Tag: Baked Goods
Carrot Pineapple Muffins
I’ve been a member at Lifetime Fitness for several years, and their classes consistently kick my butt. When the weather is too brutal to run or bike outside, I tend to stick with group fitness classes to keep myself in check. (If our garage was air-conditioned, I’d be happy to run on our treadmill–nothing beats running in your underwear while getting your Beyonce jam face on to “Run the World”). During the summer, though, I do what I can to get to barre and yoga classes with some regularity. But the other day I decided to change things up a bit in the ol’ workout routine. The time had come to finally try spin class.
Upon arriving to the class, it quickly became clear that I was the sole first-time attendee. Everyone around me was adjusting their funny little mini-bikes to custom measurements like professional bicycle tailors. I don’t know if I just got a lemon, but I could NOT figure mine out. When I turned to the lady next to me to ask for help, she gave me a look of grave concern and mumbled something about getting the instructor. That’s when a voice next to me said, “Sarah!” And lo and behold, it was Jen, one of my good friends, whom I somehow hadn’t even noticed on the funny little mini-bike right next to me. She twisted and pulled at my bike until it became rideable. By that time the class had started, so I climbed aboard and soon we were off to the (stationary bike) races!
So you know how I said the classes at Lifetime consistently kick my butt? Well, this class knocked it into another dimension. My butt was beaten senseless. Figuratively and literally–those saddle seats are quite unforgiving. By ten minutes in, the sweat was pouring in my eyes. By the thirty minute mark, my flat-ironed hair had turned back to its natural curl, having gotten so drenched with sweat. The instructor, who I know in person to be a friendly, mellow woman, seemed to release her inner banshee drill sergeant to egg us on for 60 minutes. The hour was a surreal mix of disco lights and screaming. (Yes, there was a disco ball. Yes, there was screaming…mostly from the instructor, but possibly also some from my corner of the room.) There was also a music video mix tape playing on a screen above the instructor’s head. Inexplicably, she had chosen to splice some saucy Rihanna video with some kind of promotional video for Ireland. Irish jig music blasted over images of Lord of the Dance and pints of Guinness. As I pedaled mercilessly on my mini-bike, I kept thinking “Ride for Ireland!” like some kind of inspirational mantra.
The other thing I kept thinking was, “Damn, I’m glad I ate a good breakfast this morning.” Because if I hadn’t eaten these hearty pineapple carrot muffins that morning, I would probably not be alive to write this post today. I would be a puddle of goo on the floor of Studio 2 at Lifetime Fitness. Thank goodness for the wholesomely delicious blend of fruit, vegetables, and grains that gave me the sustenance to walk out of that spin class instead of be carried out on a stretcher.
These hearty-but-not-heavy muffins could be adapted in a variety of ways: the pineapple could be left out, the whole wheat vs. white flour proportions could be adjusted, etc. I give them my stamp of approval for breakfast–and certainly breakfast before a butt-walloping spin class.
Carrot Pineapple Muffins
(Adapted from Food.com)
Ingredients:
2/3 c. sugar (can be a mix of brown and white)
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. applesauce
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. grated carrots
1 c. frozen pineapple chunks (or canned, drained)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, mix sugar, oil, and applesauce. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.
3. In a small bowl, combine whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir into sugar mixture until just combined.
4. Add carrots and pineapple, stirring until well distributed (but don’t overdo it or muffins will be tough!)
5. Spoon dough into muffin cups, filling to the top.
6. Bake 20-22 minutes.
Makes about 10 large muffins.
Lighter Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Whoa, did this blog really go through the whole month of June without a dessert post? Unprecedented! Let’s remedy that immediately! With the Fourth of July just a few days away, you may be giving some thought to what to take to whatever gathering you might be attending. Perhaps you’d like to make something crowd-pleasing that contains something red, white, or blue for that barbecue/pool party/Founding Fathers costume party? Allow me to suggest these lightened-up lemon blueberry cheesecake bars. I should really put the “cheesecake” in quotes, since these bars don’t actually contain “cream cheese”….hence the “lighter” part of their name. Or maybe that’s…
Anyway, these bars are a healthier (though I wouldn’t go so far as to say necessarily healthy) version of a usually pretty heavy dessert. Their secret? Cottage cheese instead of cream cheese. While you may not be a fan of cottage cheese as a food on its own–visions of ’80s diet plates, perhaps?–it’s a useful substitute for drastically reducing calorie and fat content in cheesecakey desserts. As a matter of fact, 8 oz. of cottage cheese contains about 220 calories and 10 grams of fat, whereas 8 oz. of cream cheese contains 775 calories and 80 grams of fat. A pretty staggering difference, if you ask me. Almost makes me regret all that real cheesecake I’ve indulged in…..almost.
