Hi friends!!

Today was a cold but great day. It's a little colder in Northern California then usual, but after my freezing Thanksgiving in Ohio I'm really can't complain.

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Low Fat- Low Calorie Holiday Desserts

As promised here are more then a few tasty holiday treat recipes. I plan on trying all of them

Mini Apple Pies

The perfect way to enjoy a healthier serving of Apple Pie! These low calorie mini pies are a great snack or dessert that will have you enjoying the taste you crave with zero guilt.

Ingredients

4 sheets whole wheat filo dough

4 large Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp light butter

Fresh squeezed juice from 1 small orange

Fat free Reddi-wip

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with butter flavored non-fat cooking spray

Lay out 4 sheets of FILO dough in one, neatly stacked pile, and cut into 12 circles. (You can use a large circle shaped cookie cutter)

Gently press each circle of filo dough into the muffin pan, creating a bowl for the apple filling

In a medium sized bowl, combine apples, orange juice, sugar, flour, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg

Using a spoon, fill up each 'pie shell' with the apple filling, until all the filling is gone.

Don't be afraid to heap it high... The apples will bake down a lot

Top each mini pie with 1/2 tsp of light butter

Place in the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes

Take out of oven and let cool in pan for about 10-15 minutes

Gently take on of the mini pies out of the pan and inspect.

If filo shell still seems very soggy on the bottom, place it back into the oven for another 10 minutes, and then let it cool in the muffin pan for another 10-15 minutes

Top each mini apple pie with a dollop of fat free Reddi-wip before serving

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Per serving: 86 calories, 1g fat, 17g carbohydrates; 1g protein; 2.5g fiber

Low Fat Pumpkin Roll

Ingredients

Cake:

3 large egg

1 cup equal or your favorite artificial sweetener

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup self-rising flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Filling

4 ounces reduce-far cream cheese, softened

1-1/2 to 2 cups light whipped topping, thawed, if frozen

2 tablespoons Equal (to taste)

Bear eggs and 1 cup equal for 5 minutes in mixing bowl on medium speed of mixer

Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice

Blend in flour, cinnamon and nutmeg until well combined

Line a jelly roll pan with waxed paper

Spread batter evenly in pan

Bake in preheated 350 oven 5 to 8 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean

Cool 3 minutes in pan; turn out onto a cloth and roll up from the narrow end

Chill in refrigerator until completely cool

For filling:

Beat cream cheese, whipped topping and 2 tablespoons equal in mixing bowl on medium speed of mixer until smooth and spreadable

Unroll pumpkin roll and spread with filling. Re-roll

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve

Serving size 1/8 of pumpkin roll

Calories 159, Protein 6g, Carbs 19g, Fat 6g, Chol 87mg, Sod 341mg,

Low Calorie Sugar Cookies

Baking during the holiday season is one of my favorite activities this time of year. Sugar cookies in particular are one treat I look forward to all year long, but most are loaded with calories and fat. Each cookies has only 65 calories!! That's a reason to celebrate!!

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbsp butter softened

1/4 cup almond milk

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Combined all ingredient in a large bowl, mix well until batter is blended evenly

Roll batter into 1- inch balls and place on a greased baking sheet

Bake cookies for approximately 15-18 minutes

Remove cookies from baking sheet and allow to cool on wire rack

Makes 18 cookies

Candy Bar Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Cupcake base

1 cup spelt or all-purpose (130g)(arrowhead Mills Gf also works)

6 tbsp cocoa powder (30g)(not Dutch)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup xylitol or sugar of choice (180g)

1/2 cup mayo-style spread, like Vegenaise

1 tbsp pure vanilla extact

2/3 cup plus 2 tbsp water (185g)

Preheat oven to 350 F and place 12 cupcake liners inside a cupcake pan

In a large bowl, combine first five ingredients. Sift very well

In separate bowl, combine the remaining three ingredients and whisk u the mayo is completely smooth

Pour wet into dry and stir until just combined

Immediately divide the batter among the cupcake liners- it won't seem like a lot of filling, but these cupcakes rise a lot

Bake 21 minutes, then let sit 15 minutes before removing from the pan

These taste 10 times more chocolatey and rich the next dat so bake the cupcakes the day before eating them is possible

Store in the refrigerator

Date Caramel:

120g pitted dates (jam-packed 2/3 cup or about 17 small dates)

1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Level 1/4 plus 1/16 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk of choice

Optional for richer sauce: 2 tsp vegetable or melted coconut oil

Blend dates in food processor until they're completely broken up

Add all other ingredients and blend thoroughly until the sauce is completely smooth

Blend the dates first or it will splatter

Poke a hole in each cupcake and stuff with 2-3 tsp filling

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 cup peanut butter or allergy-friendly alternative

1/4 cup powdered sugar or sugar free powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk of choice (add 1-2 extra tbsp if using natural peanut butter)

Beat all ingredients together until completely smooth, use hand beaters if you have them

(If you must you can stir everything together with a for using Maximus effort and patience. A magic bullet will also work)

Map read about 1 tbsp of frosting on each cupcake

Top cupcakes with chopped peanuts is desired

1 serving - 1 cupcake

137 calories per serving, calories from fat 57, total fat 6.4g, saturated fat 1.1g, trans fat 0, cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 254mg, carbs 18.9g, dietary fiber 2.9g, sugars 4.8g, protein 3.4g

Buckeyes

Serving size 1 cookie

1-16ounce jar low-fat, low sodium smooth peanut butter (about 1-3/4 cups)

4 tablespoons I salted butter, softened

6 cups confectioners' sugar

1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

4-1/2 teaspoons shortening

Toothpicks and waxed paper

Place peanut butter and butter in the large bowl if a mixer

Beat on medium speed until very smooth, scraping sides of bowl as needed

Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth

Roll mixture into 1- inch balls

Arrange balls on waxed paper-lined trays or baking sheets

Cover and chill for 3 hours or overnight

In a small, heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips and shortening over medium-low heat, stirring frequently

Keep warm over very low heat

Remove about 1/4 of the peanut butter balls from refrigerator, use toothpick to hold balls and lower into chocolate, leaving the top exposed so that it looks like a buckeye.

Allow all excess chocolate to drip off

Place ball, on waxed paper-lined tray or baking sheet

Repeat with remaining peanut butter balls until all are dipped

Chill for 30 minutes or until firm. Store in the refrigerator

Makes 90 cookies

Chocolate Chip Christmas Balls

8 tablespoon butter, softened

1/4 cup cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 egg

2-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1-12 ounce package miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2/3 teaspoon fat free milk

Small silver balls (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F

In medium bowl, beat butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer for 30 seconds

Add granulated sugar and salt

Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally

Beat in egg and 2 teaspoons vanilla until combined

Beat in as much of the all-purpose flour and white whole-wheat flour as you can with the mixer

Stir in the chocolate chips

Shape dough into 1-1/2-inch balls

Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until

Bottoms are golden.

Transfer to wire rack

Dust with confectioners' sugar and small silver balls

124 calories, 1g protein, 17g carb, 6g fat, 3g saturated fat, 1g fiber

I hope you all enjoy these recipes. They look super tasty, healthy, and easy to make.

I think I'm going to add a healthy cookie tin to my homemade Christmas presents.

 

Have a great weekend friends

Blessings

Mary