This happened to be one of those recipes that turn out better than expected. I was very surprised that you couldn’t ever taste the zucchini! And adding the applesauce with the oil didn’t make the batter “cakey” at all, unlike previous recipes I’ve tried with applesauce (it’s a hit and miss, I guess). Best yet, who can resist the light chocolaty flavor? Just a tip, though, make sure you add the powdered sugar after the cake has cooled completely or it will just melt on top.
Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake
Yield: 18 servings
¼ cup canola oil
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 eggs
½ cup buttermilk
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 cups shredded zucchini
powdered sugar, for dusting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until crumbly. Add eggs, buttermilk, applesauce, chocolate, and vanilla. Beat well.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add to wet ingredients, beating just until moistened. Stir in zucchini. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar.
I just love anything with a buttery crumb topping to it, especially when there’s something ooey gooey underneath. This plum almond crumble is one of my favorite desserts to bake. The recipe has been at our house for a while. My mom used to make hers with a can of cherry pie filling, but we decided to apt for a healthier version of this recipe by using fresh fruit. If you’re not a big fan of plums, you can pretty much use any fruit that you please. Pears, apples, and peaches would be delicious as well. Don’t forget to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you have any!
Plum Almond Crumble
Yield: 6 servings
Crumb topping:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
6 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup sliced almonds
Filling:
6 medium plums, peeled and sliced into ½” wedges
¼ cup sugar
1 Tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 9 by 9 inch baking dish. In a mixing bowl, combine flour and sugars. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in almonds. In baking dish, combine plums, sugar, flour, vanilla, and salt. Squeeze crumb mixture to form larger crumbs and sprinkle over plum filling. Bake 30-35 minutes or until topping is golden. Let cool a bit, but not completely, before serving.
Hooray for scones! This batch of apple cinnamon cream scones turned out wonderfully and everyone at my house enjoyed their soft and moist texture. My favorite kinds of scones are the soft and almost biscuit like ones, not the hard and dried out dip-in-your-coffee kind. The heavy cream is an absolute miracle worker in this recipe and can’t be substituted. I’ve made other scones before and the recipe called for milk and it just wasn’t the same!
Apple Cinnamon Cream Scones
Yield: 12 large scones
1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped into small pieces
3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
6 Tablespoons sugar
4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup cold butter, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 cup, plus 2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 egg
1 egg yolk
Topping:
cinnamon sugar
1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Set aside a large, ungreased cookie sheet.
In an electric mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add butter and mix for 2 to 3 minutes, or until mixture forms pea-sized bits. Blend in the apple pieces.
In a mixing bowl, whisk cream, egg, and egg yolk together. Add the cream mixture to the flour mix and blend on low speed just until a dough is formed (this takes only a few seconds so don’t over mix!)
On a clean flat surface, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour. Using a spatula, empty the dough onto the surface. Dust dough with flour and knead six to eight times. Sprinkle more flour on surface and dough. With a rolling pin, roll dough into a 10 by 12 inch rectangle. Fold dough into thirds, like a business letter. Press to align edges. Sprinkle with flour and roll dough to a 5 by 15 inch strip.
Using a knife, cut dough strip into 6 small rectangles. Then cut each rectangle in half, diagonally across to form 2 triangles. You will have 12 triangles total.
Place scones on the cookie sheet, about 1 ½ inches apart. Brush tops with egg wash. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven, let cool 5 minutes, and then transfer onto a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Close your eyes and take a bite, and you just might call these cupcakes! These very vanilla muffins taste just like your “dream muffin” should – light, tender, and sweet. Seriously, this is probably one of the best muffins I’ve ever tasted!
When preparing the muffin tins, it’s best to use paper liners instead of cooking spray. I had a bit of trouble getting my batch out because they stick to the pan easily.
Very Vanilla Muffins
Yield: 12 muffins
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 stick butter, slightly firm
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup sour cream
sugar for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
Cut butter into 1-inch pieces and place in electric mixer bowl. Add vanilla and mix on medium speed until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute.
Gradually add in sugar. Mix 1 minute longer. Blend in eggs, one at a time, and mix for another minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture alternately with sour cream. Mix just until blended after each addition.
Divide batter between prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle tops with sugar. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack.
I haven’t eaten waffles in a while, mostly because they just don’t fill me up and I’m hungry again an hour later. It’s the same thing with pancakes, too. I have to eat a bunch before I start to feel full. Who needs the extra calories? No, thanks. Is there really a waffle recipe out there keep you from snacking all the way until lunch time? Yes!
These “hearty” whole grain waffles are great for breakfast, full of healthy whole grains, fill you up, and best yet…they don’t taste like sawdust (a common misconception for anything with whole wheat flour in it)! They are very yummy and leftovers can be frozen and reheated in the toaster.
Hearty Whole Grain Waffles
Yield: 16 waffles, 4-6 servings
2 eggs, beaten
1 ¾ cup milk
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
¼ cup wheat germ
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Beat in remaining ingredients until batter is smooth.
Preheat waffle iron and coat with cooking spray. Pour batter into waffle iron in batches. Cook until crisp and lightly golden brown. Serve with fruit topping or maple syrup.
