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It’s a Raisin Bran Muffin Makeover!
If you are looking for a hearty muffin without all the fat (or in this case, ANY fat!), then give these made-over Raisin Bran Muffins a try. Check out the recipe below – I hope you enjoy!
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A Chocolate Chip Cookie Shake-up: Toll House Marble Squares
If you love chocolate chip cookies, you will go crazy for Nestle’s Toll House Marble Squares. With all the same ingredients you love in chocolate chip cookies –rich brown sugar and fudgy chocolate chips– these squares are essentially cookie batter baked in the form of a cake in a sheet pan. The squares are a bit thicker and chewier than their cookie form, but share the same chocolate chip cookie taste we have all grown to love. Once the “cake” is baked, you cut it into small squares for bite-sized treats. This recipe makes for a great gift – simply package up the squares in small boxes with decorative bows and you have a guaranteed hit. Keep reading for the full recipe!
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Sherry Cake
Sherry cake is one of my grandmother’s most delightful go-to cakes. It’s easy to make and bursting with the distinct taste of sherry wine. You start with a basic yellow cake mix and vanilla instant pudding mix and add eggs, oil, sherry and nutmeg. The result is a moist, dense pound cake-like cake that is sure to impress. It works really well baked in a bundt pan and sliced thin with dusted powdered sugar on top. You can make it in mini loaf pans as well if you wish.
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Coconut Macaroons
I have to admit, my boyfriend’s office has been growing increasingly jealous of the fresh baked goods I send my boyfriend into work with. One of the guys requested macaroons, so I gave it a try. This recipe is courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa and is truly the best coconut macaroon recipe around. The cookies are moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Not only are they beautiful, but the recipe is super easy as well. With only sweetened shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, egg whites and salt on the ingredient list, you can whip up these cookies in no time. Once baked and cooled, you can try dipping some in melted chocolate or leaving them plain. The best part is when you are baking, the sweet smell of coconut fills the house, making it smell like a tropical paradise!
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The Best Homemade Granola Bars Ever
Warning: these bars are addictive!! I finally found the perfect, healthy Granola Bar recipe and I am thrilled to share it with you here. Most granola bar recipes contain loads of butter to obtain their distinct crunchiness, but this recipe only has a couple tablespoons of oil and is loaded with texture and flavor. -
Healthy Chunky Banana Bran Muffins
There is nothing better than a healthy, hearty bran muffin so I set out to create one full of sweet, chunky bananas. With the addition of nonfat Greek yogurt, I was able to reduce the amount of oil in the recipe and still maintain the moistness and texture of a traditional bran muffin. For lots of fiber and healthy grains, I added wheat bran and wheat germ, along with a combination of light brown sugar and molasses for sweetness. A teaspoon of freshly grated orange zest adds a subtle citrus twist. Most banana muffin recipes call for small, diced pieces of banana that pretty much blend in, but I wanted these muffins to be chunky, so I cut the bananas slices thick. Once baked and cooled, you will have a dozen golden brown bran muffins, chock full of distinct bananas and chewy grains. Enjoy!
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A Cake Fit For a King… Galette des Rois
The French are smart. After Christmas, once the endless Bûche de Noëls and truffles au chocolat are devoured and forgotten till next year, the French fill the newly formed dessert void with a brilliant confection, Galette des Rois. In Paris, bakeries reopen on January 2nd with their shelves full of these much-awaited cakes. Traditionally eaten only to celebrate the day of Epiphany on January 6, when the Three Kings came to Bethlehem, Galette des Rois is so popular that pâtissiers usually serve this scrumptious cake the entire month of January.
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Chocolate Crackle Cookies
Ever since I saw pictures of Martha Stewart’s scrumptious Chocolate Crackle Cookies, I had to make them. As any chocolate-lover would agree, the flaky texture and beautiful cracked tops, oozing with light-as-air powdered sugar, is irresistible. This recipe uses high quality bittersweet chocolate, melted over a double boiler, in addition to dutch cocoa powder to create a rich, chocolate flavor in the form of light, flaky cookies. Dutch Cocoa powder is different than regular unsweetened cocoa powder. You can find it in many gourmet shops or high-end supermarkets such as Whole Foods. I used Whole Foods’ luxurious Valrhona cocoa powder, imported from France. Valrhona is actually the name of a manufacturer based in the small town of Tain-l’Hermitage in Hermitage, a region near Lyon, France, that produces arguably the finest chocolate in the world. Chocolate Crackles make for a delicious chocolate treat during the Holidays or anytime of year!
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Saltine Toffee
One of my favorite holidays treats is homemade Saltine Toffee. This recipe uses Saltine crackers as a base to make a delicious and easy candy that’s crunchy, salty, sweet and full of rich chocolate. You can be as creative or gourmet as you wish by adding chopped nuts, crushed candy canes, colored sprinkles, dried fruit or drizzled white chocolate to decorate and embellish your toffee. Saltine toffee makes for an impressive holiday gift that any candy lover is sure to enjoy.
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Butterballs
This delicious recipe for butterballs is another fantastic Christmas classic. Sometimes called “Snowballs,” these rich, crumbly butter cookies are rolled and covered in a generous layer of powdered sugar. The cookies are made of butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, flour and finely ground walnuts. The walnuts give the cookies their subtle, signature crunch. Butterballs are very crumbly, so be sure to be really careful when rolling the cookies in powdered sugar. I hope you enjoy this classic and scrumptious recipe!
