The good folks at PlentifulPantry sent me a couple of their dessert mixes to try and here is the first installment….Chidester Farms Key Lime Cheesecake Bars.
Key Lime Cheesecake Bars
The big box comes with enough ingredients to make 2 batches – 2 batches would fit in a 9×13 baking dish while 1 fits nicely in an 8×8 baking dish. These are amazingly easy to put together and the results are outstanding – the bars definitely taste completely homemade. I had doubts about a chocolate crust with a citrus dessert, but it was a perfect accompaniment.
As well as the mix, you will need a few ingredients:
1 c hot water
2 8 oz. blocks of cream cheese
6 T butter
1 batch yields 16 servings
120 calories per serving
Just follow the package instructions and in an hour you will have delightfully rich cheesecake bars with just the right amount of lime flavoring.
Be sure to visit PlentifulPantry and check out their products – they have a whole bunch of ‘partially prepped’ products that get you out of the kitchen faster without skimping on quality.
You can serve this pudding warm or chilled. It is rich and creamy and ever so decadent. It’s good without the caramels melted in – – then you do that step and it gets taken to a whole other level. You must try ! 🙂
I am sure you could bring down the calories using buttery spread instead of butter, Splenda instead of sugar, Fat Free evaporated milk instead of whole – – but this dessert just deserves all the ingredients that give it its creamy goodness.
Dulche de Leche Rice Pudding
294 c per ½ c serving
2 c water
½ c uncooked rice
¼ c sugar
1 ½ cinnamon sticks
1 T butter
Dash of salt
12 oz. evaporated milk
8 caramels
1 T coarse sugar
1/8 t kosher salt
Combine the first 6 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Stir in the evaporated milk and bring to a boil again then lower the heat and simmer 10 minutes or until it is thick and creamy then add the caramels and stir until melted. Take out the cinnamon sticks and throw them out, then spoon the pudding into desert dishes. Combine sugar and salt and sprinkle over the pudding just before serving.
The best part of this recipe was the espresso dip – so incredibly rich and it very much reminds me very much of a similar dip served in one of my favorite restaurants. I would recommend it for any plain baked good (scone, cookie, etc.) The beignets themselves were a little dry and I would definitely add more water (1/4 c more) and some Splenda (1/4 c) to the dough. But even with them being a bit dry – it was sweet dough with sweet powdered sugar on top and an awesome dipping sauce, so I will definitely try again 🙂
Baked Beignets
12 servings
260 calories per serving
Beignets:
¼ c warm water
1 package quick rising active dry yeast
¼ c sugar
3 c flour
1 ½ t baking powder
½ t baking soda
½ t salt
4 T cold butter, cut up
¾ c low fat buttermilk
1 large egg
¼ c confectioner’s sugar
Pam
Café Dip:
1/3 c sugar
2 T plus 1 t instant espresso powder
1 T plus 1 t cornstarch
2 c whole milk
1 ½ oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
Place warm water in a small bowl and sprinkle with yeast and 1 t sugar. Stir and then let stand about 5 minutes or until foamy. In a large bowl stir flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and rest of the sugar until well combined. With a pastry knife, cut in butter until the mix resembles fine crumbs. With a fork, mix buttermilk and egg into yeast mixture and blend well. Make a hole in the center of the flour mix and pour in the yeast mix. Stir until a dough forms. Lightly flour a work surface and knead dough several times until smooth. Spray the bowl with Pam and place dough in the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and let stand in a non-drafty spot for 10 minutes. Spray 2 baking sheets with Pam and punch down dough. Roll the dough with a floured rolling pin to a 9 inch square and cut into 6 strips. Then cut each strip into 6 pieces for a total of 36 pieces. Place on baking sheets about 2 inches from each other. Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with Pam and place over the pans while they sit and rise for 20 minutes.
To prepare dip, combine sugar, espresso powder and cornstarch in a pan. Whisk in milk and cook on medium for 8 minutes or until it comes to a boil and thickens slightly then reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes then remove from heat and add chocolate and whisk until melted. Cover and set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake beignets 12 minutes or until golden brown. While they are still hot toss with confectioner’s sugar. Serve with dip.
This was so incredibly delicious ! The cake is moist, the frosting is decadent – and at only 120 calories per serving, it is pretty much guilt free!
Banana Cake
24 servings
120 calories per serving
Cake
1 2/3 c flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 c mashed ripe bananas
1 1/3 c skim milk
2 T pineapple juice
2 large eggs
3/4 c Splenda
6 T butter, melted
2 t vanilla extract
Pam
Frosting
16 oz. fat free cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 c light butter, at room temperature
1/3 c Splenda
2 t vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13×9 pan with Pam. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. Mix bananas, milk and juice and set aside. Beat eggs and Splenda at high speed for 4 minutes and then add melted butter, and vanilla extract and beat at medium a minute longer. Alternately add flour mix and banana mix and beat at low speed just until blended being sure not to over mix. Put the batter in the pan and bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan. To prepare the frosting, beat the cheese and butter until creamy then gradually add Splenda and beat on medium. Mix in vanilla and then spread over a cooled cake. Chill 30 minutes and then cut into squares. Try serving with a few slices of fresh banana on the side.
Way better than the standard green bean and Durkee onion casserole ! So much fresher and oodles more flavor !!
Lemony Green Beans
4 servings
49 calories per serving
1 pound green beans in 1 inch pieces
2 teaspoons butter sprinkles (I Use Molly McButter)
2 teaspoons finely chopped basil
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon oil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
In a large pan, bring 1 inch water to a boil and place the beans on a steaming rack inside the pan. Cover and steam for 5 – 7 minutes. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with the butter, basil, zest, oil and pepper. Mix well and serve immediately.
So buttery, so lemony, so good ! These are like lemon shortbread and they just melt in your mouth. A little high on the calorie count, but sooooo worth it. And 3 cookies really is enough for a snack – these are so rich !
Lemon Cookies
30 cookies
328 calories for 3 cookies
2 c flour
1 c confectioner’s sugar
1 t Kosher salt
1 T plus 1 t lemon zest
1 t lemon juice
1 c sweet butter cut into pieces
2 large egg yolks
1/4 c granulated sugar
Pulse flour, confectioner’s sugar, salt and lemon zest. Add butter and process until coarse like breadcrumbs. Add yolks and lemon juice and process until dough comes together. Divide dough in half and form each into a log. Wrap in plastic and freeze until firm, about 3 hours. If you freeze any longer than 3 hours, these will be too hard to slice and you’ll need to let defrost a bit or microwave for 30 seconds or so.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread sugar on a piece of foil and roll logs in the sugar. Cut into 1/4 thick slices and place on baking sheets 1 inch apart as they will spread as they cook. Bake 15 minutes or until edges are browned.
I would not classify these with Gramma’s version – much like when you are eating a bran muffin vs. eating a gooey chocolate muffin, you know this cookie is more nutritious than sweet and buttery. But it does have CHOCOLATE…and butter…and is sweet, so it does satisfy the cookie craving !
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
48 servings
89 calories per serving
1 ½ c whole wheat flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 c quick oats
1 c light butter
½ c Splenda brown sugar blend
1 c Splenda
½ c Egg Beaters
1 ½ t vanilla
1 c chocolate chips
Blend butter and sugars until they are creamy. Add egg and vanilla and blend. Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix well. Then by hand, stir in the oats and the chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls on cookie sheets and bake 10-12 minutes. Makes 48 cookies.
This is a great place to mix and match – anything that goes into an omelette can go in here – mushrooms, peppers, onions, ham, etc.
Scrambed Eggs and Cheese
1 serving
205 calories per serving
1/2 c Egg Beaters
1 Laughing Cow light cheese, cut in cubes
Pam
1 piece of 45 calorie bread, toasted
1 T buttery spread
Heat pan on medium heat. Remove from heat and spray with Pam. Return to heat. Add Egg Beaters and scramble lightly. Once eggs are set, add cubes of cheese and fold in until well distributed and eggs are done.
Toast bread and add 1 T buttery spread. Serve immediately.
