parent-child cookie contest

Alex and I entered Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies into the Puyallup Fair’s Parent and Child Chocolate Chip Cookie Contest sponsored by C&H Sugar.  Except for using the oven, he made the entire recipe.

I took him to the Fair this morning and showed him the ropes of entering the culinary contests.  I tried not to be too much of a nerd, but I did utter “stay cool, stay cool” several times under my breath as we watched the judge sample our cookie.  (I’ll put it in writing once again….I’ll be happy to pay for his therapy when he is older).  There were 28 entries and it looked like we had some good competition.

We took home the 3rd place prize!  Alex received an apron, a nice ribbon and a cash prize of $25.  All that is great, but I do hope my kids are also learning important life lessons:

Be involved.

Try new things.

Have fun.

Eat lots of cookies.

 

chocolate peanut butter pretzel tart

I’ve been bitten by a bug!!  No, I don’t need antibiotic ointment, and no, I don’t need an intervention (just yet).  Buoyed by my first place win of my Mexican Chocolate Biscotti,  I entered the Ghirardelli’s Chocolate Championship at the Puyallup Fair. I decided on a peanut butter cup-like dessert with a trendy pretzel crust.  It was an easy recipe with a ton of chocolate flavor, both of which were part of the grading criteria.  I’m a little worried about my Weight Watcher’s weigh-in, since I’ve made three in the past two days, making sure I had the correct ratio of ingredients (all in the name of science, of course).

In my haste to get out the door to meet the deadline, I forgot to take a “good” picture with my fancy camera.  Here’s a mediocre picture I took on my phone.

Drumroll please…..I placed third!  I won a huge basket of Ghirardelli’s chocolate and a very nice embroidered apron.  No cash prize for third, but I have a giant white ribbon for my trophy case.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Tart

• 2 cups crushed pretzels
• 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 5 ounces Ghirardelli’s semi-sweet chips
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• additional peanut butter, heated, for decoration
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine pretzels, melted butter and sugar in a bowl.  Press into the bottom and sides of a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom.  Bake for 20 minutes and let cool.
  Combine peanut butter and confectioner’s sugar.  Spread onto the bottom of the cooled crust.
  Heat whipping cream until just before boiling.  Pour over chocolate chips and let stand 2 minutes.  Whisk together thoroughly.  Pour over peanut butter.
  Quickly drizzle melted peanut butter over ganache and swirl with a toothpick.  Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

 

mexican chocolate biscotti

Here’s my entry into the Dillano’s Biscotti Contest at the Puyallup Fair this year.  After weeks of playing around with a fig soaked in port cookie idea (weeks which included a teary statement of “maybe I shouldn’t enter this year.  Isn’t this supposed to be fun?”), I switched gears and decided to do a chocolate biscotti.  I remembered a delicious cookie my step-mom made with cayenne and black pepper, so in it went.  And I had to add the Bob’s Red Mill shredded unsweetened coconut since I am convinced this lends to its wonderful texture.   For the finishing touch I sprinkled Flavorstorm’s Cinnamon Sugar on top….it sparkled!

Oh, and by the way….the judge loved it!  I won the Blue ribbon for the 2nd year in a row!  Is a biscotti cookbook in my future?   The judge’s comments:  “Wow!  Outstanding work.  Different and tasty.  Real “pop” of flavor with lingering heat.  Thank you!”

I’m pretty sure I let out a little squeal when I saw my cookies in the case.  People may have thought they were in the pig barn. 

Mexican Chocolate Biscotti

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. espresso powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup cinnamon chips (I used King Arthur’s)
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 Tbsp. cinnamon sugar from Flavorstorm

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line baking sheets with silicone pad or parchment paper.

Combine flour through espresso powder in a small bowl and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla extract.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture.  Stir in cinnamon chips, chocolate chips, coconut, black pepper and cayenne pepper.

Form batter into 2 logs, approximately 3 inches wide x 12 inches long.  Smooth top with an off-set spatula and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool 30 minutes.  Slice on the diagonal and bake an additional 10-12 minutes.

 

rhubarb sherbet

Hello everyone, Anna here! I realized I needed to intervene when my mom exclaimed loudly and in an overly tired voice that she “just typed out the entire recipe for rhubarb cake on the post for rhubarb sherbet”. So Alex and I quickly put on one of her favorite episodes of Malcolm in the Middle (a.k.a. the cuando, cuando, cuando, cuandooo episode) and sent her away from the computer.

I feel like I say this about pretty much everything my mom makes, but this rhubarb sherbet is seriously the best. It’s not too sweet, not too tart, and perfectly delectable. I can’t wait to make this in the summer as a combatant to the heat (because my parents haven’t opted to spring for AC yet).