Amazingly enough, even without cream cheese, these still actually taste great, and not at all like cottage cheese! (I suppose a generous ration of sugar and butter helps in that department.) Creamy and lemony with that cold cheesy texture that feels so refreshing in your mouth, they could be perfect addition to an Independence Day spread.
These could also be re-styled with orange zest and juice instead of lemon and raspberries instead of berries. Citrus plus berries pretty much always yields something delicious.
Lighter Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
(Adapted from a Fry’s Foods coupon mailer)
Ingredients:
Crust:
1/3 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. all-purpose flour
Filling:
1 c. low-fat cottage cheese
2/3 c. white sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind
3 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 large egg
1 large egg white
3/4 c. fresh blueberries
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. To prepare crust, beat butter, brown sugar, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl until smooth. (You can do this by hand or use a mixer on medium speed.) Spoon 1 c. flour into a dry measuring cup, level with a knife, and add to the butter mixture. Beat on low or by hand until well blended. Press into the bottom of a greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish. (I always use a small sheet of wax paper to get all the crumbs pressed down neatly.) Bake 20 minutes.
3. To prepare filling, place cottage cheese in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth, 1-2 minutes, scraping sides of the bowl once. Add sugar, flour, lemon rind, lemon juice, egg, and egg white and process until well combined. Pour over the cooled crust and sprinkle blueberries around the top.
4. Bake an additional 25 minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate for at least two hours before slicing. (The longer you refrigerate, the firmer they get.)
Makes one 8 x 8 inch pan.
Chocolate Almond Thumbprint Cookies
You know those Hershey Kiss peanut butter blossom cookies that are so ubiquitous at Christmastime? Of course you do, right? Because you’re a sentient being who eats cookies, right? If whoever came up with that recipe didn’t get a fat check from the Hershey company, there’s no justice in this world. Those things are everywhere come Christmas.
Do you ever wonder why certain cookies seem to get classified as Christmas cookies? I’m not sure what it is about a peanut butter cookie with a Hershey Kiss stuck in the middle that makes people think of peace on Earth, goodwill toward men. To be honest, I actually don’t even like peanut butter blossoms all that much. I kinda wish the Grinch would have taken peanut butter blossoms, stuffed them in his sack, and NOT brought them back to Whoville. Maybe I’m just a chocolate snob, though. To me, Hershey kisses are for when you reach Stage 4 of Chocolate Desperation. Like when you have no dessert left in the house and you find a Hershey kiss in the bottom of your kid’s Halloween bag from six months ago and you go, okay, this will have to do. This comes just before Stage 5, which is drinking chocolate syrup straight.
Anyway, when I saw this recipe for a more elegant version of the Christmas classic using a chocolate ganache instead of a Kiss (and almond butter instead of peanut), I figured I’d give it a whirl. After all, I had (again) done the thing where I bought almond butter on sale with the best of intentions, only to find it still hanging around forlornly in my fridge a month later. Little did I guess these would turn out so delicious–like a delightful marzipan confection filled with cold, creamy chocolate in the center.
Why wait for Christmas to eat something that good?
In fact, while these would be great any time, they might be an especially nice gesture when baking for someone who’s allergic to peanuts but enjoys peanut butter blossoms. Or for chocolate snobs who turn up their noses at Hershey kisses. Or, really, for any sentient being who eats cookies.
Chocolate Almond Thumbprint Cookies
(Adapted from the Food Network)
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. smooth, unsweetened almond butter
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1/3 c. plus 3 Tbsp. white sugar, divided
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 c. sliced almonds, coarsely chopped (crushed slivered almonds will also work in a pinch)
For the ganache:
5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or chocolate chips)
1/2 c. heavy cream
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or grease well with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix butter and almond butter on medium speed until well combined. Add brown sugar and white sugar and continue mixing another 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix to combine. Switch mixing speed to medium-low and beat in the dry ingredient mixture until just incorporated.
4. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 3 Tbsp. white sugar and chopped almonds.
5. Scoop cookie dough by tablespoons, roll into balls, and dredge through the sugar-almond mixture to coat. Space the balls about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes until the tops appear dry and slightly cracked.
6. Using a rounded teaspoon, make an indentation in the top of each cookie while still warm. Allow to cool completely.
7. Meanwhile, to make the ganache, combine the chocolate and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 45 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. Let cool.
8. Spoon ganache into a pastry bag, squeeze bottle, or Ziploc with a corner cut off. Fill each cookie indentation with ganache.
Makes 20-30 cookies, depending on size. For best taste and texture, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Low-Sugar Mango Almond Tart
Happy Easter! Here in the Phoenix area, it’s a beautiful weekend for this celebration of Christ’s resurrection–a weekend we get to spend with family, friends, and the winner of the Creepiest Easter Bunny competition 2015.
