Tag Archives: dessert

Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Cookies

Whenever someone claims to have the “Best Ever” recipe for anything, that’s a mighty tall order.  I mean, who do they think they are with all that noise? Well, I can be a sucker for new products (especially when it comes to nut butters) so when I came across this dark chocolate peanut butter in my grocery store recently, I had to give it a try.  Alone it was more peanut buttery than chocolatey which was okay with me.  With an entire jar left, I found this recipe for the “Best Ever” Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Cookies so I put both the chocolate peanut butter and the recipe to the test.

The result was pretty much the best ever peanut butter-oatmeal cookies I’ve had.  No joke.  I mean, look at the pictures of the cookies I made.  Can they get any more perfect looking?  Since the dough was thick, I scooped equal sized amounts into my palm and rolled them in balls which made them perfectly circular when baked.  These cookies are soft and chewy, just the way you expect a cookie to be. I have to say though as far as the dark chocolate peanut butter goes, I didn’t really taste a difference in these cookies so use whatever your favorite peanut butter is. I love peanut butter cookies and I love oatmeal cookies so there’s no surprise that I loved this combination of both.  The recipe also calls for optional chocolate chips which I didn’t use but why not combine 3 kinds of cookies in one recipe if you want? No doubt, they’ll still be the best. Like, ever.

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The ingredients:

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Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl combine oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.

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In a large bowl, beat peanut butter and butter with an electric mixture until smooth. Beat in sugars, eggs, and vanilla until blended.

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Beat in flour mixture just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips, if desired.

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Drop by rounded spoonfuls, 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 13 minutes until golden brown.

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Additions:  None

Omissions:

  • Chocolate chips

Substitutions:

  • Dark chocolate peanut butter

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source: Skippy peanut butter website

Espresso-Walnut Cake

I’m kind of a sucker for coffee cake. Don’t get me wrong, I love eggs and other savory dishes for breakfast but why not have something desserty first thing in the morning with your coffee? Or better yet, why not have some coffee IN your Breakfast? This Espresso-Walnut Cake does just that.

Basic cake batter, made with fat-free yogurt to keep the calories down, is given a flavor boost with instant coffee and walnuts. The best part of coffee cake, the crumble topping, also has instant coffee mixed in to give you an even bigger caffeine jolt. I used instant coffee instead of instant espresso which gave this cake a mild coffee flavor without it being overbearing. The addition of the walnuts adds a crunchy bite to this dish but could easily be left out if you aren’t a nuts fan. If sweet breakfasts aren’t your thing, you could also have this as an after-dinner dessert (just use decaffeinated coffee instead). What a perfect way to kickstart your day.

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The ingredients:

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Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray, and dust with 2 teaspoons flour. Combine brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon espresso granules in a small bowl.

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Place the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave at HIGH for 1 minute or until butter melts. Add granulated sugar, stirring with a whisk. Add eggs; stir well. Stir in yogurt, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Lightly spoon 1 1/3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour and 2 teaspoons espresso powder, stirring just until blended (do not overstir).

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Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle with half of the brown sugar mixture. Carefully spread remaining batter over brown sugar mixture, and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar mixture.

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Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

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Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

  • Instant coffee

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

It really is a shame that when I have browning bananas, my first instinct is to make cupcakes with them instead of a healthy smoothie.  This, my friends, is why I struggle with my weight.  But then again, it’s not really about the final product so much as the process.  Making cupcakes and frosting is just more satisfying than blending a bunch of fruit together.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.  I’ve tried making banana cupcakes in the past but each time they ended up tasting more like banana muffins.  Then I came across these Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.  These cupcakes are light and cakey like a cupcake and not at all dense like a muffin.  Finally!

Because I didn’t expect these cupcakes to turn out as well as they did, I didn’t document anything but the final product.  I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it.  And I’m not going to sugar coat it – the only thing reduced-fat about these bad boys is the reduced-fat cream cheese I used in the frosting.  The rest is butter, sugar and white flour.  I’m not even going to kid you that these are good for you.  But look at it this way, since they are cupcakes, they are already portion controlled.  Just try to only eat one!

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Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • 1/3-less fat cream cheese

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Baking Bites blog

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