Rhubarb Sherbet

• 1 lb. rhubarb, cut into 2″ pieces
  
• 1/4 cup plus 3 Tbsp. sugar (I used Flavorstorm’s Vanilla Bean sugar)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup unsweetened light coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine rhubarb and 3 Tbsp. sugar in a roasting pan.  Bake for 30 minutes or until rhubarb is tender and sugar makes a syrup.  Puree in a food processor and let cool.

Combine 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves.  Let cool.

Whisk together rhubarb puree, sugar syrup, coconut milk, and salt.  Refrigerate for 2 hours.  Churn in your ice cream mixture according to its directions.  Makes 6 servings (2/3 cup each).

My batch made 4 cups.

Recipe adapted from Cannelle et Vanille.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each 2/3 cup serving has 3 PointsPlus.  (Entire recipe has 16 PointsPlus).

 

strawberry sherbet

Life is returning to normal.  Wilbur the foster dog left us seven days ago (but who’s counting) and I am feeling like the household is running much more smoothly and calmly.  Carpets were cleaned yesterday, so all lingering evidence of Wilbur’s stay is gone.  So now my plan is to be militant over no shoes in the house for probably 4 days, and then I’ll relax to the normal state of affairs.

My boys gave me a KitchenAid ice cream maker for Christmas and this recipe from Cooking Light seemed like a great reason to make a yummy dessert.  Sherbet is different from sorbet in that it contains dairy.  This recipe uses buttermilk, which produced a nice subtle tangy flavor.  Low in PointsPlus (3 for 3/4 cup), it makes a great treat.

I love to call it sher-bert, much to my son’s dismay.

Strawberry Sherbet

• 2 cups chopped strawberries
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
• 3 Tbsp. Chambord (raspberry-flavored liqueur)

Combine berries and agave in a blender; process until smooth.  Add buttermilk and blend well.  Add liqueur.  Chill mixture for at least an hour.  Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to directions.  Serves 6 (serving size:  about 3/4 cup)

Recipe from Cooking Light, May 2012

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each serving has 3 PointsPlus.

 

joyful almond macaroons

So full of joy!

Joyful Almond Macaroons

• 1/3 cup crushed pineapple in juice, drained
• 1 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup liquid egg whites (about 5 large eggs)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 30 whole raw almonds
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a medium saucepan, cook the pineapple, coconut, sugar, egg whites, flour, and salt over medium-high heat.  Stir constantly for about 5 minutes or until liquid has evaporated and mixture is sticky.  Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray or line it with a silicone baking mat.

Scoop out 30 tablespoon-size balls of dough onto the baking sheet, placing them 1/2 inch apart.  Press an almond into the top of each.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden-brown.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

In a small bowl, microwave chocolate on 50% power until melted, stirring every 15 seconds.  Spoon over cookies.  Allow chocolate to harden before serving.

Recipe from Shape Magazine.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each cookie has 2 PointsPlus.

 

reduced-fat carrot cake

It’s my one year blog anniversary!  I started this blog as a way to easily share delicious homemade recipes with the Weight Watcher PointsPlus values already calculated for my friends in my WW meetings.  Based on the search stats from Google, lots of other people are looking for the same information.  In the past year I’ve written 211 posts, have had 292 comments, and as of writing this post, I’ve had 31,986 views!  A big thank you to my top commenters, my mother-in-law Beth, mom Magen, Tammy, Veronica, and Kristina.  Thanks for all your feedback

To celebrate I immediately thought of baking a cake, of course.  Cook’s Country published this reduced-fat carrot cake in their April/May 2009 magazine.

Reduced-Fat Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 (4 oz.) jar carrot baby food
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 lb. carrots, peeled and shredded

Frosting:

• 1 (8 oz.) package Neuchâtel cream cheese, softened
• 1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow creme (I used Kraft Jet-Puffed)
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.  Lightly spray paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.  In a stand mixer, beat eggs, baby food, and sugar until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.  Slowly add oil and mix 1 more minute.  Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour mixture.  Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.  Fold in carrots.

Spread batter into pan and bake until toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 22-24 minutes.  Cool cake in pan 10 minutes, then invert onto wire rack, remove parchment paper and flip cake right-side up to cool completely.

To make frosting, beat together cream cheese, marshmallow creme, and vanilla on medium-high.  Add confectioners’ sugar and beat on low until mixture is smooth, about 1 minute.  Frost cooled cake.  Makes 16 servings.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each serving has 9 PointsPlus.

 

ricotta and orange tart

I learned two important lessons yesterday.  42-year-olds don’t bounce very well.  And they should pay attention when walking down stairs in socks.

