Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Bars

Everyone has those recipes that you make for special occasions: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays.  Well, this recipe is part of my family's Holiday baking ritual...it's probably the least Italian thing my very Italian family produces around Christmas, but it's definitely one of my favorites.

It's peanut butter.  It's chocolatey.  Together.  In one bite.  How could that be wrong?

I recently made this for a gathering and they were a big hit.  I'm not surprised.  You will be delighted. 

Ingredients
About 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cups peanut butter chips
(Optional: 1/2 cup toffee bits)

1. In a preheated oven, melt butter in a 13x9 baking pan.

2. When butter is melted, sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs on the bottom of the pan.  The crumbs should completely absorb the melted butter and cover the entire pan bottom.

3. Cover the graham cracker crumbs with the can of sweetened condensed milk. Be careful with this step: if you keep the can in one place and try to spread the condensed milk after you've poured it all out, you'll probably ruin the graham cracker layer.  Try to use a zig-zag motion, going back and forth, covering the whole pan with the condensed milk. It should spread fairly evenly on its own.

4. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and the peanut butter chips onto the condensed milk layer.  Use a solid spatula to press the chips into the condensed milk.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.  They chips should be soft and meltey (but not entirely melted), and the edges should be golden brown.  Let them sit for at least an hour before you cut them.

I'm not even going to try to calculate the WW points for this dessert...

Red Velvet Cheesecake...and Cupcakes...and Bars

The first time I had red velvet cake, I was in graduate school. I lived in Georgia, and it was some amazing cake.  Out of respect for some of the unparalleled red velvet I've had over the years, I've never attempted to make it, though.

One of my favorite desserts is cheesecake.  This recipe combines the red velvet and the cheesecake. There are some pretty nifty things that you can make...that are relatively not fattening. This recipe (and it's accompanying variations) is one of them. I figured I could give it a shot, since it's not completely red velvet :)

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 box Red Velvet cake mix
1.25 cups container vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt
1 large egg
1 cup water
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese
1/4 cup light sour cream
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the cupcake tin with liners and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat cake mix, 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt, egg, and water on medium speed until well combined. Set aside.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt, sour cream,e gg whites, sugar, flour, and vanilla extract on a low setting until well blended.

4. Add the cake mix to the cupcake liners, about 1/2 full.

5. Add an ice cream scoop of cheesecake mixture on top of the red velvet. Use a fork to swirl the mixtures together.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheesecake is set. Remove from oven and let cool. Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour before serving. 

Yields about 24 servings (1 cupcake per serving)
Approximate Points Plus Value: 4 per cupcake

Variations

For mini cheesecakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In several small ramekins, melt 1/2 tsp of butter. Top with graham cracker crumbs. Follow steps 2 and 3 for the cake mix and cheesecake mix.  Add the cheesecake mix to the ramekins, about 1/2 full. Add an ice cream scoop of the red velvet cake mix, and swirl with a spoon. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until cheesecake is set. Let cool for 1 hour before serving.

For bars:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Follow steps 2 and 3 for cake mix and cheesecake mix. In a coated 13x9 inch baking pan, pour about 3/4 of the red velvet mixture. Top with the cheesecake mix. Add the remaining red velvet mix, and swirl with a fork. 

Raspberry Linzer Cookies

I love raspberries.

Okay, that's not entirely accurate. I actually don't like to eat raspberries. They're pretty to look at, to photograph, but I'm not particularly keen on the taste of raspberries. Unless they are in jam or jelly form. Then, raspberry is one of my favorite flavors. It's a texture thing, I think.  I exclusively use raspberry jam or jelly: on bagels, on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, with brie...

And because every party needs a little sweetness, these Raspberry Linzer Cookies were ideal!

A brief history on linzer cookies: Linzer cookies are derived from Linzertortes (or linzer tortes, depnding on the source).  Linzertortes originated in Linzer, Austria and are consdiered one of Austria's oldest recipes.  Linzertortes are characterized by a light, flaky, almond-tasting crust, filled with fruity jams or preserves, and topped with a crust of criss-crossed latticework.  Linzer cookies are a derivation of this dessert torte, and they come in many forms, shapes, sizes, and flavors.  Because of my love of the taste of raspberry, I decided to use that.

Ingredients

1.5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1.5 teaspoons almond extract
1 cup red raspberry preserves
1 cup frozen raspberries
Powdered sugar for garnishing

1. In a food processor, combine flour, powdered sugar, butter, and almond extract. Mix until the dough breaks into small pieces.

2. Pour mixture into a an ungreased 11.5 x 7.5 inch baking dish. With the back of a spatula, press into an even layer to form a crust.  Bake until the crust turns golden, approximately 20 minutes.

Left: Press the crust evenly on the bottom with a spatula; Right: Bake the crust for 20 minutes till golden.

3. While the crust is baking, combine preserves and frozen raspberries in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the preserves turn to liquid and the raspberries are thawed.

4. When both crust and filling are ready, evenly pour the raspberry over the hot crush. Bake until the raspberry is set (about 25 minutes).  Remove from oven and allow to cool. Cut into 20 squares, remove from the baking dish, and cool thoroughly on a wire rack. 

5. Dust with confectioners sugar garnish.

A few more thoughts about this recipe...

One of the greatest things about this recipe is that you can substitute any flavor you want. Like blueberry?  Use blueberry preserves instead, and substitute frozen blueberries for the raspberries. 

Since I've started Weight Watchers, I've been using Smucker's Sugar Free Raspberry Preserves.  And when I went back and had a teaspoon full of the regular ol' Smuckers Raspberry Jelly, it was ridiculously sweet and I couldn't eat it.  Because it's a dessert, though, the cookies may have benefited from the non-Sugar-free variation. 

Another lesson I learned: wait to sprinkle the confectioners sugar on top of the cookies. They hadn't cooled all the way, and so it kept melting into the jelly. Then, I didn't want to keep adding it to the top since it would make the sweetness too high, and keep driving up the points.

For more information about linzer cookies or linzertortes, check out this article (complete with a much more complicated recipe for linzer cookies).

PointsPlus value: 3 points (1 cookie per serving)