Category: Meal Planning

Small Batch Double Chocolate Muffins (Lower Calorie Version)

This is a lower calorie version of this original recipe. See notes below.

INGREDIENTS

  • 140 grams all purpose flour (or 140 grams of Kodiak Cakes Buttermilk protein pancake mix)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 40 g of sifted cocoa powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar substitute (I use Splenda)
  • 1 cup unsweetened applesauce (I do not like Mott’s as it is too green apple-ish. Aldi has a great option!)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup almond milk (or other milk alternative)
  • 95 g chocolate chips, divided (I used 75g of chocolate chips and 20g of chocolate chunks)
  • 1/2 tbsp turbinado sugar, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Place 6 liners in muffin tin, alternating cups to leave a cup between each muffin if possible.
  • In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda.
  • Add salt, sugar substitute, unsweetened applesauce, vanilla, and almond milk (or other milk alternative) to dry ingredients and stir until combined. Try not to overmix.
  • Stir in 75g of chocolate chips.
  • Fill 6 lined muffin tins with mixture, overfilling to achieve a bakery-style muffin.
  • Dot top with remaining 20g of chocolate chips (I love using semi-sweet chocolate chunks on top).
  • Sprinkle turbinado sugar over muffins before placing in pre-heated oven. This is optional, but we enjoy the crunchy texture on top.
  • Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes until set.

NOTES

Depending on your texture preferences, you may enjoy these even more than the original recipe!

At only 213 calories per muffin, these definitely hit the spot when watching the blasted scale. If you want to save a few more calories, using Kodiak Cake mix instead of AP flour slightly lowers the calories to about 201 calories per muffin. It also provides some extra protein and gives the muffins a little more lift, so you feel like you are getting a much larger muffin. My kids prefer the Kodiak Cake version the most.

Calorie breakdown:

IngredientsCalories
140g AP flour510
1 tsp baking powder5
1/4 tsp baking soda0
40g sifted cocoa powder92
pinch of salt0
1/2 cup splenda3
1 cup unsweetened applesauce100
1 tsp vanilla extract0
1/2 cup almond milk21
75g chocolate chips410
20g chococolate chunks109
1/2 tbsp turbinado sugar30
Total:1280
Per muffin:213.3333333

Enjoy, kiddos! I love you so very much. Thank you for all the support you’ve been giving me lately as I strive towards better health. The greatest gift I’ve been given is watching you all grow into the beautiful adults that you are, and I want to make sure that I’m around for many years to come. You have so much living and growing ahead of you, and I can’t wait for all the memories we have yet to make together! I am so very proud of each and every one of you.

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Snowball Cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
  • 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.5 tsp almond extra
  • 2.25 cups all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cups chopped pecans
  • Additional powdered sugar to coat cookies (about 1 cup)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Whip together butter and powdered sugar until light and creamy.
  • Add vanilla and almond extracts to creamed mixture.
  • In another bowl, sift together your dry ingredients: AP flour, salt, cornstarch
  • Add your dry to your creamed ingredients in 3 parts.
  • Fold in your nuts.
  • Put combined dough into fridge for about 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Once dough is chilled, use a small cookie scoop to place cookie dough balls onto 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Allow at least an inch between cookie but know that they do not really spread. You can fit about 20 cookies on one baking sheet.
  • Bake cookies in preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Cookies will be very blonde. DO NOT TOUCH once removed from oven.
  • Allow cookies to cool for about 10 minutes.
  • Once slightly cooled, place cookies on a cooling rack to finish cooling off completely.
  • Once cookies are completely cooled, coat cookies in additional powdered sugar. Be gentle as they are delicate.
  • Enjoy!

NOTES

Original recipe discovered via TikTok: Angela Kay’s Kitchen. We called these Mexican Wedding Cookies while growing up. They are a fav!

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Grandma’s Strawberry Crunch Cake

This is one of our traditional Christmas desserts, one that we’ve had every Christmas as long as I can remember. I even made sure to whip this up while we were in Boston, miles and miles away from our extended family back in Mississippi. It was comforting to share that little piece of home and helped me cope with missing them so very much during the holidays.

I post this here because I think I may be the last of my family to have this recipe. Someone had told me that my grandmother had lost it, and it would break my heart to lose this traditional family favorite.

It’s simple. And beautiful. This red and white delight is a lovely finishing touch to any holiday or spring table. I do hope you’ll try it when you can spare the calories.

