Skinny No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Don't you love the word "Skinny" in front of a recipe. It either makes you really scared that it's going to taste fake and all fat-free-ish and gross, or you are super excited because you get to eat something you love and still feel "skinny" after you eat it.

This recipe is a nice little feel good treat. I have literally never heard of this stuff called Better-n-peanut butter, but I found it here locally at Mama Jean's, but I hear that Trader Joe's and even Target carry it. Well, there ya go. It has less than a 1/4 of the fat of regular peanut butter which is BONUS! The recipe said that you could use fat free Cool Whip or you could use TruWhip which I also found at Mama Jean's. It has no hydrogenated oils and is a lot healthier than the other options.



I made this for company on Friday night and I savored every single little bite. It has a true peanut buttery-chocolate flavor and I loved it. The group seemed to give it 2 thumbs up as well. Total score.



Here's the Recipe from Skinny Taste Blog.

Parents Review: I've already bought the ingredients to make it again. Love.

Kids Review: The kids each had a piece and asked for more.

Banana, Caramel and Pecan Muffins

These were the little yummies that I added to the food brigade I brought to my new mommy friend. I sampled one before I sent her the rest - just so I knew I was giving her adequate quality.

Ummm......they were amazing - at least I thought. I believe she mentioned they enjoyed them too. Wow was all I could say. Muffins to me are wonderful little creations, but sometimes they turn out dry and boring. They lack so much in comparison to their cousin the cupcake that has mounds of sugary frosting atop the bread-y cake below. But, in my opinion, these were indeed a treat and I had trouble only eating the one that I allowed myself before giving them away.

Hello Caramel. Hello Banana. Hello buttery pecan and brown sugar and cinnamon topping.

Perfect.

I found these muffins right here over at Dwell on Joy's Blog and I'm so glad I did! She actually showed it with a caramel drizzle over the top, which I think would be absolutely amazing, but I didn't want to make an ooey-gooey mess for the tired mommy. It was still great even without the caramel on top.

You have to try these! I feel like I have said that about every single recipe I have posted this week, but it's true. We have ate so well this week. It's not very often that I have 5 new recipes all hit it out of the park and plant themselves a position in my consistent rotation, but this one made the cut too!

Another fun treat is the slice of banana you lay in the middle of the batter and it's this soft surprise when you bite into your baked muffin. Yum.



Parents Review: Heaven. I wish I would have taken a pic of it sliced in half. The caramel balls (which are easily found at Target) were awesome!

Kids Review: It has sugar, so they were all about it.

Skinny Chocolate Chip Cookies

I HAVE NO PICTURE!!

But, I promised to post these tonight, so I am putting the recipe up anyway. My friend Cheri made these for me and all the life group girls (from our church) and wrapped them up all cute and included the recipe. I typically don't DO low fat desserts. No thank you. I would rather skip a treat or eat one with all the fat and calories so I can enjoy it. However, this one does not disappoint in taste, texture or the fact that they are only 2 weight watcher points for me each! Woo! Hoo!

The reason I have no picture for you is because when I made mine today, they turned out super flat and all melded into one another-ish. That's not what Cheri's looked like. The flavor was still exactly the same as hers, so I can only imagine I needed more baking soda or something? I don't know. I know I added it in according to the recipe, but I am going to try it again and cross my fingers.

They are not cakey or weird like a lot of the low-cal stuff you can eat. These taste like a true treat and I will make them again. When I do - I promise to post a good picture with this recipe.

But - here it is. Go make it and tell me how yours turned out! I'm excited to hear!

Skinny Low-Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 C granulated Sugar
1/2 C Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 egg white
2 Tbsp applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (for local gals - I just went to Mama Jean's and bought a little bit for the recipe from the bulk section. Perfect!)
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 C mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350, Line (2 cookie sheets) with parchment paper

In Large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; sitr to blend. In another bowl, whisk the sugars, butter, egg white, applesauce and vanilla until light and fluffy.

Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions until batter is well blended. If batter looks crumbly, not smooth, add a drop of water (I didn't have to do this)

Fold in chocolate chips

Drop by level spoonfuls 1 inch apart

Bake 8-10 minutes.

Transfer to wire rack after cooling on sheet for 5 minutes.

Parents Review: Yummo!
Kids Review: It's chocolate! The loved it!

Chocolate Granola Bars

I love making stuff for my kids that taste really yummy and are at least "healthy-ish" and so much better for you than the preservative filled items at the grocery store. I want them to feel like I give them treats and that it's something I made for them with my own two hands. I found this recipe over at a blog called Marathon Mom.

These taste similar to a no-bake cookie and have a similar texture. BONUS!!!!!