After I slipped and fell eight stairs, stopped crying and hyperventilating, I was very grateful for two things:  my husband had the day off and rushed to my aid and the fact that I didn’t re-injure my back or re-dislocate my shoulder.  That’s just me….always finding the silver lining!

This dessert doesn’t need a silver lining since it is fantastic in its own right (nice transition, don’t you think?).  The taste reminded my husband of his beloved sfogliatelle;  a light, flaky, layered pastry in the shape of a seashell, filled with a sweetened ricotta filling.  He’s planning on eating them every morning for breakfast when we are in Rome.  Marc’s actually made sfogliatelle a few times and it is quite an undertaking.  This wonderful tart takes a fraction of the time, has a fraction of the calories/PointsPlus, and has a remarkably similar taste.  I think it will be the perfect dessert for Easter.

The crust is so good, my 10-year-old couldn’t help himself from stealing more….(in very poor lighting)…

Ricotta and Orange Tart

•  non-stick spray
• 8 sheets Athen’s fillo, thawed
• 2 low-fat graham crackers
• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• 15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• grated zest from one large orange
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 3 Tbsp. pistachios, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Lightly spray a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom.  Spray a sheet of fillo dough with non-stick spray and lay it on the tart pan, with the fillo dough coming up over the edge.  Continue with all the sheets of dough, overlapping as you lay them down.  Trim the dough with scissors to the same height as the sides of the tart pan.

Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form.  Sprinkle onto the bottom of the fillo-lined pan.  Dollop small spoonfuls of marmalade on top.  Clean processor, then add ricotta, eggs, lemon juice, sugar, and orange zest.  Pulse just until combined.  Pour filling into the pan.

Bake until the center is just set and the crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Let cool completely, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.

Before serving, heat the honey in the microwave for about 15 seconds.  Spread over the tart and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.  Makes 8 servings.

Recipe from Women’s Day Magazine, January 2012.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each serving has 7 PointsPlus.  (I estimated the PointsPlus value for the non-stick spray to be equivalent to 1 Tbsp. canola oil).

 

pink lemonade cupcakes

My daughter and I made these cupcakes for her best friend’s 16th birthday.  The cupcakes are a little more work than your average recipe because of the extra step of beating the egg whites.  But it makes a very nice light texture, similar to an angel food cake.

The frosting is delicious, with a sweet tang from the pink lemonade concentrate.  It would be fun to play around with other frozen concentrate flavors, except that I don’t need more bowls full of fluffy sugar butter in my belly my kitchen.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

• 1 3/4 cup cake flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/8 tsp. lemon extract
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup + 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 large egg whites
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• 3 Tbsp. sugar

Frosting:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 4 Tbsp. pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
• a few drops of red food coloring

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a cupcake pan with 12 liners.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt.  In a separate bowl, combine milk and extract.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form.  Add the 3 Tbsp. sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks.  Stir 1/4 of the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the rest.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

To make frosting:  beat the butter, powdered sugar, lemonade concentrate and food coloring until smooth.

Recipe slightly adapted from Cates World Kitchen.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each unfrosted cupcake has 6 PointsPlus and 1/12 of the frosting recipe has 5 PointsPlus, for a grand total of 11.

 

banana cake with orange caramel glaze

We were the lucky recipients of approximately 60 over-ripe bananas last week.  I peeled and froze them all, then started looking for new recipes to use them in.  I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Baking Bites.  I’ve used ripe bananas in cookies, muffins, and bread, but I never thought to use them in a cake.

Well, maybe my subconscious was trying to help me stay in my skinny jeans.  I could eat this entire cake in one sitting.  Okay, realistically, 2 sittings    It is crazy good.  And I will make it again, because I have a freezer full of bananas!

Banana Cake with Orange Caramel Glaze

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup egg substitute, or 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups mashed ripe banana (about 2 large bananas)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 drops Fiori di Sicilia
• 1/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a 9 inch round cake pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with non-stick baking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light.  Beat in eggs, then bananas and extracts.  Stir half of the flour mixture into the banana mixture, followed by the buttermilk.  Add remaining flour mixture and stir just until no streaks remain.

Pour batter into pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let cool in pan for 5 minutes.  Cool completely on wire rack before glazing.

Glaze:

• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp. orange juice
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl.  cook on high for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, until bubbling and thickened.  Allow to cool slightly (2-3 minutes), then pour over cake and spread into an even layer.

Recipe from Baking Bites.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder:

10 servings:  9 PointsPlus each

8 servings:  11 PointsPlus each

6 servings:  15 PointsPlus each