INGREDIENTS

Crust:

  • 2 sticks of butter, melted
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 2 cups pecans
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • A pinch of salt if using AP flour, optional


FILLING:

  • 2 packages cream cheese, softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • Box of Dream Whip (located near Jello in baking supplies aisle)
  • 1 can strawberry filling

INSTRUCTIONS

For crust: Place butter into baking dish and melt in a 350-degree oven. Add flour, nuts, and sugar to melted butter, forming a dough. Press the dough into the pan to form a crust and bake in pre-heated oven until golden. Cool.

For filling: Cream together softened cream cheese and powdered sugar. Prepare box of Dream Whip per box instructions (see notes below). Fold Dream Whip into cream cheese mixture. Pour combined mixture into cooled crust and top with strawberries before refrigerating.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

NOTES

Grandma’s recipe just states “box of dream whip”, but the box comes in 2 envelopes. Use both.

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Momma-style Bread Machine Rolls

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 oz water
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp powdered milk
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 320 g all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 tsp fast rising yeast

*Additional ingredients: I brush the tops of my baked rolls with butter once out of the oven. Should be about 1 tablespoon of butter, if that. I also sometimes lightly sprinkle flaked Maldon salt on top of my freshly buttered rolls.

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Add all the ingredients EXCEPT for the flour and yeast into the bread machine pan in the order listed.
  • Add in the all-purpose flour.
  • Make a well in the center of the flour and add in your yeast.
  • Once bread machine pan is locked in place, set the bread machine setting to DOUGH.
  • Once the bread machine completes its dough cycle, remove the dough from the bread machine pan onto a lightly floured surface.
  • Divide dough into half, then cut each half into thirds, before cutting each third into halves for a dozen large rolls.
  • Roll each piece into a ball and place onto a greased 9×13 baking pan.
  • Place the rolls in a warm place (*see notes) to rise for about an hour (until doubled in size).
  • Heat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
  • Brush the tops of the freshly baked rolls with butter (and sprinkle tops with flaked Maldon salt, if desired).

NOTES

For my warm place, I heat my own for only 1 minute at 350 degrees (just enough to warm the space), turn off the oven, turn on the oven light, and let my rolls rest in the closed oven for the required hour.

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Double Chocolate Small Batch Muffins

*I have a lower calorie version here, which we actually enjoy even more, but that may be because of our diet brains!

INGREDIENTS

  • 140 grams all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 40 g of sifted cocoa powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 90 grams (1/2 cup) brown sugar
  • 60 ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 120 ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
  • 75 g (1/2 cup) chocolate chips … plus more for decorating tops, if desired.

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Place 6 liners in muffin tin, alternating cups to leave a cup between each muffin if possible.
  • In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda.
  • Add salt, sugar, oil, vanilla, egg, and milk to dry ingredients and stir until combined. Try not to overmix.
  • Stir in chocolate chips.
  • Fill 6 lined muffin tins with mixture, overfilling to achieve a bakery-style muffin.
  • Dot top with additional chocolate chips (I love using chocolate chunks on top or chopped pieces of quality chocolate bars).
  • Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 18 minutes until risen & domed.

NOTES

Makes 6 bakery style muffins. If not sweet enough for your taste, add 2 heaping tablespoons of granulated sugar in addition to the brown sugar. However, I find these perfect as they are for my tastes. The chocolate flavor is deep and rich, akin to a lava cake or brownie.

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The Perfect Swim Biscuits & Southern-style Chocolate Gravy

The perfect biscuit is such a personal preference. Some people enjoy soft, fluffy biscuits. Some people enjoy a buttery, layered biscuit. And me? I love a biscuit that is somewhere between my mom’s fluffy biscuits and my grandmother’s buttery biscuits with a crispy crust straight from the cast iron. That’s where these easy swim biscuits come in!

INGREDIENTS

Biscuits:

  • 1 stick of butter
  • 2-1/2 cups flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 4 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 cups of milk

Chocolate Gravy:

  • 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cups cocoa
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 2 cups of milk or water
  • pinch of salt (to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS

Biscuits:

  1. Turn on oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Place stick of butter into your cast iron skillet and put into oven as it is heating. Remove from oven when butter is melted (about 10 minutes). I like to leave it in there until the milk solids start turning golden.
  3. In a bowl, combine dry ingredients before adding in milk.
  4. Once butter is melted in iron skillet, drop heaping spoons of dough into the melted butter forming individual biscuits. I usually make around 9 large biscuits.
  5. Swirl your pan a little so that some of the butter also gets on top and in between your biscuits.
  6. Cook in 425-degree oven for about 25 minutes, or until the edges are crispy and the tops are golden brown.

Chocolate Gravy:

  1. Sift dry ingredients together into a saucepan.
  2. Slowly incorporate water or milk into dry ingredients. (My mom used water instead of milk!)
  3. Heat at medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is combined (no lumps!) and has thickened to a gravy consistency.
  4. Finish with a tab of butter (and some people add a touch of vanilla, but this was not traditional in our house growing up).

NOTES:

While it is trendy now to call this chocolate gravy and biscuits, these were just “chocolate biscuits” to us when growing up. This treat is a staple for any weekend country breakfast. Since Zach doesn’t like chocolate biscuits, make sure you also make a quick & tasty sausage milk gravy to top those swim biscuits! Add grits and a side of bacon … and you’re home. I love you, kiddos!

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Lacey Almond Thin Cookie Recipe

I originally found this recipe listed as Wedding Cookies, but the results were not what I normally associate as such. These cookies more closely resemble a lacey Almond Thin. I feel like the original recipe author perhaps forgot an ingredient when posting (an egg, maybe?), but the results were these rich, thin cookies that became my favorite contribution to the Christmas cookie season.

Let the baking madness that is a hallmark of Christmas begin!

Also: These are AMAZING cold. I’m talking straight-out-of-the-freezer cold! Trust me on this one …

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 3 ounces of cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 cup flour
  • pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Cream together the first 5 ingredients.
  • Fold the flour and pinch of salt into the creamed mixture.
  • Place dough into fridge to chill for 30 minutes while heating oven to 350 degrees.
  • Using a small cookie scoop, place 8 dough balls evenly spaced onto ungreased cookie sheet.
  • Place cookies into a 350-degree oven for 14-18 minutes (or until golden brown).
  • Cookies will be spread when cooking and become VERY delicate. They are done when edges are lacey and golden brown. I like the edges very lacey and messy as the crunch is spectacular.
  • Allow to cool almost completely before coating with powdered sugar.
  • Store cooled cookies in fridge (or freezer!) until serving.

This recipe makes about 16 cookies.

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Preppy Kitchen’s Delicious Cream Puffs

Recipe highlight: The following is copy/pasted from Preppy Kitchen’s Blog and Youtube tutorials for posterity’s sake. There is invaluable additional information regarding this complicated recipe that can be found by clicking on the provided links. Please check out the original recipe for the best results!

Ingredients

Pastry Cream:

  • 1½ cups whole milk (360mL)
  • 1½ cups heavy cream (360mL), divided
  • 1 vanilla bean split and seeds scraped
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar (133g)
  • ¼ cup cornstarch (30g)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

Puffs (Choux Pastry):

  • 1 cup water (240mL)
  • ½ cup unsalted butter (113g)
  • 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (120g)
  • 3 to 4 large eggs
  • confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Instructions

For the Filling:

  • Combine the milk, ½ cup cream, and scraped vanilla seeds in a medium pot and place on medium-high heat whisking occasionally. Bring to a boil and immediately turn off the heat and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together then add the egg yolks. Whisk until pale yellow and smooth. While whisking, slowly pour in ½ cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture. Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan.
  • Cook the egg yolk mixture over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and just starting to bubble. The whisk should leave a defined trace when moved through the custard. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until fully melted and combined. Transfer the custard to a large bowl.
  • Cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. The custard can be made up to 2 days in advance.

For the Choux Pastry:

  • Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
  • In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. When it boils, immediately take the pan off the heat.
  • Add all of the flour at once and stir hard with a wooden spoon until all of the flour is incorporated. Return to medium heat and cook, stirring for about 60 seconds.
  • Scrape the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (you can also use a hand mixer). Beat at medium speed for about 2 minutes to cool the mixture down. (it will still be warm.)
  • With the mixer running, add 3 eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl between each egg. Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are completely incorporated. The dough should be thick but fall slowly and steadily from the beater when lifted out of the bowl. If the dough is still clinging to the beater, add the remaining 1 egg and mix until incorporated.
  • Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe dollops roughly 2 inches in diameter and 1 inch high. Lightly wet a finger and tap down the spike on top. (For additional color during baking, you can brush the tops of the dough lightly with an egg wash.)
  • Bake for about 20 minutes or until the dough is golden brown and appears dry. (Try not to open the oven door during the bake.) Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Carefully poke holes in the side of each puff by inserting the tip of a small knife about halfway into the puff. Return to the oven and bake for another 3 minutes. Remove and let cool completely on the baking sheet. (You can turn the oven off and leave the puffs in the oven with the door cracked open after baking if you’d like them to really dry out.)

