Healthy Pumpkin Muffins.

It's that time of year again. Time to break out the pumpkin recipes! This year I decided to make pumpkin muffins, however, I wouldn't exactly call them muffins, they're more like muffin tops. I thought they would rise like a typical muffin but these little babies stayed the way they looked when I put them into the oven. They're short and bite-size, but let's be honest, everyone's favorite part of the muffin is the top anyway so I don't think this was a problem. At about 80 calories a piece, 1 gram of fat and 14 grams of carbs, these are not only healthy, but extremely delicious! Enjoy!!!

Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon Glaze:

3 cups oatmeal.

2 tbsp. baking powder.

1 tsp. baking soda.

1/4 tsp. salt.

1/2 tsp. cinnamon.

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice.

2 cups pumpkin.

1/4 cup brown sugar.

1/2 cup apple sauce.

2 eggs.

1 tsp. vanilla.

Grind oatmeal in food processor to fine crumbs. Combine all dry ingredients except for sugar. In a seperate bowl combine all liquid ingredients and sugar. Combine liquid with dry ingredients. Spoon into paper lined muffin pans.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Drizzle with glaze.

Glaze:

1/4 cup powdered sugar.

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.

2 tbsp. water.

Stir to combine; add water to drizzle consistency.

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies.

As usual, I was thinking of some kind of new cookie recipe to whip up. This time, I took a slightly different approach and combined sweet and salty flavors into one DELICIOUS cookie! The idea came to me one day when I saw the new chocolate chips that my mom had purchased at the store. Nestle Toll House is now selling dark chocolate chips and I thought that dark chocolate would pair perfectly with peanut butter. But that just wasn't enough for me, so I decided to add some pretzels. The result was an absolutely delicious and perfect cookie that I have to share.

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies:

1 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter*

1 tsp. vanilla

2/3 cup dark chocolate chips**

1 cup crushed pretzels

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt, and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and both sugars until well mixed. Stir in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla, and blend together. Add the flour mixture and stir together all the ingredients. Fold in your chocolate chips and pretzels.

Drop rounded teaspoons of dough onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Pop the cookies in the oven and bake for about 8 – 10 minutes, depending on your cookie size and oven. As soon as the edges turn slightly brown I take the cookies out and allow them to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet.

*It is extremely important to use chunky peanut butter to add that extra crunch!

** It is also extremely important to use dark chocolate chips. This is what brings out the deliciousness in this sweet and salty combination.



Red Velvet Cookies

One of the best flavors in the world is red velvet. I think it's safe to say that most of you agree. Most of the time, I make either red velvet cake or cupcakes, but this time, I took a different route and made some red velvet cookies. This recipe sticks to the usual format of pairing red velvet with cream cheese frosting, however, these cookies are not frosted, but instead, swirled with cream cheese that is baked right inside! WOW! I had to try this! The cookies came out great, but a bit on the dry side. Overall, the recipe is a keeper, but I will work on making them a bit more moist. Anyway... enjoy!

Red Velvet Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon red food coloring
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
5 tablespoons reduced fat cream cheese, softened

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy.
Beat in egg and vanilla, then beat in food coloring.
Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder and mix until just combined.
Add cream cheese to dough and mix briefly until just swirled.
Scoop out by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets.

Whole-Grain Chocolate Chip Muffins.

A perfect and healthy snack for any time of day, these muffins are heart healthy, yet still delicious! I ended up making only five muffins instead of six, because the batter made a little less then I expected, but the size of the muffins were perfect. This was the first of many times making these terrific little treats!

Whole-Grain Chocolate Chip Muffins.

1 c. old-fashioned oats.
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour.
2 tsp. baking powder.
1/2 tsp. baking soda.
1/2 tsp. salt.
1/4 c. brown sugar.
1 c. low-fat buttermilk.
1/4 c. orange juice.
2 tbsp. unsweetened apple sauce.
1 lg. egg
1 tsp. vanilla.
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 6-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In bowl, whisk oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar. In small bowl, whisk buttermilk, juice, apple sauce, egg, and vanilla. Stir into flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Spoon batter into pan; bake 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 5 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely.

Each muffin: About 170 calories, 5 g protein, 28 g carbs, 5 g total fat, 3 g fiber.

Pistachio Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Tomorrow is the big day! I am entering my very first baking competition and, as of right now, I am very confident! The cupcakes are moist and extremely flavorful, the frosting is creamy, and the chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, and oh so chocolatey! Even if the judges don't agree, I feel like a winner! So, after hours of baking and perfecting, the goodies were ready for their close up!

Healthy Zucchini Bread.

Once again, my family is growing delicious fruits and vegetables in our garden. This year, however, we have more then we can handle! Our zucchini grew so big that one can lasts us a week! So, I thought, what can I use this zucchini for so I don't waste it? Zucchini bread! Yet again I got to searching those zucchini bread recipes and finally came up with one that is both healthy and oh so delicious!

Zucchini Bread

3/4 cup low-fat milk

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 cups white whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

Whisk milk, eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla in a medium bowl. Stir in zucchini. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl; stir in the wet ingredients until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

Bake until golden brown; about 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Let cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while still warm.

Each slice contains about: 197 calories; 7 g fat ( 1 g sat , 4 g mono ); 32 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrates; 13 g added sugars; 4 g protein; 2 g fiber; 209 mg sodium; 108 mg potassium.

Now that's what I call delicious! Enjoy!

 

Thanksgiving in July.

I've recently become a huge fan of pumpkin. Last Thanksgiving my mom showed me a recipe for Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake and I knew it was going to be a real crowd pleaser! At first I thought the pumpkin might be a bit over powering, but it paired perfectly with the maple syrup. Not only was the cheesecake absolutely delicious, but it was so beautiful that we all felt guilty cutting into it!



(This was the cheesecake before the Maple Walnut Glaze.)



(After pouring on the glaze!)

 
Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake

1 1/4 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs.
1/4 cup sugar.
1/4 cup butter, melted.
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened.
1 (14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed Milk.
1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin.
3 eggs.
3/4 cup pure maple syrup.
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.
1 tsp. nutmeg.
  Maple Walnut Glaze
       (recipe follows)

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine crumbs, sugar, and butter; press firmly on bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

2. With mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy; gradually beat in sweetened condesed milk until smooth. Add pumpkin, eggs, 1/4 cup maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg; mix well. pour into prepared pan.

3. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until edge springs back when lightly touched. Cool and chill.

MAPLE WALNUT GLAZE:Combine 2 tablespoons water and 4 teaspoons cornstarch. In small sauce pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add remaining 1/2 cup maple syrup and corstarch mixture; cook and stir until slightly thickened. Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Cool slightly. Spoon over cheesecake.