They were so easy and there was no oven involved. I liked that you put them in the fridge to set up and then sliced them into bars. The recipe didn't say if you were to leave them in the fridge after they've set up, but I like them that way.


Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Granola Bars

1/2 cup natural peanut butter (our favorite is Maranatha's creamy with sea salt)

1/3 cup local honey

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 cup oats (not quick oats)

2 tablespoons wheat germ

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup chocolate chips (Mini work best, but it doesn’t really matter.)

What to do:

1. Melt the butter, peanut butter and honey in a pot over medium to low heat, stirring constantly. Turn off the burner when melted.

2. Pour in the cup of oats and the wheat germ. Stir til combined.

3. Wait til it cools and stir in the coconut and chocolate chips. Or, if you’re impatient with things like this, like I am, go ahead and dump it all right in. The result will be a more uniform chocolate taste.

4. Pour into foil-lined 8 X 8 pan and stick in the fridge.

5. Once cooled, flip out (the bars….not you) onto cutting board and cut to the size you like.

They’re now ready to eat.

Parents Review: We loved these and enjoyed them as a snack with our coffee.

Kids Review: I packed them in their lunches today and they gobbled them up!

Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes

You're gonna love these if you like Pumpkin. I have had a slow warming up to all things pumpkin over the past few years, and while I don't enjoy everything with this fall flavor, there's more I like than not.

These are amazing! Super moist. Super pumpkin-y. Super sweet with the crunchy cinnamon-sugar goodness on top.

We made these for our Saturday morning Big Breakfast and they were a hit.

Kid plates:



Mommy's plate:


And ONE that I had to pop in my mouth and take a big bite of while we were serving up the meal.


I found this recipe at Two Peas and their pod blog. Check out the recipe and bake them now! You won't be sorry.

Parents Review: Will be making again.
Kids Review: Would like me to make them again. :-)

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

Oh.

My.

Word.

I have posted recipes for baked oatmeal before, but this one, hands down, takes the cake!

Especially with the fact that it is turning fall outside and the weather is chilly, and I start thinking of things I can enjoy with the almighty can of pumpkin!

This simple recipe is sure to be a hit and will hit every comfort spot you have on a cold morning. I made mine the night before and threw it in the fridge so that I could just wake up and pop it in the oven.

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

3 cups quick cooking oats
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¾ cup canned pumpkin
¼ cup brown sugar (for the top)
In a large bowl mix together all ingredients except the ¼ cup brown sugar for the top.

Spread into a greased 9×13 pan.

Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup brown sugar on top.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Serve with milk and enjoy!

Seriously. You have to make this!


Parents Review: Perfection.
Kids Review: Agreed.

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

I made this cinnamon bread for Big Breakfast a few months back. I had found it on a blog somewhere (can't remember where) and thought it sounded just wonderful. I did some searching and found a recipe that was just like the one I made.

Here it is.

Ingredients:
1 unsliced round loaf sourdough bread
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make Vanilla Honey Butter: Whip butter and 1/4 cup powdered sugar together until smooth; stir in honey and vanilla. Set aside.

Cut the bread lengthwise into 1/2" slices, without cutting through the bottom crust. Spread vanilla honey butter in between slices. Rotate the bread 90 degrees and slice the bread again into 1/2" pieces, without cutting through the bottom crust. Spread more vanilla honey butter in between new cuts. This doesn't need to be perfect - just make sure there is lots of butter in between all the cuts. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Generously sprinkle in between all cuts. (You may have extra butter and cinnamon sugar. It will just depend on how large your bread loaf is.)

Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until bread is warm. Unwrap cinnamon bread and place on serving platter. Combine powdered sugar and milk - adding milk until you get the consistency desired. Drizzle icing over bread and serve immediately. Enjoy!




Parents Review: Wow. It was really rich. Almost too rich. It was good, but I think it made my teeth hurt with all the sugar.
Kids Reivew: They loved all the sugar that was involved. :-)

Monster Cookies

Did any of you have these as a kid?

They have a little bit of all your favorite flavors rolled into one cookie!

M&M's!! Oatmeal!! Chocolate Chips!!! Peanut Butter!!!



I have lovely memories of my mom making these when I was little and I found a recipe from none other than Paula Deen to kick it up a notch.

Here's the recipe.

There is no flour in these cookies. The oats act as flour and you add baking soda to give them some fluffiness. I made these to take to my nephew's "Cookie Monster" 1st birthday party this past weekend. Huge hit!!

Enjoy! I'd love to hear if you make these.

Chocolate Chip Granola Bites

I found these little yummies online a few months back and was so excited to try them. They are such a fun treat to whip up and they are a healthier option as opposed to buying preservative-filled granola bars from your local store.....and cheaper I might add.


