Tag Archives: chocolate

Healthy Snack Bars

November 1, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Sweet honey keeps all the ingredients stuck together. These are great to keep on hand for when you get a ‘sweets attack’. So healthy, so full of MUFAs, yet honey sweet and just a bit chocolaty.

16 servings
109 calories per serving

2 1/2 c unsweetened puffed wheat cereal
1/2 c pecan halves, chopped medium fine
1/3 c salted roasted shelled pumpkin seeds / pepitas (just roast in oven 5-10 minutes)
1/4 c dried cranberries (craisins), coarsely chopped
3 T sesame seeds
1/2 c honey
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/8 t salt
1/2 cup mini semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (chop regular size ones)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line an 8×8 square baking dish with parchment paper letting it overhang so you have ‘handles’ to pull up the bars when done. Mix cereal, nuts, seeds and cranberries. In a saucepan heat honey, vanilla and salt 2-3 minutes. The pour this over the dry ingredients and mix well then add chocolate and press it all into the prepared pan and spread it out. You can spray a wooden spoon with Pam to help. Bake 30-35 minutes or until top is brown. Use a knife to loosen the bars from the unlined sides of the pan and lift the whole thing out and set on a rack to cool a bit. Cut into 16 bars.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Banana Grahams

October 19, 2011 admin Leave a comment

When you start out, you think you’re making these for the kids. Then you taste one and forget that, the plate is just for you 🙂 Honestly, these are good enough to serve as dessert at an adult get together. Everyone loves the simplicity and the great banana and chocolate flavor. These disappear very quickly 😉

1 serving
94 calories per serving

1 square reduced fat graham cracker, broken into 2 rectangles
1/2 t Nutella
2 slices banana
1/2 t sweetened shredded coconut

Break each graham square into 2 rectangles and spread with Nutella. Top with the banana slice and then sprinkle with coconut – watch them disappear !

Dessert, Kid Friendly

My Favorite Pudding Pie

July 14, 2011 admin Leave a comment

There are lots of pudding pie recipes out there, but this one is my favorite because it has a bit of everything – bananas, chocolate, shipped topping, peanut butter, nuts – this is decadence at its best 🙂 High on the calories, but still under 400 and if it’s your only snack of the day along with other 400 calories meals, then definitely allowed !

10 servings
357 calories per serving

1 Nilla Pie Crust (pre-prepared pie crust made with Nilla wafers – much like a graham crust)
1 1/2 squares Bakers semi sweet chocolate
1/2 c peanut butter
2 bananas, cut lengthwise in half, then make long thin slices
1 3.4 oz. pack of sugar free vanilla instant pudding
1 1/2 c skim milk
2 c Lite Cool Whip
2 T salted peanuts, chopped

Take half of one chocolate square and grate it with a coarse cheese grater to make chocolate flakes for the top of the pie. Take the rest of the chocolate and microwave 1 minute then add the peanut butter and microwave for another minute, until completely melted. Put banana pieces in the crust and add the chocolate mix. Whisk pudding and milk for 2 minutes and then fold in 1 c of the Cool Whip and spread over the bananas. Spread the rest of the Cool Whip on top and then garnish with peanuts and chocolate flakes.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Chocolate Caramel Bars

June 4, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Fudgy layers of chocolate heaven !! First you have a chocolate chip cookie crust – then you add chocolate covered rice chex and peanuts. And as if that were not enough – you add a layer of caramel chocolate fudge to the top. OH SO GOOD !

36 servings
190 calories per serving

1 roll refrigerated chocolate chip cookies (18 oz.)
11 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
18 oz. caramel apple dip
3 c Rice Chex cereal
1 c chopped peanuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Break up cookie dough and press it into the bottom of an ungreased 13×9 baking dish. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown then cool 15 minutes. In a saucepan heat 1 c chocolate chops and 1 c caramel sauce. On medium heat stir and cook until smooth then remove from heat and stir in cereal and peanuts. Spread the cereal mix over the crust. In the saucepan heat the rest of the chips and caramel and cook until melted. Spread over the cereal mix then refrigerate ½ hour or so then cut into bars.

Dessert, Kid Friendly, MUFAs

Chocolate Drizzle Cookies

May 25, 2011 admin 2 Comments

At 118 calories per cookie, these are a bit high cal, but they are so rich and so delicious that 2 definitely satisfy your sweets craving. A large portion of the calories is due to the walnuts in the recipe, but these are GREAT calories full of MUFA. So don’t feel too bad 😉 Serve with a nice Low Fat Latte for a great dessert.

30 servings
118 calories per serving

5 T unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c sugar
1 large egg
1 t vanilla
1 oz. bittersweet baking chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1 1/3 c flour
1/3 c walnuts, finely chopped
30 walnut halves
Chocolate Glaze (see below)

Beat butter on high 2 minutes or until smooth. Add sugar and beat until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and then stir in melted chocolate. Finally stir in flour and chopped nuts then cover and chill 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and shape dough into 30 balls about 1 inch big and place on cookie sheets. Press a walnut half into each and bake 10-12 minutes and then cool completely. When cool, drizzle chocolate glaze on cookies and let sit until glaze is set.

