I think these might be my favorite cupcakes EVER. The frosting is a perfect combination of light whipped cream and cream cheese. And duh, there’s cookie dough everywhere. I. Love. Cookie. Dough. Love it.

Cake Ingredients:
1/2 package of yellow cake mix
1/2 package of vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup apple sauce
2 eggs
1/2 t vanilla
Cookie dough (frozen) (you won’t use all of it, and the rest can be used to make mini cookies to top the cupcakes)

Frosting Ingredients:
Cookie Dough:
1/8 cup butter, softened
1/8 cup brown sugar, plus 1 tbsp
1 tsp water
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
3 T miniature chocolate chips

Frosting:
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
4 ozs light cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

Optional:
Pillsbury mini chocolate chip cookies, to top cupcakes (each has approx. 50 calories)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 40 mini cupcake tins with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, apple sauce, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides if needed. The batter should look well blended. Spoon or scoop batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it two thirds of the way full. Cut the frozen dough into 40 pieces. Place a frozen cookie dough piece on top of each cupcake. Place the pans in the oven.

3. Bake the cupcakes until they are golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, approximately 10-15 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting. They may sink a bit in the center.

4. For the cookie dough, cream the butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add water and vanilla and mix well. Add flour and salt and stir to combine. Stir in 1/3 cup chocolate chips. Wrap the dough in waxed paper and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Break the dough into mini pieces.

5. To make the frosting, in a medium bowl beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat); set aside. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream. Fold the frozen cookie dough chunks into the frosting and immediately frost the cooled cupcakes.

6. Top the cupcakes with baked mini cookies (Optional)

Make 40 mini cupcakes.

Recipe adapted from How to Eat a Cupcake

Nutritional Info:
Cupcakes:
Calories: 47.1
Total Fat: 3.1 g
Cholesterol: 9.7 mg
Sodium: 22.1 mg
Total Carbs: 4.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
Protein: 0.6 g

For Frosting:
Calories: 47.1
Total Fat: 3.1 g
Cholesterol: 9.7 mg
Sodium: 22.1 mg
Total Carbs: 4.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
Protein: 0.6 g

With the cookies on top, each mini cupcake has approximately 150 calories total. Not bad for a tasty treat!

These muffins were easy to make and really delicious. Two thumbs up!

Ingredients:
3 large bananas
2 eggs
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 t salt
1 t baking soda

For Streusal:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T whole wheat flour
1/8 t cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease muffin cups
2. Mash bananas with eggs and sour cream until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
4. Add flour mixture to banana mixture and stir until combined.
5. Pour batter into greased or lined muffin cups.
6. Combine streusal ingredients and top muffin batter with streusal.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins.

Nutritional info:
Calories: 197.9
Total Fat: 2.5 g
Cholesterol: 39.3 mg
Sodium: 315.3 mg
Total Carbs: 40.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.4 g
Protein: 4.2 g

This recipe was so much fun to make! I knew as soon as I saw it on all the baking blogs that I wanted to give it a try.  My boyfriend and I planned a camping trip, and I figured Danish Bread would make for the perfect camp breakfast.   The prep work is time consuming, but it’s not hard at all and I think any baking novice with a little extra time on his or her hands could handle it.   After two days of preparation, I finally baked the loaves and was very impressed with the results.  The apple cinnamon loaf came out perfectly, however I managed to make a big mess with the cherry cheesecake  as it turned out very juicy. Most of the juice disappeared during baking though, so the final product was fine.  We brought both loaves with us, and my boyfriend had the brilliant idea to toast the pieces over an open fire. They were amazing!