I feel SO good making things for my kids instead of just buying them. Trust me, we have cereal nights and "here have some more cheez-its" if you're hungry nights", but I truly love to cook and bake for my family with my own little hands.

My favorite line from Little Girl is when I told her that when I cook for my family, I always make things with love. She then said to me, several days later, that "she could taste the love" as she rubbed her tummy.

Cuteness.

I have been talking a little bit about Bento Boxes over at Me-Moddy, and one of the sites that I fell in love with shared this recipe. Go HERE to check it out.

Oh, and I had the sweetest little helper to assist me on my new food adventure. He was awesome.



Parents Review: Really yummy. I didn't try the granola bars, only the granola bites. I used silicone square baking cups and they were great, however, you could just use a muffin tin with paper liners too.

Kids Review: They are asking me to make more. I want to have these on hand to throw in their lunches when school starts next week. Yikes!! Did I just say that?

Happy Snacking!

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

I hate to even call these little treats "brownies", because to me they resemble a cookie bar more than anything. I made these guys for my friend Julie last week and she thinks that they tasted just like a brownie, but sometimes I think she's crazy and can only say nice things and it's like an illness or something. :-)

But.......David and I both concur that these guys taste like a really soft, thick cookie. I would've added waaaay more chocolate chips and mini reeses-peanut butter cups than they called for, but other than that - they were great! If you like peanut butter and you like chocolate - you'll be set!!



After I pulled these guys out of the oven - I stuck several rows of the mini reese's in there to melt and get all happy.

Here's the recipe I found off of a blog called "Buns in my oven". Her pictures suck you in and make you HAVE to try her recipes. Or, um, maybe that's just me. :-)

Parents Review: It needed more chocolate inside, otherwise we really liked these.
Kids Review: More please.

Blackberry Crumble

We were comparing a "Crumble" to a "Cobbler" this weekend and this is the Crumble recipe we decided to give a whirl.

The Crumble definitely focuses more on the fruit in this dish and the topping was just an accent piece. I prefer it with a little more "bread-i-ness" or topping-to-fruit-ratio, but the flavor was awesome.

Here it is a-la-mode after the ice cream got all melty from the heat of the crumble.


Parents Review: David loved this. I loved the flavor - needed more crumble or more texture for me.
Kids Review: Both of them loved it even though LG declared she wouldn't like it before trying it. Typical girl.

And, for Julie, my dear friend who was searching for a great cobbler recipe. I think both of these 2 variations are really, really good, but that doesn't mean I won't keep searching. :-) Thanks for giving me a reason to bake!

Blackberry Cobbler

I made 2 Blackberry recipes this weekend. This is the first one. I wanted to compare "Cobbler" to a "Crumble" in the whole fruity dessert department.


Here's the recipe I tried for the cobbler. I actually had a different planned out to make and then I realized that it involved rolling out dough and many other things that I knew I wasn't in the mood for this weekend, so I went with this one because it looked both yummy and easy. 2 great things. :-)

We, of course, served it with cold vanilla ice cream on top of the hot cobbler. So good.


Parents Review: I liked the texture of the cobbler, but the fresh blackberries were a little bitter maybe?? I'm not sure. I've never tried frozen blackerries or even ones from the can, but I've heard that's a whole different flavor. What do you guys think? We really enjoyed it, but thought it could've been a little sweeter.

Kids Review: Baby Boy gobbled it up. Little Girl was all about the Crumble. She wouldn't touch this one.

Mexican Fried Ice Cream

It's Cinco De Mayo and we are celebrating with food. Yay! Here's a great recipe that I made with the kids today and it was so much fun. Not only was it easy and the kids got to help out with all the fun, but it was really, really good.

Here's the ingredients - minus the ice cream.


First we scooped some ice cream into a plastic baggie and formed it into a ball. We did this for each of us (in different bags) and threw them in the freezer until we were ready to use them.

Then, the kids poured some frosted flakes into a bag and a good amount of cinnamon and then smashed it up with a rolling pin. They loved this. You want to really taste the cinnamon, but you don't want it spicy. Go ahead and sample it to see what you like.


When we were ready to eat them, we got out the flour tortillas, sprayed our pan with Pam butter spray and fried them up a little bit. After I cooked each side - I sprinkled it with a cinnamon sugar mixture.



Immediately throw your tortillas inside your bowl to "form a bowl" before it gets crispy. Then, take out your ice cream balls and throw them in your frosted flakes mixture and shake it all up. Add your ice cream ball inside your tortilla, drizzle with honey and your done. You can also add a little whipped cream and sprinkles on top if you want to.

Here's how ours turned out.



