Dark Chocolate Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing

  While it's been quite some time since my last post, I hope to update this more frequently this summer as I try out new recipes. I'm also planning to try to make more from scratch and not rely so much on processed, pre-packaged foods. So, we will see where this culinary journey takes me!
This recipe was inspired by my cousin who is an outstanding baker! I made a few changes to her recipe to add some more nutrients and reduce the sugar.

Dark Chocolate Banana Cupcakes 

Ingredients

1/4 c sugar

1/4 c xylitol (or sugar, if you don't have it)

5 T unsalted butter

1 t vanilla

1 1/2 medium, ripe bananas - mashed

1/4 c spelt flour

3/4 c unbleached, all-purpose flour

1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

2/3 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350.  Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add vanilla and bananas and mix.  Combine dry ingredients; add dry ingredients alternately with milk until combined. Pour into 12 cupcake papers. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Nutrition Info (based on 11 servings - yes, I only got 11 out of this)

Calories: 135
Carbs: 12g

Fiber: 1.8 g

Sugar: 6.5 g

Protein: 1.8 g

Peanut Butter Icing

1/2 c unsalted butter, softened

1/2 c creamy peanut butter

1/8 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/2 t vanilla

2 1/2 - 3 c powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients until smooth. Let's not even go there with the nutrition facts on the icing...

All things in moderation - stay healthy!

 

Skinny Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tis the season for baking and Christmas goodie overload! But, with this recipe, you can indulge a little and not feel quite as guilty.  I cut out a lot of the sugar in this recipe though there is still quite a bit. Some people say you can substitute half the butter called for in a recipe with applesauce. I've tried it a few times - sometimes with success, sometimes not. I wanted to make sure these cookies were good, so I opted to leave the butter in them.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 c all-purpose, unbleached flour

1/4 c self-rising flour

1 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

1/2 c unsalted butter

3/4 c brown sugar, packed

1/2 c white sugar

1 t vanilla extract

1 fresh egg white

1/8 c (2 T) liquid egg substitute 

1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

  Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350.  Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Add vanilla, milk, and egg whites/substitute to the butter and sugar; mix.  Add dry ingredients to wet slowly. (This dough is a bit thick.) Stir in chocolate chips.  Bake for 8-10 minutes on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Nutrition Facts  (for 1 cookie, based on yield of 43 cookies):

Calories: 78

Fat: 3g

Carbs: 13.7g

Sugar: 9g

Protein: .9g

Stay healthy!

Chocolate Cheesecake Bites

Another great little (simple) dessert!  This is a scaled down recipe that can be doubled, tripled, etc., as desired. The greek yogurt adds protein while the unsweetened cocoa powder is rich in antioxidants!

Chocolate Cheesecake Bites

Ingredients

.5 cup low fat vanilla greek yogurt (I like Dannon Greek; plain greek will work as well but they won't be quite as sweet)

4 oz. Neufchatel cheese (aka light cream cheese)

3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

splash of vanilla extract

pinch of stevia (I have also used about 2 packets of sun crystals in place of stevia; any low/zero calorie sweetener will do)

1 package of mini fillo shells (like Athens)

Directions

Allow yogurt and Neufchatel cheese to come to room temperature; blend all ingredients until smooth.  Fill each fillo cup with a dollop of the mixture; top with chocolate sprinkles or mini chocolate chips.  This version fills about 22 shells.

Nutrition

Calories (in 1): 30   Fat: 1.8g   Carb: 3g   Protein: 1.5g   Fiber .2g   

 

  Stay healthy!