In the summer, when it’s too hot to bake, I like to whip up a quick smoothie or shake. This peaches and cream shake makes a cool and creamy dessert or breakfast treat. Even better, it’s low calorie and protein-rich to fuel up for the day!I used frozen peaches instead of adding ice cubes, since they tend to dilute the flavor and make it watery.
Peaches and Cream Shake
Yield: 2 cups or 2 servings
½ cup soft tofu
½ cup vanilla soy milk
2 cups frozen sliced peaches
1 Tablespoon ground almonds
1 teaspoon honey
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Calling all carrot cake lovers! You can serve these muffins for breakfast, a healthy and low-fat alternative to carrot cake. Sometimes adding applesauce will cause baked goods to become cakey or heavy. Not so with these muffins, which are very soft and scrumptious. A perfect combination of butter and applesauce, along with soy milk and soy flour keeps them moist. At first I made these muffins without raisins, but decided that the raisins would complement the carrot and coconut very nicely. I plan to add them in next time. (Best of all, these muffins freeze well if you have leftovers!)
Carrot Coconut Muffins
Yield: 12 muffins
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup soy flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup vanilla soy milk
3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 scant cup shredded carrot
½ cup unsweetened coconut
½ cup raisins (optional)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease 12 muffins cups with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center and add egg, soy milk, butter, and applesauce. Stir until just combined. Fold in carrot, coconut, and raisins.
Divide batter between prepared muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cookie recipes tend to use a lot of butter and sugar, but you can enjoy a lighter dessert or snack with these chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies. The recipe only takes a small amount of sugar, and is naturally sweetened with honey. My last recipe – Plum Lovin’ Coffee Cake – was such a success I decided to add soy flour with the all-purpose in these cookies as well. The soy flour made the coffee cake lighter and it tasted fresh even a couple days after I baked it. Best of all, this recipe takes minutes to make. If you’re not a chocolate fan, you can substitute the chocolate chunks with raisins and walnuts.
Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies
Yield: about 40-45 cookies
½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup liquid honey
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup soy flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookies sheets with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, stir together butter, sugar, honey, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually stir in the remaining ingredients, until combined. Drop small spoonfuls on to cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until cookies are just starting to turn golden. Remove from oven, wait 5 minutes, then cool cookies on a wire rack.
You seriously won’t be able to tell that this recipe is made with soy, or that it’s so healthy! With only 160 calories a slice (and 3g total fat), this plum coffee cake can be enjoyed without feeling guilty. Have you tried soy milk, or do you drink it on a regular basis? I just started drinking vanilla soy milk for the past week, and I have to say I find it very delicious! I’m not a vegan, as I do enjoy other dairy products, but I figured I’d give soy milk a try…and I plan on incorporating more soy into my baked goods for healthy conscience people (like myself).
This recipe uses soy milk and a bit of soy flour. Soy flour is great because it contains a high level of protein and fiber! However, since it is gluten-free, it cannot replace all the regular flours when baking. It does give baked goods, like this coffee cake, a nice light texture.
Plum Lovin’ Coffee Cake
Yield: 9 servings
½ cup warm water
1 teaspoon honey
1 packet active dry yeast (1 Tablespoon)
½ cup plain or vanilla soy milk, scalded
2 Tablespoons butter
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup soy flour
1 ½ cups plums, pealed and thinly sliced
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
Grease a 9 inch square baking dish. Pour warm water into a small bowl. Stir in honey and yeast. Let stand 10-15 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, pour hot soy milk over butter, sugar, and salt. Stir until butter is mostly melted. When cooled to lukewarm, stir in yeast and egg. Mix in flours, stirring until smooth.
Spread batter into pan. Top batter with plums. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle brown sugar topping over batter. Cover dish with a towel, and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour).
Bake at 375 degrees F, for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly brown around the edges. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and store leftovers in the fridge.
These bite sized lemon-poppy seed muffins are so addictive! If you don’t want mini muffins, the recipe will make 1 dozen regular sized muffins, too. It’s been so hot the summer, and I’ve been avoiding baking anything that takes too long in the oven. Luckily, these take less than 20 minutes of baking time. Just be sure to check them around 15 minutes with a toothpick because over-baking will make them dry.
Lemon-Poppy Seed Mini Muffins
Yield: about 32 mini muffins
3 Tablespoons fresh poppy seeds
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
5 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Grated zest of 1 lemon
¼ teaspoon salt
Lemon Syrup
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
In a small bowl, combine poppy seeds, milk, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Let stand for 1 hour to meld flavors.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Coat 32 muffin cups with cooking spray. In a bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Add in eggs, beating well. In a separate bowl, mix flour and next 3 ingredients. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the poppy seed milk. Stir just until smooth.
Pour batter into prepared muffin cups, filling ¾ full. Bake 15-18 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean (muffins will be light). Let muffins cool on a wire rack. Mix sugar and lemon juice (warm in microwave to let sugar dissolve), and dip muffin tops into the syrup. Serve now, or store in an air-tight container for later.
This happened to be one of those recipes that turn out better than expected. I was very surprised that you couldn’t ever taste the zucchini! And adding the applesauce with the oil didn’t make the batter “cakey” at all, unlike previous recipes I’ve tried with applesauce (it’s a hit and miss, I guess). Best yet, who can resist the light chocolaty flavor? Just a tip, though, make sure you add the powdered sugar after the cake has cooled completely or it will just melt on top.
