First, I have a question, or rather, a request. I need help and I'm asking you for it! My sister's graduation is coming up and I offered to make her something with her favorite ingredients in mind. She loves cookie dough, brownies, s'mores, peanut butter, oreos and ICE CREAM. That's easy! I know! I have made her so many things in the past involving all of those that I'm at a loss. Cookie and brownie dough filled cupcakes? Been there. S'mores bars. Done that. Cookie based, cookie dough ice cream cake? Last year's b-day. Those Oreo cupcakes? For HER. So now, I beg of you, be creative and help me out a little!
T: Cookie Dough Frosting Cupcakes B: Fluffernutter Cupcakes
Moving on...Summer, my favorite season, is looming and the schedule is getting packed. I haven't had too much time to bake (and I have to admit, my thighs weren't thanking me for it earlier) and honestly, as the weather gets warmer, I don't really want to. I hope to debut some cooking recipes and fresher, lighter yums as the warm months begin. Honestly, I had been on a huge healthy food makeover until I started this lovely writing! I love my sweets but truthfully, I am often trying to "healthify" one of my favorite dishes so I can eat it more regularly. Sometimes it's a hit and sometimes it's a miss. I know for every low fat, lower cal person there is another screaming "Blasphemy! Authentic foods should be left to their buttery, sweet perfection! Cheese should be indulgent and gooey! Don't you dare put applesauce in those cupcakes!" Well, I am a friend to both sides of the coin, just as I love my MacBook but would also take a PC considering my Dell lasted six years through college and beyond, dust-filled and all. Some days Ben & Jerry's is all you can dream of and that Skinny Cow cup just won't cut it. Other days, you just need a little something to tide you over for being really well-behaved. You wouldn't believe how hooked I am on Yoplait's dessert-flavored yogurts. Come on, you know what I mean! There are days where you are OK with the lighter, albeit processed, alternatives and there are others where you just want a slice of your grandmother's homegrown berry pie– organic but caloric! "Eat a salad and shut up" you say! Please. Congrats if you can eat one green thing after another but my mouth craves a variety of crunchy, chewy, salty, sweet, leafy, cheesy, fresh and gooey.Sorry for the diatribe but if you do see a lighter version of something crop up (trust me, I have experimented with the chocolate chip cookie and they cannot be healthy and be GOOD at the same time, may as well eat a chocolate chip pancake because that's what happens to them), don't freak. Know that I have their calorie-filled friend in my back pocket and am happy to share that version, too. I think it just depends what you are in the mood for. Can you have that richly frosted mini cupcake or would you rather have the fruit puree-based humongo cupcake with light cream cheese frosting? There are days when my tummy wants to be full and days when my taste buds are yearning for the good ol' times.
With that being said, here's an easy recipe for stuff that you had in your pantry that can be lightened and I'll tell you how and with what:
Candy Oat Bars
Adapted from Southern Living® Incredible CookiesYield: 32 bars
INGREDIENTS
2 C quick cooking oats
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour try subbing half with whole wheat
1 C firmly packed brown sugar
1 C chopped pecans I often omit these because many people do not like nuts but if you do, feel free to try different varieties, subbing in another candy is also funful if not the lighter version, haha
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks (1 C) butter, melted I've tried the light butter sticks by Land O'Lakes and was just as successful as when I used butter
1 1/2 C M&M's, Reese's Pieces, morsels, chopped candy bar, whatever your heart desires
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk I use fat free sweetened condensed whenever it is called for
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9"x13" baking dish with foil, grease if not using the fab non-stick kind!
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, brown sugar, chopped pecans, baking soda, and salt
2. Add melted butter, stir together until mixture is crumbly.
3. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of mixture; press remaining mixture into the prepared baking dish
4. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
5. Stir 1 C candy pieces with sweetened condensed milk and spread over baked crust.
6. Combine remaining 1 1/2 C crumb mixture with the 1/2 C remaining candy pieces and sprinkle over condensed milk mixture, pressing lightly.
7. Bake for 18-20 min, or until golden. Cool completely before cutting.
Nutrition: 219 cal, 10g fat, 72mg sod, 25g carb, 17g sugar, 1g fiber, 3g protein
(Lighter version, with pecans) 179 cal, 8g fat, 112mg sodium, 25g carb, 17g sugar, 1g fiber, 3g protein
1 comment:
i recently made these amazing cardamom/orange peel cookies. maybe you should take some crazy spices you wouldn't normally consider (plus some grade A mari-jew-ana) and make a sweet ass dessert!
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