My kids and their cousins were super good sports about posing with the bunny that looked like it might burst out in a maniacal cackle at any moment.
On this Easter day, as our Lenten fast comes to a close, I’d like to share with you another recipe I made while my husband and son were doing their six weeks of eating less sugar. It really was a fun challenge to make desserts that would taste good with a major sugar reduction. (I’m sure diabetics are rolling their eyes, like, yeah, tons of fun.) This mango almond tart was a definite winner. The original recipe from Eating Well is for a raspberry-almond tart, which I’m sure would also be fabulous, but as I had no frozen raspberries in the house when inspiration struck, I used the frozen mangoes hibernating in our fridge and it turned out delicious, too. With only a quarter cup plus two teaspoons of added sugar in the entire 9-inch tart, I’d say this dessert stretches the sugar pretty thin without it being noticeably absent. My guess is you could substitute any berry or even peaches for the mangoes with lovely results. I could see making it for company–at a tea party, perhaps, or as a light but satisfying dessert for a spring dinner party. Or just for a husband and son who were brave enough to last 40 days with less sugar. I applaud them and feel no guilt today about letting my 7-year-old dive head-first into an Easter basket full of candy.
Low-Sugar Mango Almond Tart
(Adapted from Eating Well)
Ingredients:
1/2 c. sliced almonds, skins on
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/3 c. plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
4 c. diced mangoes, fresh or frozen (not thawed)
2 tsp. powdered sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan or pie dish with cooking spray.
2. In a food processor, combine sliced almonds and sugar until almonds are finely ground. Set aside 1/2 c. of the mixture.
3. Add 1 1/3 c. flour to the remaining sugar-almond mixture and pulse to blend. Add butter a few pieces at a time and process until well incorporated.
4. In a small bowl, combine egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extracts until blended. Add to the food processor and process until the mixture begins to form a dough that looks like wet, crumbly sand, about 1 minute. Set aside 1/3 c. of this mixture.
5. Transfer the remaining dough to the prepared tart pan. Spread evenly, pressing the dough up the sides of the pan to form a crust.
6. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp. of flour to the sugar-almond mixture you set aside in step 2. Toss mangoes with 2 Tbsp. of this mixture until coated. Spread the coated mangoes evenly over the tart crust, then sprinkle the remaining sugar-almond mixture over the mangoes. Take the reserved 1/3 c. of dough from step 4 and pinch into small clumps. Sprinkle these all around the tart.
7. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 45 minutes or until the crumbs on top are golden. Cool at least 30 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
Makes 1 9-inch tart.
Extra Dark Brownies with Sea Salt and Lime
I have an important question for you. Are you ready for your brownie world to be rocked? “But Sarah,” you may say, “my brownie world does not need to be rocked. Brownies are already one of nature’s most perfect desserts. And when I say “nature,” I mean the Betty Crocker box mix you can get for $1.25 at Target.” And you would be right. Brownies in almost any form are pretty consistently amazing. But sometimes even a classic can be improved–or if not improved, at least expanded upon in new and different ways for a little delicious variety. That’s exactly what this stunningly flavored dessert is about. A dose of extra flaky salt on top and a deep undertone of lime elevates these beyond anything you can get in a box mix. To me, they’d be the perfect rich follow-up to a Mexican dinner.
I will tell you, though, you do have to love dark chocolate to love this recipe–these brownies are so dark they probably go around brooding. In fact, they’re probably reading Edgar Allen Poe in their basement right now. Then they’re going to turn off all the lights and watch A Clockwork Orange.* I’m just telling you. They’re dark.
*Or, in this case, A Clockwork Lime.
Extra Dark Brownies with Sea Salt and Lime
(Adapted from TheKitchn.com)
Ingredients:
6 Tbsp. butter
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 scant c. sugar
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. cocoa powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 lime, juiced and zested
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. flaky sea salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8×8″ glass dish with parchment paper, leaving extra paper on two sides for removal after baking. (Alternatively, spray thoroughly with cooking spray.)
2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter and bittersweet chocolate over medium-low heat. Stir until smooth.
3. Remove pan from the heat and add sugar, flour, cocoa powder, eggs, vanilla, and kosher salt, mixing until combined. Add lime juice and zest as well as the unsweetened chocolate until all chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. (You may need to return the pan to the stovetop, depending on how much the batter has cooled.)
4. Pour batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle sea salt evenly on top. Bake 30-35 minutes. Brownies will still be a bit gooey–don’t worry, this is what you want! Cool 15 minutes on a wire rack, then remove by lifting out parchment paper, if using. Garnish with more lime zest, if desired.
Makes 1 8×8″ pan, approximately 16 brownies.