Category Archives: Desserts

June 20, 2010 · 11:43 pm

Peanut Butter Krispies

These are good as is…if you want to really go the extra mile, though, melt some chocolate and drizzle it over the top. Your taste buds will thank you.

Ingredients:
1/3 c. creamy peanut butter
1 T butter
10 1/2 oz. bag miniature marshmallows
6 c. Rice Krispy cereal
Cooking spray
3/4 c. peanut butter chips

Directions:
Combine the peanut butter and the butter in a large microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds or until mixture melts. Add marshmallows and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes or until mixture melts stirring every 30 seconds. Add cereal and stir well. Pat cereal into a 13×9-inch baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray.

Place peanut butter chips in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds or until chips begin to melt. Spoon melted chips into a small heavy duty Ziploc bag and seal it up. Snip a very tiny hole in one corner of the bag. Drizzle peanut butter chips over cereal mixture.

Did I change anything? The only thing I have done differently is that I have melted chocolate chips the same way the peanut butter chips were melted and added the chocolate drizzle in addition to the peanut butter chip drizzle. Yum!

What did the family think? I have never made these for my family. I have, however, made them for the neighbors at Christmas.

from Cooking Light

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

June 19, 2010 · 10:20 pm

Rhubarb Crumb Bars

I had never made anything with rhubarb before I made these. Oh my, it was good….put a little whipped cream on top. Yowsers!

Ingredients:
2 c. flour
1 c. rolled oats
1 1/4c. brown sugar
1/4 tspn. salt
1 c. butter (2 sticks) cut into slices
6 c. sliced rhubarb (about 2 lbs. before trimming)
1 1/2 c. white sugar
4 T corn starch
1/2 c. water
1 tspn. vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heavily grease a 11 by 7-inch baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl combine: flour, oats, brown sugar and salt. Now add the pieces of butter. Using your fingers, mix the dry ingredients into the butter. Keep working it with your fingers until you have a pebbly-looking crumbs.

Reserve one cup of crumbs and put them to the side. Press the rest of the crumbs into the bottom of the baking dish to make a crust. Spread the sliced rhubarb over the crust.

In a small saucepan combine the white sugar and the cornstarch. Add the water and cook over medium heat making sure to continuously stir the mixture until it thickens up a little and becomes clear, about five minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour this mixture over the rhubarb.

Sprinkle the reserved crumbles on top.

Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Then turn the oven down to 325 degrees and bake for another 40 minutes. Really watch it those last ten minutes or so to make sure the crumble on top doesn’t start to burn.

What did the family think? Apparently I am the only one who likes rhubarb in my house, so I shared this dessert with the neighbors. It is SOOOO good with whipped cream when it is still warm. The next day I had some straight from the pan at room temperature with a nice glass of ice cold milk.

from Catherine Newman

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June 15, 2010 · 10:26 pm

Green Pumpkinseed and Cranberry Crispy Bars

These are so delicious. They are like Rice Krispy treats for grown-ups. They are sweet, but then they also have the saltiness from the pumpkinseeds and the tartness from the cranberries.

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1/2 c. green pumpkin seeds (buy them from the bulk bins at your grocery store)
1/4 c. butter
8 oz. package of miniature marshmallows
1 tspn. vanilla extract
1/8 tspn. salt
5 c. Rice Krispies (you can use cereal made from brown rice too)
1 c. dried cranberries

Directions:
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pumpkin seeds and cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until they start to brown, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and cool.

Lightly coat a 13 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in marshmallows and cook until smooth, stirring constantly, about two minutes. Remove from heat and add salt and vanilla. Stir in seeds, cereal and cranberries.

Scrape mixture into prepared baking dish. Lightly coat hands with cooking spray and press cereal mixture evenly into prepared dish. Cool completely. Should make about 16 bars.

What did the family think? My family has never had these. Every time I make them it is for a present of some sort…to pass out to neighbors at Christmas, to give to the new neighbors across the street….you get the idea. People love to receive these because they are a twist on something they have had a zillion times. 🙂

from Cooking Light

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June 12, 2010 · 11:46 pm

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip and Bean Cookies

Do you see a trend here? Low fat/high fiber cookies that taste good…there’s nothing wrong with that!

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 1/2 c. old-fashioned oats
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. Great Northern or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 T water
3 T butter, softened
1 c firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly coat two cookie sheets with cooking spray.

In blender, process oats until finely ground, but not powdery. In a bowl, combine with flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Pour beans into a separate bowl. Add water and use the back of a spoon the mash the beans until they are blended with the water into a paste. Add butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat well.

Beat in oat and flour mixture on low.

Stir in chocolate chips by hand.

Drop batter (1 T at a time) onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake 15-17 minutes

Transfer to wire racks to cool.

from Epicurious.com

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Filed under After School Snacks, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

· 11:30 pm

Chocolate Black Bean Brownies

I made these tonight for my family. We have had these several times before and I have always hid the fact that they have black beans in them for fear of a revolt. Tonight though the kids watched me as I put the beans in with the brownie mix. They were a little confused at first, but they didn’t seem to mind that there were beans in their brownies when they were asking for seconds.

Ingredients:
1 box of brownie mix
15.5 oz. can black beans

Directions:
Preheat the oven to the temperature that is says on the brownie box.

Drain and rinse the beans.

Put the beans back in the can and fill the can to the top with water.

Dump the beans and water in a blender and puree.

In a large bowl, combine the beans and the brownie mix.

Pour mixture into an oiled 9×13 in baking dish.

Bake according to package directions.

What does the family think? They love them.

recipe from Weight Watchers

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian