I blame the heat. Why else would I make a recipe like this – one that I KNOW TheBetterHalf and I will have absolutely no self control around?? This past week, we had a heatwave in NYC, and it made all of us a little crazy. Most Saturdays I will bake a loaf of bread or some muffins or a coffee cake, things that are delicious, but that I can usually stop eating after one or two pieces. Not this past Saturday…it was WAY too hot to turn on the oven. So I had the brilliant idea of making this no-bake recipe. This recipe is essentially a homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter cup, and it makes a whole tray of them! I’m not sure if you have noticed yet, but chocolate peanut butter is our absolute favorite dessert combination. And these bars are amazing!! I knew before I made them that I would not be able to stop eating them. But I decided to make them anyway. And I’m very glad that I did. A sweet and salty peanut butter bar topped with chocolate – what’s not to love?! They are so good, but so dangerous! That darn heat totally ruined any kind of healthy eating plan I had in mind for the weekend. Oh well, I guess that’s why they invented treadmills! …
Skinny Double Chocolate Muffins
I am so excited to post this recipe today. Why you ask? Because this delicious, decadent chocolate muffin is made with no fat! No oil, no butter – nothing! And they taste delicious. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of fat in baked goods…butter makes everything better! But when I saw this recipe on Sally’s Baking Addiction , I knew that I had to give it a shot. I love baking with yogurt, like my chocolate zucchini bread or lemon blueberry yogurt loaf, but I usually add in a little oil or butter to keep things rich and moist. This recipe, on the other hand, uses only nonfat yogurt and applesauce (there is a bit of fat from the 1 egg and the chocolate chips), and the results are amazing! The muffins are so moist. They are light and fluffy, and so chocolatey tasting. Even TheBetterHalf liked them, which means they really must be good. I will eat anything that has chocolate in it, but he is a bit more discerning. The only problem with these is that they aren’t so skinny when you eat three… …
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars
How have I never made cookie bars before? That is really a great question, because these were SO easy and SO good. I was sitting on the couch the other night, craving something sweet (by the other night I mean every night…) and decided I wanted to whip up something quickly. No chilling of the dough or softening of the butter or getting out the heavy stand mixer (I love my mixer, but it is so darn heavy, and there is no room for it on our counter top!). And then I stumbled on this recipe from Averie Cooks and had to make them immediately. It is seriously so easy! Just mix together the ingredients, spread it into a baking pan, and bake for about 20 minutes. Voila! Chocolate peanut butter heaven. …
Oreo Inspired Cookies: Chewy Chocolate-White Chocolate Chip Cookies
When I came across this recipe, I was so intrigued. A regular cookie that tastes like an Oreo? A cookie dough that has no eggs in it? I knew I had to try it! And I am so glad that I did, because these are delicious!! The flavor does in fact remind me of an Oreo, although a much better one!! The cookies are rich in chocolate flavor, and the white chocolate chips are the perfect complement to the fudgy cookie. I have never baked cookies without eggs, but somehow it worked! And because there is no egg in the dough I can eat it without TheBetterHalf telling me that I’m going to get salmonella! (TheBetterHalf: CateyLou is going to get salmonella. It’s inevitable. Don’t say I didn’t tell you so.) I ordered some of this cocoa powder from King Arthur Flour, and I think it is the best cocoa powder I have tried. It is so rich in flavor! …
Pumpkin Yogurt Bread
Greek yogurt keeps this Pumpkin Yogurt Bread super moist but still low in fat and calories. This light and skinny pumpkin bread is a healthy way to get your pumpkin fix!
I have gotten into the (bad) habit of going to Starbucks before work almost every morning. And almost every morning while I wait in line, I stare into that pastry case. It is so hard to resist their delicious baked goods. The fact that NYC posts the calories next to each food item does aid in my self control a little bit (how does a raspberry scone have 480 calories?!), but sometimes I just can’t help myself. When I give in to the temptation, I almost always pick the pumpkin loaf. I am obsessed with pumpkin, and the Starbucks loaf is so moist and full of flavor. However at 390 calories a slice, I am pretty sure there is a lot of oil contributing to that texture! So I decided to make my own pumpkin bread, using yogurt to keep it moist and lower in calories and fat. (I love baking with yogurt, like here and here) The results were amazing! It had great pumpkin flavor, highlighted by the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. The yogurt gave the bread a great texture, and underbaking the bread just slightly also helped to keep it very moist. This pumpkin yogurt bread was just as good as Starbucks, and I didn’t feel guilty about eating more than one slice! …
