Monster Bars Times 2

I have made Monster bars two times since last Sunday. They were a hit at one family's Christmas and so I made them again for my IL's Christmas. I made them exactly the same except I had a little white chocolate chips left over from something else and so I through them in too. I figured these to be about 4 POINTS each, but they maybe a little more/little less depending on the size and what all you throw in there. These are wonderful!




MONSTER Bars!
(source: WW Magazine December 2007)

2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
5 tbsp light butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 pan. Combine oats, flour, baking powder in medium bowl and set aside. Beat butter and sugar in with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg, egg white, vanilla and beat until well blended. Add the peanut butter and beat for about 1 minute. Mix in the oat mixture on low until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and M&Ms until mixed throughout.

Spread into pan. Bake until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Cool completely, cut into 24 bars.

POINTS per Bar: 4

Tis the Season! Pumpkin!

One thing I miss since being on WW is the seasonal goodies. For example, we didn't raid the candy aisle after Halloween, I haven't had one Pumpkin Pie Spice Latte from Caribou (it's not offered in sugar free) and I didn't have one pumpkin bar or apple crisp! Well, the lack of seasonal goodies is going to end right NOW! I got this recipe from Recipezaar.com, where I have found several WW friendly recipes since joining in July. It is delicious! I added a little cinnamon to the mix also. The house smelled so good after baking! I did make a cream cheese glaze frosting because pumpkin bars are not the same without a cream cheese frosting in my opinion! In one good sized piece I only had to sacrifice 3 points! Yay!



Pumpkin Spice Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
(source: Recipezaar and me for frosting)

1 pkg spice cake mix (I heart Duncan Hines)
15 oz can pumpkin
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup eggbeaters
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Spray 11x17x3 1/4 jelly roll pan with cooking spray and spread dough in evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes until done.

Cream Cheese Glaze

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
8 oz light cream cheese
a dash of cinnamon (about a tsp)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp skim milk

Mix all together for about 2 minutes with electric mixer. It isn't real thick but is an awesome glaze! Spread evenly over cooled bars. Keep bars refrigerated.

POINTS per bar with frosting: 3
POINTS per bar without frosting: 2

To Die For Smores!

Yes, these are WW friendly! They are actually from the Pizza, Pizza WW recipe book, I borrowed from my mom. She was actually the one who said I HAD to try this recipe! It was so freaking good! They are even better when you warm them back up in the microwave for about 15 sec before enjoying (right out of the oven are delicious too!). With so little ingredients and and effort, how could these not be enjoyable?!

S'mores Cookie Pizza

12 (whole) reduced fat graham crackers, broken in pieces
1/4 cup yogurt spread (Brummel and Brown next to the butter)
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 cup mini marshmallows
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
2 tbsp Hershey syrup

Preheat oven to 375. In a food processor, combine graham crackers, yogurt spread and sugar. Pulse until crumbs are fine and begin to stick together. Spray 9 in pan with nonstick spray. Press the crust firmly into bottom of pan. Bake about 10 minutes.

After crust is done, sprinkle marshmallows evenly on crust, then chocolate chips. Lower heat in oven to 350 degrees and bake about 15 minutes more, until marshmallows are browned. Allow to cool about 15 minutes and drizzle chocolate sauce over the top. Cut into 9 pieces. Enjoy warm!

POINTS: 4 per serving

Sweet Tooth = Fulfilled!

There were just way too many good looking recipes in the September issue of Cooking Light this month. I didn't know which to try first! I was craving something sweet and chocolatey this weekend and decided to try the Fudgy Mocha Toffee Brownies. The great thing about this recipe is that I had everything on hand already, except the toffees! You would seriously NEVER know this was a light recipe, or even WW friendly! But they are!!! The most important thing to remember is that you need to watch portion sizing. The recipe states that 20 little brownies should be produced from a 8x8 pan... At first, I thought this was insane, but really that is all you need. These are rich!! I will definitely try this recipe again (and again, and again, and again!).

Fudgy Mocha Toffee Brownies
(Source: September 2007 Cooking Light)

Cooking Spray
2 tbsp instant coffee granules
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup butter (I used margarine and it was fine)
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1/4 cup toffee chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Coat bottom of a 8x8 pan with spray.
3. Combine coffee granules with hot water, stir until the granules are dissolved. (this took a few minutes)
4. Combine butter and chocolate chips. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute until butter melts; stir until chocolate is smooth.
5. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.
6. Combine coffee mixture, butter/chocolate chip mixture, vanilla and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.
7. Add wet mixture to dry ingredients. Stir until well combined. **the batter was really thick**
8. Spread evenly into pan and sprinkle evenly with toffee chips. Bake for 22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Yields: 20 servings

Calories: 145
Fat: 4.8
Fiber: 1.1

POINTS: 3!!

Playing with my new Toy

My husband loves brownies. LOVES them! So what did he request when I asked him what he'd like me to make him with my new mixer? Brownies! I have never had luck with homemade ones but the last two batches I made have turned out delicious! Yay! I used the recipe on the back of the cocoa powder because he requested a chewy fudgy brownie. This were a hit and my hubby gobbled up a row of them in an hours time!

