"As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December's bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same"
-Donald E. Westlake
WEBSITE: Set a Holiday Spread that has a few healthy choices http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/quick-recipes/dinner/seasons-eatings-healthy-holiday-recipes/?sssdmh=dm17.484608&esrc=nwfitdailytip111910&email=2686729334
What says Christmas better than some good ol' Christmas cookies?! My mom and I spent a large portion of yesterday baking anything and everything you could possibly imagine. The first thing my dad said when he walked in the pantry was "wow, that's a lot of food!". Hope the family comes hungry!!
Well I am not some crazy person that is going to tell you to skip over all the good stuff and head straight for the vegetables. Don't throw your healthy lifestyle out the window, but do ease up and enjoy!!
I was pretty happy with some of the baked goods so if you have some extra baking to do, I figured I would share my creations. I made these low-fat, whole-wheat gingerbread muffins (mine were actually dairy-free but that's up to you) and these absolutely adorable chocolate-peppermint mini brownies...I bet you can guess which one is the "not-so-healthy".
Well, I am far from a whiz in the kitchen so I must admit I took the boxed-mix route rather than homemade. That's not too say it can't be recreated from scratch but these were easier and my taste-buds approved! The recipe calls for 1 stick of butter but throw in 2 tablespoons of applesauce and you have a low-fat creation. I used lactaid instead of milk to account for my sister-in-law and my lactose intolerance. Threw them in some muffin pans and baked for 15 minutes...couldn't be easier! What sounds better than a little gingerbread for Christmas morning breakfast :)
It is a good thing I took the quick, easy route for the muffins because my mini-brownies were not so easy! They were worth the effort though! I found this recipe on the Growing Gourmets blog and just had to give them a try!
Peppermint Brownie Kisses
Double Chocolate Brownie Recipe
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into large pieces
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cooking oil into cups of 2 mini muffin pans. Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, and whisk in sugar. Whisk in eggs, 1 at a time, until combined. Whisk in cocoa and salt. Fold in flour until combined.
Scoop batter into muffin tins. Bake until set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, 20-25 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift brownie cups from pan with a knife and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely. Pipe peppermint frosting onto brownies in a swirl pattern. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint.
Double Chocolate Brownie Recipe
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into large pieces
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cooking oil into cups of 2 mini muffin pans. Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, and whisk in sugar. Whisk in eggs, 1 at a time, until combined. Whisk in cocoa and salt. Fold in flour until combined.
Scoop batter into muffin tins. Bake until set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, 20-25 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift brownie cups from pan with a knife and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely. Pipe peppermint frosting onto brownies in a swirl pattern. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint.
Peppermint Frosting
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. butter, softened
3 tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
red food coloring (used to your liking)
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. butter, softened
3 tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
red food coloring (used to your liking)
I spent the majority of the time perfecting the piping of the icing and sprinkling on the peppermint in just the right fashion. You could say I was a little OCD about it but I was pretty happy with how they turned out!!
Hope you are having a very Merry Christmas! What is your favorite Christmas goodie?
Megan
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