Glaze:
Melt 1 oz. sweet baking chocolate and 1 T butter then add ¼ t vanilla, 1 c powdered sugar and 2 T skim milk.

Dessert

Chocolate Biscotti

April 30, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Biscotti is a very hard and crumbly Italian cookie that is perfect next to a cup of coffee. This one has such great chocolate and almond flavor !

24 cookies
154 calories per serving

3 c flour
½ c unsweetened cocoa
2 t baking powder
½ t salt
1 c sugar
2/3 c margarine, at room temperature
¾ c Egg Beaters
1 t almond extract
½ c whole blanched almonds, toasted and chopped
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. With an electric mixer beat sugar and margarine until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and extract and beat well then gradually add in the flour mix mixing by hand. Dough will be very dry – don’t worry ! Then stir in almonds. On a baking sheet sprayed lightly with Pam form dough into 2 logs and bake 25-30 minutes and then cool on a wire rack 15 minutes. Add a few nuts to the top of the logs for extra almondy goodness. Using a serrated knife slice each log on the diagonal into 12 slices each 1 inch thick and place cut sides up back on the baking sheet and bake another 12-15 minutes per side or until crisp. Cool completely on wire rack.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Strawberry Tarts

March 31, 2011 admin Leave a comment

These are such a hit and it’s no wonder why ! The pastry filled with strawberries and cream is perfect – then you add some drizzled chocolate and you have a heavenly dessert.

152 calories per serving
24 servings

1 box (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
24 large strawberries, sliced
1 8 oz. container Light Cool Whip
Chocolate Syrup
Pam

Preheat oven to 450 degrees (or the temperature your puff pastry box instructs). Spray a baking sheet with Pam. Unfold each pastry sheet and cut into 12 pieces (making a total of 24 pieces). Bake 15 minutes or according to package instructions. Let cool and then gently split each in half so you can make a ‘sandwich’. Spread 2 T of Cool Whip in each, then top with 1 sliced strawberry. Close up the ‘sandwich’. Make all sandwiches and then drizzle each with 2 t of chocolate syrup.

Dessert, Kid Friendly, Summer

Fudge Pops with Bananas

March 25, 2011 admin 4 Comments

I recently got a Zoku Quick Pop Maker. BEST THING EVER ! I love making pops but hate the wait time. Now I have ‘em in 7-9 minutes 🙂 This is one of the recipes I pulled from the Zoku book – of course, I’ve tweaked many of the recipes to suit my own tastes, bring down calories, and to get creative with the pops, but some are in their original goodness.

You can make any of these recipes in traditional pop makers – each pop here is 2 oz. so adjust accordingly. And if you love pops like me, then do yourself a favor and get a Zoku 🙂

6 servings
132 calories per serving

1 c water
2 1/3 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli bittersweet morsels)
1/3 c sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 c skim milk
1 T fat free half and half
½ c very thin banana slices

In a saucepan whisk chocolate, sugar, water and salt and cook until completely melted, about 5 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes in the fridge and then whisk in the milk and half and half. Then return to the fridge and cool completely (about ½ hour).

Working in 2 batches – Place bananas on the sides of the maker molds then pour in the mix. In 7-9 minutes you’ll have creamy, fudgy goodness with a bit of banana thrown in for interest 🙂

If you are using traditional molds, you can suspend the bananas by filling the molds half way, freezing a bit, then adding the bananas and the rest of the mix. Or you can just let the drop to the bottom – it will still taste dandy ! Freeze 6 hours.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Chocolate Cheesecake

March 18, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Rich, decadent, creamy goodness – this has a great cream cheese / cheesecake flavor while screaming CHOCOLATE !! It makes a great special occasion dessert.

10 servings
265 calories per serving

1 Oreo crust
1 c nonfat cottage cheese
½ c Egg Beaters
12 oz. Nefchatel (low fat cream cheese) at room temperature
1 c sugar
½ c unsweetened cocoa
¼ c flour
1 t vanilla
¾ c powdered sugar
¾ c nonfat sour cream

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a blender or food processor, mix cottage cheese and eggs until smooth. In another beat cream cheese and sugar with a mixer until smooth and then add the cottage cheese mix, cocoa, flour and vanilla. When smooth pour into the prepared pan. Bake 60-65 minutes or until set. Cool 15 minutes and then cover and chill 4 hours. Just before serving, combine the sour cream and powdered sugar and spread over the top of the cake.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Coffee, Vanilla and Chocolate

February 23, 2011 admin 1 Comment

This is such a great dessert – so satisfying and definitely guilt free. The Cool Whip topping makes the ice cream sandwiches into something really special. If you don’t like coffee, try adding some vanilla or a flavored extract to the cool whip for some extra flavor.

6 servings
225 calories per serving

1 T instant coffee
2 t sugar
2 T hot water
8 oz. cool whip, thawed
6 low fat ice cream sandwiches
3 T shaved chocolate

Dissolve coffee and sugar in hot water and fold into the cool whip. Arrange ice cream sandwiches in the bottom of an 8 inch square baking pan and spread with cool whip mix. Sprinkle with shaved chocolate, cover and freeze 2 hours.