Chewy Cocoa Brownies
(Source: Nestle Cocoa Powder)

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Baking Cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons water
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped nuts, (optional - we used walnuts)
1 powdered sugar

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 350º F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

COMBINE flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Combine sugar, butter and water in large bowl. Stir in eggs and vanilla extract. Stir in flour mixture and nuts. Spread into prepared baking pan.

BAKE for 18 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into bars.

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Our 2nd anniversary was this past Monday and we decided on not exchanging gifts because we are trying to save money. Instead we decided we would do dinner and a movie, which is odd for us to do more than once or twice a month (which we had already done this month). It was a lot of fun, a really great evening. Despite the fact that we decided on no gifts, we both came home with something for each other! How funny is that! Peter got me 9 pink roses (my favorite). 1 for each year we had known each other and 1 for the future. I decided that the best way to Peter's heart was with food, so I baked! I decided to make brownies, his favorite. I also decided to give it a whirl at making them from scratch, something I rarely do with brownies because they hardly ever turn out! As a back up, I bought a box of brownie mix, just in case! Peter's favorite flavors are chocolate and peanut butter, so I combined the two and came up with a swirly peanut butter-y chocolate brownie.

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
(source: Nestle and ME!)


1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2 tablespoons water
2 bars (4 oz. total) unsweetened chocolate bars
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups peanut butter chips


Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Microwave sugar, butter and water in a large microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 4 to 5 minutes or until mixture bubbles, stirring once. Remove from heat. Add baking bars; stir until melted. Stir in eggs one at a time until incorporated. Stir in vanilla extract. Add flour, baking soda and salt; stir well. Stir in peanut butter chip, they may melt a little and that is ok! Pour into prepared baking pan.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Another Woman's Goodies...I don't think so!

My husband loves treat day at his work. Why? Because his coworker, makes this scrumptious peanut butter bars that he loves. The first time he had these bars, he came home and asked if I could make them for us at home (throwing in mine would be 10 times better than hers, slick right!) I had Peter ask her for the recipe and she declined to give it to him, because it's her secret. Crazy, right?! Well after having Peter describe in detail the texture, flavor, color, and taste of these mystery goodies, I think I may have created a close comparison to these mystery bars. This has all been in good fun, and is kind of an inside joke with us now, every time his coworker brings these bars. So here is my take on them. Enjoy!

TRISHA'S (not Amy's) Peanut Butter Bars

1 1/4 cup peanut butter
1 lb powdered sugar
1 cup butter, melted
1 1/4 cup graham crackers
1 pkg chocolate chips


Cream melted butter and peanut butter together. Add graham cracker crumbs (I used honey but I am sure it wouldn't make too much of a difference). Add powdered sugar slowly, combining after each addition. Press mixture (it will be very thick) into a greased 13x9 pan. Melt chocolate chips in microwave, and pour over peanut butter mixture. Chill for about 20 minutes and cut before they harden too much. Cover and you can store these 2 ways. If you are a "I love my peanut butter cups in the fridge/freezer" person (like myself) then keep these in the fridge. If you are a "I love my peanut butter cups melting all over my fingers" as you eat them, then leave them out.

These taste somewhat like a Buckeye or peanut butter ball that I make during the holidays, which is how I came up with this recipe. So if you like those, you'll love these. When they are cold, the bars are a little more crumbly than if you leave them out.

Father's Day Dessert - Andes Minty Brownies

I am always in charge of dessert at any family function, which I love! Because it is Father's Day and my dad LOVES chocolate, I decided to make brownies. Now I have tried numerous times to make brownies from scratch, but I just am unable to produce homemade brownies. That is one of the few things that always flops when I bake. Therefore, I have become friends with brownie mixes. Because I use a mix, I always try to jazz them up a little. This time, I thought I would try mixing in Andes Mint Chips, something I have wanted to try for awhile now. I topped them with a tub of Cool Whip with white chocolate mixed in and the remaining chips sprinkled on top.

Andes Minty Brownies

1 box of your favorite brownie mix (13 x 9 size)
Eggs/Oil required for the mix of your choice
1/2 cup Andes mint chips

Topping
1 tub Cool Whip (I used lite)
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup white chocolate chips, melted and cooled slightly


Preheat oven according to the package of brownies. Mine was 350 degress.

Prepare brownies according to package with the eggs/oil/water. Add in 1/3 cup minty chips. Transfer to a greased 13 x 9 pan. Bake according to mix. Let cool completely before adding topping.

To make topping, put tub of Cool Whip in a large mixing bowl. Add vanilla and mix well. Fold in cooled, melted white chips. Mix until combined. Make sure that your white chocolate is cooled slightly because the Cool Whip will harden the chips once combined and your topping will be chunky which equals not creamy. Spread Cool Whip mixture on brownies and top with more Andes chips.