Parents Review: I could've eaten two of them. It was like yummy, cinnamon honey ice cream and the tortilla was super tasty.
Kids Review: They would like it to be Cinco De Mayo every day.

No Bake Graham Cracker Cookies

My mom has made these little dreamboats every year for our family reunion for as long as I can remember. I can't picture any other time she makes them, but they are a treat to look forward to. I love the creamy frosting on top, the pecan-pie-like filling in the middle and the soft and yummy graham crackers mixed in. They are chilled and served sliced into little bars.

A-ma-zing.

Here's her recipe.

In a 9X13 pan, put whole graham crax to cover bottom of pan.

Filling:

Melt 1 Cup butter, add 1 Cup Sugar, 1/4 Cup milk and 1 beaten egg. Bring to full rolling oil. Remove from heat. Add 1 Cup chopped nuts (I used pecans), 1 Cup Coconut and 1 Cup crushed graham crax.

Spread this over the crax in the pan and cover with whole graham crax.

Cover with icing made of 1/4 Cup butter and 2 Cups sifted powdered sugar and just enough milk to mix. Beat well and ice the bars.

Put in fridge for 24 hours. Then cut into small squares.


Try not to eat them all at once. You will get sick. Trust me, I know from experience.

Parents Review: We love these.
Kids Review: Won't touch with a ten foot pole - just like pecan pie. :-)

Favorite Brownies

You already have the recipe for the peanut butter chocolate chip cookies on the left of this tray, but you're going to need this new recipe too. I have been making these basic, chocolatey, chewy and soft brownies with big chunks of chocolate for about 14 years. I got this recipe out of one of the early cookbooks I purchased in the newlywed stage of my life. It is one of the many recipes that I have come to love from this old book.

Here it is:

Favorite Brownies:

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs (or egg substitute)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar, butter and vanilla. Add eggs. Combine dry ingredients, then add to sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Spread in an 8 inch square pan. Bake for 35 minutes.



Parents and Kids Review: Seconds, please??? Love!!!

Bird's Egg Nest

I made these cute little treats with my daughter today so that she would have something to welcome Spring in to give to her teachers at school.

Aren't they cute? They're super easy too.

Here's how to make them.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies

12 oz. package chow mein noodles
12 oz. package butterscotch morsels
1/2 Cup of Peanut butter (I added this - it didn't call for it in the original recipe)
90 egg-shaped candies (I used Cadbury chocolate eggs)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Pour the butterscotch morsels and p.butter in a microwave-safe bowl and place them in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds then remove to stir. Return to the microwave and heat again for 30 seconds. Stir until melted. Add in the chow mein noodles and mix till combined. Use a 1/4 measuring cup to portion out the cookies onto the baking sheet. If the mixture starts to solidify in the mixing bowl, you can reheat for 15 to 30 seconds to melt. Place three egg-shaped candies in the center of each cookie. Allow to set for at least 5 minutes before serving or transferring.

Done.

Parents Review: They are yummy! They taste like the haystacks my mom and I make for Christmas time.
Kids Review: It's sugar. They loved it.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread - REVISED

So, Chocolate plus Peanut Butter plus Banana. This is a winning combination - don't you think?

I tried this recipe tonight for the first time.

I started by mixing the ooey-gooey ingredients

The batter - once you add the milk - turned to a really creamy consistency.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this bread. My main flavors that I am used to for this type of bread is my chocolate chip banana bread recipe. It is super sweet and buttery and oh-so amazing. This chocolate bread was definitely not as sweet, and surprisingly, I didn't think it was very chocolatey.




I ate a slice plain - like this

and I ate one with peanut butter on top - like this


I used half whole wheat flour in this recipe and I I also replaced the peanut flour this recipe calls for with more whole wheat since I didn't have any.

Here's the recipe.

Parents Review: It was good, but it wasn't HALF as good as my original chocolate chip banana bread. Personal opinion. I didn't think it was sweet enough or chocolatey enough for what I had in my head. The texture was great, but I could have used a little more flavor.

REVISED REVIEW: The next morning I pulled out the bread and we all had another slice. I actually thought the flavors were quite a bit stronger this morning and I really enjoyed it. I didn't want you all to think I totally disliked the bread, so I had to come back and tell you that this morning it was quite tasty. Eat up friends!

Kids Review: They loved it. No complaints in their department.

It's always fun to try new things, but sometimes they don't all get hit out of the park. You all may love it, so don't just take my word for it. I brought a little mini loaf over to my pal Julie and she said it was awesome. (she's a really nice person too though, so we can't always trust her). :-)

I hope your weekend is great. I have some home-made Spaghetti Sauce to whip up tomorrow. Mmmmmm I can smell it already!