8-10 minutes (until golden)

I. LOVE. COOKIES.

Skinny Chocolatey Chipper Cookies

The Party For One Cookie

Dark Chocolate Flour-less Cookies

Enjoy!

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
How many pickles would you give this post?
Rating: 4.6/5 (8 votes cast)

The Amazing Oreo Cream Layer Cake {Recipe}

by

This isn’t just any old Oreo cake.  This Oreo cake is packed with everything that’s good in life {sorry, I didn’t say “good for you”!}.  With two layers of double chocolate Oreo, one layer of vanilla and Oreo, cookies and cream filling, AND chocolate ganache frosting- this Oreo cake is definitely worth the splurge, and it’s certainly one impressive looking dessert!

Enter: The Oreo Cream & Ganache Layer Cake…

The Oreo layer cake was slightly adapted from a recipe found on the Bean Town Baker.  Since this cake is multi-layered, we’ll start with making the two chocolate Oreo cake layers first.

Ingredients for the Oreo Chocolate Cake Layers

1 3/4 cups flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup milk with 1 tbsp. white vinegar added
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
10-12 Oreos, cut into quarters

Instructions for the Oreo Chocolate Cake Layers

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter and flour two 8″ cake pans {I used square pans}

Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl

In another bowl, combine the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.  Add to dry ingredients.

Slowly blend the coffee into the mixture.

Stir in the Oreo chunks & pour batter into the prepared pans…

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until cake tester comes out clean.

Yummm….looking delicious.  Now onto the Vanilla Oreo Cake layer.

Ingredients for the Oreo Vanilla Cake Layer

1/2 stick softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
6-8 Oreos, cut into quarters

Instructions for the Oreo Vanilla Cake Layer

Keep oven heated at 350 degrees.  Butter and flour another 8″ baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream the butter until fluffy, add the milk and vanilla.

In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Mix the dry ingredients into butter mixture. Mix until integrated. Stir in sugar, eggs and Oreos.

Pour cake batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

Now the three cakes can cool for a bit while you make the frosting…

Ingredients for the Cookies & Cream Whipped Filling

4 ounces softened cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
6-8 Oreos, cut into quarters

Instructions for the Cookies & Cream Whipped Filling

Cream together, cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar until light and creamy. Slowly whisk in  whipping cream until smooth.  Stir in Oreo chunks.

It took all my self control not to devour all of the cookies and cream filling.  It’s just too delicious.  Now for the chocolate ganache, which is equally delicious…

Ingredients for the Chocolate Ganache Frosting

1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 3/4 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions for the Chocolate Ganache Frosting

In a medium sauce pan, bring whipping cream to a simmer

Remove cream from heat and stir in chocolate chips.  Let stand for 5 minutes.

Pour mixture into a bowl and let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours

 Now its time for the Oreo cake assembly!

 Lay down one of the chocolate Oreo cakes.  Spread a layer of the cookies & cream frosting.

Place the Oreo vanilla cake on top.  Spread another layer of the cookies & cream frosting.

Place the final layer of chocolate Oreo cake on top.

Here’s the completed Oreo Cream Layer Cake…

I decided to glam the cake up with some white chocolate polka dots {I melted a Hershey’s Cookies & Cream Bar} and a “Happy Birthday” flag banner.  The flag banners are super simple to make.  Simply cut out little triangles, tape them onto a ribbon, then tape around craft sticks.

What a delicious end to a great night!

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
How many pickles would you give this post?
Rating: 4.7/5 (12 votes cast)

The Healthy Brownie. Nuff said…{recipe}

by

Could this be true?  A healthy brownie?  Well, compared to its fat and sugar loaded counterparts, this brownie gets a “A” in my book.  Although it still contains chocolate (heart healthy cacao) and a bit of sugar, just about all of the ingredients in this nutritious dessert are low in bad fats and serve to benefit your bod in some way.  Whip this up the next time your craving sweets and forget the guilt factor!

The Healthy Brownie

Barely adapted from the Sunday Baker

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 c. quick cooking oats

1/3 c. toasted wheat germ

3 T. dark amber agave nectar

6 squares of dark organic cacao,  (1 oz. each)

2 T. brown sugar

1/2 t. baking powder

dash of salt

1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce

3 egg whites, slightly beaten

1 t. pure vanilla extract

METHOD

In a food processor, grind the oats and wheat germ until fine (you can also add in pecans or walnuts). Pulse in the agave, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In a microwave safe bowl, slowly melt the cacao squares by microwaving for 30 second increments until smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Add the chocolate mixture, applesauce, and egg whites to the oat mixture, stirring well.

Pour into a greased 8″ square baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees, or until the middle is set. They will look moist; do not over bake.

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
How many pickles would you give this post?
Rating: 3.6/5 (12 votes cast)

Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies-No butter & Flourless

by
If you thought the healthy chocolate brownies were too good to be true then you’re in for a real treat… These cookies are amazing-super intense and fudgy, and the best part is that there’s no butter or flour in these puppies!  If there was ever a “healthy” double chocolate cookie, this just may be it!
Flour-less Dark Chocolate Cookies-recipe adapted from the Divine baker
Makes about 24 cookies
Each cookie is approx. 72 calories
Ingredients:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces)
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar, divided (plus 1/2 cup for cookie coating)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 large  baking sheets with nonstick spray. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly.
Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1 (I halved the sugar here) cup sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow cream.
Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. On low speed, add dry ingredients into meringue mixture.
Mix lukewarm chocolate mixture and 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dough will become very stiff).
Place 1/2 cup sugar in bowl. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes.
Transfer to rack, cool.
VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
How many pickles would you give this post?
Rating: 4.2/5 (450 votes cast)