Original recipe from How to Eat A Cupcake (She includes helpful step by step picture instructions)

DANISH DOUGH
Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough (Enough for TWO braids)

Ingredients
For the dough (Detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk (I used 1%)
1/3 cup sugar
1 T vanilla extract
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup water
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 t salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter (I used light butter)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH
Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, and water and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

BUTTER BLOCK
1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (I used regular beater attachments) and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.
2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

APPLE FILLING
Makes enough for two braids

Ingredients
4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Toss all ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until slightly nutty in color, about 6 – 8 minutes. Then add the apple mixture and sauté until apples are softened and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. If you’ve chosen Fujis, the apples will be caramelized, but have still retained their shape. Pour the cooked apples onto a baking sheet to cool completely before forming the braid. (If making ahead, cool to room temperature, seal, and refrigerate.) They will cool faster when spread in a thin layer over the surface of the sheet. After they have cooled, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

CHERRY FILLING (recipe from cooksrecipes.com)
Makes enough for 1 braid; Can be made a few days in advance.

Ingredients
4 cups Bing cherries, rinsed, stemmed and pitted (I used frozen cherries)
1 cup granulated sugar (I used Splenda)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Combine cherries, sugar and lemon juice in a mixing bowl, stir and let sit for at least 6 hours, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Drain off and reserve cherry syrup.
Combine a small amount of syrup to cornstarch to make a paste, then whisk cornstarch paste back into syrup. Pour mixture into a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sauce thickens (about 5 minutes). Stir in the drained cherries and almond extract. Cool, and store in a sterilized, airtight container.

CREAM CHEESE FILLING
Makes enough for 1 braid; Make right before you’re ready to assemble the braid.

Ingredients
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat cream cheese)
1 egg, separated
1/3 cup sugar (I used Splenda)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put cream cheese, egg yolk, and sugar into a bowl and mix until well combined. Stir in vanilla. Save egg white to brush on top of the braid.

DANISH BRAID
Divide your Danish dough into 2 equal sections. Save the other half for another braid or other Danish pastries.
1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick (Mine was 1/4 inch thick, but a few inches smaller than 15×20). If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart (My cuts were less than 5 inches long). Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.
4. Whisk the egg white from the cream cheese filling and lightly brush it on the top of the braid. Sprinkle coarse sugar on top.

Proofing and Baking
1. Spray cooking oil onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours (I preheated my oven to 200 degrees F, let it cool until just warm, then put the dough inside), or until doubled in volume and light to the touch .
2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

Makes 10 servings.

Nutritional Info (For Cherry Cheese Version):

Ingredients:

1 can vegetable broth (14 oz)
1 cup water
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with vinegar, basil, and olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
9 oz cheese-filled tortellini
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup black pepper
8 t grated Parmesan

Directions:

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Add tortellini; cook, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Place spinach and basil in pan over broth mixture; cover and let stand 2 minutes or until spinach and basil wilt. Stir spinach, basil, and pepper into broth.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with 2 t Parmesan cheese.
Makes 4 servings

Nutritional Info:
Calories: 236.4
Total Fat: 7.2 g
Cholesterol: 32.8 mg
Sodium: 1,242.6 mg
Total Carbs: 31.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.5 g
Protein: 8.1 g

Ingredients: 

1 box (15 oz) refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
2 containers (6 oz each) Dannon Light and Fit Lemon yogurt
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
1 cup fresh cherries

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375. Remove pie crusts from pouches; unroll 1 crust on center of ungreased large cookie sheet. Unroll second pie crust and place over first crust, matching edges and pressing to seal. With rolling pin, roll out into 14-inch round.
2. Fold 1/2 inch of crust edge under, forming border; press to seal seam (if desired, flute edge). Pick crust generously with fork.
3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4. In medium bowl, beat yogurt and cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Spread evenly over cooled baked crust. Spread pie filling over yogurt mixture. Top with cherries. Cut into wedges. Store in refrigerator.
Makes 16 servings.

Nutritional Info:
Calories: 151.9
Total Fat: 6.3 g
Cholesterol: 3.7 mg
Sodium: 156.1 mg
Total Carbs: 21.4 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g
Protein: 2.3 g

