Tag: dessert

Bourbon Baked Apples with Creamy Peanut Butter

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Are you craving dessert, but you made a New Year’s resolution to eat healthy? Dessert does not have to be off limits. Instead of depriving yourself, select recipes made with nutritious ingredients like this dish with fresh apples, protein-packed peanut butter and non-fat Greek yogurt. Cheers to a healthy year filled with delicious and nutritious sweet treats.

Ingredients:
3 apples, such as Braeburn
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon bourbon
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons peanut butter
½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon skim milk

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly oil a baking dish.
  2. Core and slice apples, leaving the skin on, and place in prepared baking dish. Drizzle apples with maple syrup and bourbon, and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss with a spatula to evenly coat and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until apples are tender.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or medium bowl with a handheld mixer, combine peanut butter, Greek yogurt, honey, vanilla and milk. Mix until creamy and smooth.
  4. Serve apples with a dollop of creamy peanut butter.

Servings: 6

Tripple Chocolate No-Bake Christmas Cookies

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If you are craving Christmas cookies and do not have time to bake this holiday season, you are in luck. With three types of chocolate, oats and peanut butter, this is my wreath-shaped-take on the classic no-bake cookie. Throw together this simple recipe and let it chill, while you finish decorating your Christmas tree, and you will be ready to relax with your cookie, a glass of milk and a Hallmark movie.

I once lived in a tiny apartment in Manhattan without a stove. I had the strongest desire to bake cookies during the Christmas season, so I purchased a hot plate and made no-bake cookies to satisfy my sweet tooth. Now these cookies always remind me of the magnificent Christmas decor New York City has to offer, much like the enchanted towns in Hallmark holiday movies.

Ingredients:
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup milk
½ cup chunky peanut butter
¼ cup coconut oil
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup dark chocolate baking chunks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add brown sugar, milk, peanut butter, coconut oil and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil, stirring until melted and smooth.
  3. Remove from the heat and stir in oats, vanilla and salt. Gently fold in chocolate chunks.
  4. Scoop around ¼ cup of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet using an ice cream scoop. With a small spoon, scoop out the center portion and add it back to the bowl of cookie dough. Use your hands to gently press the cookie into wreath shapes.
  5. Place white chocolate chips in a small saucepan set to medium-low heat. Melt the chocolate, stirring frequently. Slowly drizzle white chocolate over the cookies, creating decorative stripes.
  6. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 30 minutes until cookies are chilled and firm. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Servings: 12 (1 cookie)