Neiman Marcus Cookie

(Recipe may be halved):

2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 tsp. soda
2 cups sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal**
24 oz. chocolate chips
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)

** Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.

Pumpkin Muffins

Serves: 9
Serving Size: 1 muffin

Sweet treat for dessert, or at any time of the day.

INGREDIENTS
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
1-2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. Combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin, oil, and water in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
3. Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and spices in a separate bowl.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet, and stir to blend.
5. Place batter 3/4 to top of non-stick or lightly oiled muffin tins. You may also use cupcake cups.
6. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from pan right away.

NUTRITION INFO
Calories: 398
Fat: 23 g
Carbohydrates: 45 g
Protein: 5 g

Source

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Serves: 2

Sweet and creamy, peanut butter doesn't always have to be served with jelly.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup low-fat plain or vanilla yogurt
1 medium banana, quartered
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1-1/2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup non-fat milk

DIRECTIONS
1. Purée all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

NUTRITION INFO (per serving)
Calories: 229.9
Fat: 9.4 g
Carbohydrates: 30.3 g
Protein: 9.7 g

Summer Frozen Fruit Bars

Serves: 4

Make your own popsicles!

INGREDIENTS
2 cups cut-up summer fruit (strawberries, peaches, watermelon, etc.)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
1. Place the fruit in a blender. Cover and blend until smooth.
2. Add 1-2 tablespoons water, if necessary. Add sugar and lemon juice. Cover and blend until well mixed.
3. Pour into 4 oz. ice-pop molds or paper cups. Insert sticks. Freeze until solid.

NUTRITION INFO
Calories: 36
Fat: 0.3 g
Carbohydrates: 9 g
Protein: 0.5 g

Fruit Compote with Honey Yogurt

Serves: 6

A sweet treat after dinner.

INGREDIENTS
3 cups unsweetened apple juice
1 slice (about 1/4 inch) fresh ginger
2 ripe pears
2 Golden Delicious apples
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
6 pitted prunes
1/2 cup plain, low fat yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
julienned strips of lemon zest

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine apple juice and ginger in a large shallow saucepan and bring to a simmer.

2. Peel, quarter and core the pears and apples and toss with lemon juice. Add to saucepan. Cover and cook over low heat until pears are just tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Add apricots and prunes and then cover, cooking for 5 minutes on low heat.

4. With a slotted spoon, transfer the fruit to a serving bowl.

5. Raise heat and boil the apple juice mixture, uncovered until it reduces to 1 3/4 cups. Cool liquid slightly then pour over the fruit.

6. Stir the yogurt and honey together in a small bowl and set aside. Toast the almonds in a small skillet (without oil) over low heat until golden (about 2 minutes.)

7. Drizzle the fruit with a spoonful of the yogurt and honey mix. Garnish with strips of the lemon zest and sprinkle with the toasted almonds.

NUTRITION INFO
Calories: 200
Fat: 2 g
Carbohydrates: 47.5 g
Protein: 2.5g

Fresh Fruit Salad with Honey-Yogurt Dressing

I get a lot of recipes from SparkPeople every day. One of the purposes of this blog, other than to share the recipes, is also to save them for myself to look back on later. Since these recipes all sit in my inbox, taking up space, they will be better here which was always the intent but I just never got around to it till now.

Serves: 6

The dressing makes the fruit an extra-sweet treat.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large seedless oranges, peeled, sliced, and halved
1/2 large pineapple, peeled, cored, sliced, and cut into wedges
1 apple, cored and chopped
1 ripe pear, cored and sliced into wedges
1 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced

DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, honey and cinnamon. Stir well to blend ingredients.
2. Arrange fruit on plates and drizzle the honey-yogurt dressing on top.

NUTRITION INFO
Calories: 135
Fat: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 31 g
Protein: 3 g

Hazelnut Cheescake Parfaits

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chups
2 tbsp. half-and-half cream
2 tbsp. whipped cream cheese
2 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 cup reduced-fat coffee-flavored yogurt
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup whipped topping
2 chocolate graham crackers, crushed

1. In a small skillet, cook and stir the hazelnuts over medium heat until toasted, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar; cook and stir for 2-4 minutes or until sugar is melted. Spread on foil to cool.
2. In a small saucepan, melt chocolate chips with cream over low heat; stir until smooth. Remove from the heat; cool to room temperature. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until blended. Beat in yogurt and vanilla; fold in whipped topping.
3. In two parfait glasses, layer the graham crackers, yogurt mixture, chocolate mixture and hazelnuts. Refrigerate until chilled. Garnish with the chcolate curls and whipped topping if desired.

Serves 2

Surprise Cinnamon Chiffon Cake

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs, separated
6 tbsp. water
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

Filling:
1-1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups sliced strawverries

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Whisk the egg yolks, water, oil and vanilla; add to dry ingredients. In another small mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 tbsp. at a time, beating on high until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter.
2. Gently spoon into an ungreased 7-in tube pan. Cut through the batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake on the lowest oven rack at 350° for 40-50 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan; cool completely, about 1 hour.
3. Run a knife around the side and center of tube pan. Remove cake. Cut a 3/4 in. slice from top of cake; set aside.
4. Using a sharp knife, carve a tunnel out of the cake, leaving a 1 inch thick wall on all sides; carefully remove cake from tunnel. (Discard cake from tunnel or save for another use.)
5. For filling, in a small mixing bowl, beat cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Set aside two-thirds of mixture. Fold remaining cream mixture into strawberries; spoon into tunnel. Replace cake top. Frost top and sides of cake with reserved cream mixture.

Serves 8

Tip:
If you serve this as a birthday cake, whole strawberries make fun candle holders. Just poke a candle in the top of each berry.

Cornmeal Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen

2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup of cornmeal
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
21 tbsp. (1/2 lb. plus 5 tbsp) butter, softened
2 egg yolks

1. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add butter and egg yolks. Using your fingers, work butter and egg yolks into flour-cornmeal mixture until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a clean surface and knead 4-5 times until smooth (dough will be soft and tacky). Cover dough with a clean, damp kitchen towel and set aside to let rest for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 300°. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 3/8" star-shaped pastry tip. Pipe 2"-diameter spirals of dough out onto prepared sheets about 2" apart. Bake until edges turn pale golden, 20-25 minutes. Allow cookes to cool briefly, then transfer them to a rack to let cool completely. Serve with zabaglione, if you like.

Muscat-Spiked Zabaglione

Serves 4

4 egg yolks
4 tbsp. sugar
4 tbsp. moscato d'asti or other sweet Italian muscat wine

1. Put 4 egg yolks and 4 tbsp. sugar into a large nonreactive metal bowl. Set bowl over a medium pot of gently simmering water over medium-low heat and vigorously whisk eggs and sugar together until well combined. Gradually add the 4 tbsp. moscato d'asto ir other sweet Italian muscat wine, little by little, whisking constantly.
2. Continue whisking until mixture is light and foamy, almost tripled in volume, and holds soft peaks, about 10 minutes. (Do not let eggs cook around the edges of the bowl.) Divide zabaglione among 4 dessert dishes and serve at room temperature with cornmeal cookies.