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked orzo
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
10 pitted kalamata olives, chopped
8 grape tomatoes, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup (1 oz) crumbled feta cheese with basil and sun dired tomatoes
1 t dried oregano
1 T dried parsley
4 4oz skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Cooking Spray
1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain; stir in 1/4 t salt and 1/8 t pepper.
2. Combine olives, tomato, parsley, cheese, oregano, and 1/8 t salt.
3. Coat chicken with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining salt, 1/8 t pepper, and a dash of oregano.
4. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a serving plate; keep warm.
5. Add water to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Pour mixture over chicken. Top chicken with olive mixture, and serve with orzo. Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Info:
Calories: 338.0
Total Fat: 5.8 g
Cholesterol: 73.1 mg
Sodium: 879.8 mg
Total Carbs: 34.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.2 g
Protein: 33.4 g

Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground turkey
1 cup kidney beans
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1 cup Kraft 2% cheddar
3 cups Ronzoni Whole Wheat Egg Noodles
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Directions:

1. Cook ground turkey in a large skillet until cooked. Drain and rinse with water to remove all fat. Return to skillet.

2. Stir in taco seasoning mix, water, uncooked pasta, corn, beans and tomato into the turkey. Heat it until boiling, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until pasta is done and most of the liquid is absorbed

3. Stir in sour cream and remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese and green onions. Cover and let it stand until the cheese is melted.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe Adapted from Taco Supper Skillet recipe in the Betty Crocker Quick and Easy Cookbook

Nutritional Info:

Calories: 423.5

Fat: 14.9

Sodium: 568.5

Cholesterol: 31.8

Total Carbs: 49.4

These cookies were a big hit at home and at work.

Ingredients:
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
1 t vanilla
1 Cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
2 t baking soda
2 cups instant oats
1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine eggs, cranberries and vanilla and let stand for 1 hour, covered with plastic wrap.

Cream butter and sugars. Add flour, salt, cinnamon and soda to sugar mixture. Mix well. Blend in egg-cranberry mixture and oatmeal. Fold in the white chocolate chips. Roll dough into small balls and slightly flatten them onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes about 7 dozen cookies.

Nutritional Info:
Calories: 79.1
Total Fat: 3.2 g
Cholesterol: 14.0 mg
Sodium: 85.0 mg
Total Carbs: 11.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.4 g
Protein: 1.1 g
]]> http://eatwithoutguilt.wordpress.com/2007/12/10/oatmeal-craisin-cookies-with-white-chocolate-chips/feed/ 0 SC Oatmeal Craisin Cookies http://eatwithoutguilt.wordpress.com/2007/12/10/mint-thins/ http://eatwithoutguilt.wordpress.com/2007/12/10/mint-thins/#comments Mon, 10 Dec 2007 01:46:42 +0000 Stacy http://eatwithoutguilt.wordpress.com/2007/12/10/mint-thins/ Continue reading →]]> Yay, it’s holiday cookie time! I love, love, love baking cookies. And pretty much everything I bake this time of year is bad for the waistline. But it’s good for the soul. That’s my justification at least. This “cookie” isn’t too bad calorie-wise, if you can stick to one or two. My only issue with these is that they must stay refrigerated, otherwise the chocolate gets soft. This isn’t really convenient when you want to serve these on a cookie tray at a party or at work. I found the recipe on the Kraft foods website.

Ingredients:

36 ritz crackers
1 candy cane
1.5 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Directions:

Microwave chocolate chips in microwaveable bowl as directed on the package. Stir until completely melted. Blend in extract. Dip crackers in melted chocolate, completely coating them with chocolate. Scrape off excess chocolate. Place on waxed paper-covered baking sheets; sprinkle with crushed candy. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until chocolate is set.

Nutritional Info:

Calories: 54.4
Total Fat: 2.8 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 31.0 mg
Total Carbs: 2.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.1 g
Protein: 0.3 g

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (16-ounce) package broccoli florets
2 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces light processed cheese, cubed (such as Velveeta Light)

Directions:
Heat a large nonstick saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add broth and broccoli. Bring broccoli mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 10 minutes.
Combine milk and flour, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add milk mixture to broccoli mixture. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Stir in pepper. Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Pour into a pan and, using a hand held mixer, beat the soup on low until well mixed.

Yields 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)

Nutritional Info:
Calories: 195
Total Fat: 9.2 g
Cholesterol: 31.7 mg
Sodium: 1,070.5 mg
Total Carbs: 18.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.7
Protein: 12.1 g