For the Assembly:

  • Place the remaining 1 cup cold cream from the filling in a large bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Remove the custard from the fridge and whisk it to break it up and smooth the texture out. Fold the whipped cream into the custard. Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a star tip
  • Cut the tops of the cooled puffs off with a serrated knife. You can scoop out some of the softer strands inside, if desired. Pipe the cream filling into each pastry then place the cap on, and lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar. Cream puffs are best if enjoyed within a few hours of assembly. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Notes

I am STILL trying to perfect this dessert despite it being a family favorite. It is a must-have for my brother’s birthday! And of all the recipes for creme puffs, Preppy Kitchen’s version is definitely my favorite to date!

However, for nostalgia’s sake, I am including a picture of the recipe that my mother used to make creme puffs. The version in the images below was included in a recipe book that was lovingly put together by one of my sisters for all of my siblings after my mother’s passing. While the recipe from Preppy Kitchen is an elevated version, mom’s version is and always will be near and dear to my heart.

1

Christmas Toffee Bark

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 C butter
  • 1 C brown sugar, packed
  • 2 C chocolate morsels (milk chocolate, semi-sweet, dark … your choice!)
  • 40 saltine crackers (or cracker of your choice … including graham crackers of pretzels!)
  • Topping of your choice, optional (Example: nuts, sprinkles, flaked sea salt)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Line jelly roll pan with foil. Spray foil with nonstick spray. Lay crackers flat onto foil-covered pan.
  • Cook butter and brown sugar for 6-10 minutes before pouring over crackers.
  • Bake in a 350 oven for 8-10 minutes or until caramel mixture is bubbly.
  • Remove from oven and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of and let melt for about 5 minutes. Chocolate morsels will be shiny and soft when ready to spread. Immediately sprinkle the topping of your choice, if desired.

REVIEW

So rich and addictive. You simply cannot tell that crackers are used as the crunchy base for this bark. Totally amazing for an easy holiday treat. A favorite year after year …

For my kiddos: Link to a similar recipe that includes a video in case you have any questions when making this tasty treat: https://www.littlesweetbaker.com/christmas-crack-saltine-cracker-toffee/

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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The Ultimate: Baker by Nature’s “Best Fudge Brownies”

Recipe Highlight: These are rich, fudgy brownies with a perfect crinkled top. The chocolate tastes dark and decadent without being bitter, and the chocolate chips really elevate this sweet treat into something really special.

Please check out the original recipe from Baker by Nature for tons of additional information regarding this recipe! I can’t recommend this enough, as it goes into depth about WHY the ingredients work so well in this recipe. Baking is both an art and a science, and this recipe is beautifully and meticulously crafted.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (43g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder optional (don’t use if you don’t like coffee)
  • 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter
  • 2 Tablespoons (28ml) oil canola, vegetable, or coconut will work
  • 1 and 1/3 cups (265g) granulated sugar divided
  • 2 large large eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract optional, but recommended
  • 3/4 cup (128 grams) chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) (175 degreed C). Line an 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Spray lightly with non-stick baking spray and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, and espresso powder. Set aside until needed. 
  3. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, oil, and 1/3 cup of the sugar. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until butter is completely melted. Remove from heat. 
  4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla (if using) and remaining sugar. Whisk until well combined, about 30 seconds. 
  5. Slowly, pour the warm butter mixture into the egg mixture, adding it very gradually (a little bit at a time) and whisking constantly until completely combined. 
  6. Add in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips and, using a rubber spatula, slowly stir until just combined. *Do not over mix! Stop stirring when you see the last trace of dry ingredients. Over mixing will give you cakey brownies. 
  7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. 
  8. Bake for 28 (to 30 minutes) or until the edges are firm and the top is shiny and slightly cracked. 
  9. Place pan on a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing. 
  10. If desired, top with walnuts.

NOTES

Please note that the recipe as written calls for a 9 x 9-inch pan.

I doubled the recipe to accommodate a 9 x 13-inch pan & opted to top my brownies with walnuts before baking. I can’t stress enough how much we loved these bakery-quality gems. It will forever be my go-to when it comes to satisfying my craving for chocolate.

Kiddos: When you make these, know that I used a mixture of different chocolate chips that I had on hand: some milk chocolate, some dark chocolate, a few semi-sweet. It was a great way to get rid of stray chocolate chips that remained behind after one of Audrey’s notorious cookies baking sprees. I can’t express how proud I am that I have passed down my love of cooking to all of you.

Enjoy!

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