Chocolate Chip-Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup reduced-fat creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 (8 oz.) package light cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup tax-free cream cheese, softened
• 1 (12 oz.) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup thawed frozen light whipped topping
• 5 tbsp. mini semisweet chocolate chips 
• 1 (6 oz.) prepared Graham Cramer crust

Makes 16 Servings (1/16 of our pet serving)

1.  With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat peanut butter, light cream cheese, and fat-free cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in condensed milk and lemon juice until blended well. 
2.  With a rubber spatula, fold in whipped topping and with 4 tablespoons of chocolate chips just until whipped topping is no longer visible. 
3. Spoon peanut butter-mixture into prepared piecrust and smooth top. Chop remaining 1 tablespoon chocolate chips and sprinkle over top. Cover pie loosely with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours or up to overnight. 

WW POINTS VALUE: 9 pts. 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meals Cookbook. The combination of peanut butter and chocolate is delightfully delicious If you make this pie into mini pies, they will be just as delicious and satisfying. 

Key Lime Dessert Shots

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup lime juice, preferably key lime
• 2 tsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup aerosol whipped cream
• 1 tbsp. grated lime zest

Makes 8 Servings

1. Combine condensed milk and egg yolks in a small heavy saucepan; cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to boil. Stir in lime juice and 1 teaspoon of butter; pour into shallow bowl and refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.
2. Fold yogurt into cooled lime mixture just until combined; set aside.
3. Melt remaining  1 teaspoon butter in microwave in a small microwavable bowl. Add graham cracker crumbs and salt, stir until crumbs are evenly moistened.
4. Line up 8 (2 oz.) shot glasses. Spoon 1 tablespoon crumb mixture into each glass, pressing to form crust. Top each crust with 2 heaping tablespoons lime filling and 1 tablespoon whipped cream; sprinkle evenly with lime zest.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meals Cookbook. This is what I call a sweet ending. If you love key lime pie, you will love this dessert. It's a small portion but it's worth it. It's like eating a key lime pie out of a shot glass and it is flavorful and delicious.

Gooey Rocky Road Bars

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. chocolate wafer cookies
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup mini marshmallows

Makes 16 Bars (1 bar per serving)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or nonstick spray.
2. Put wafer cookies in a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form. (Or place cookies in large zip-close plastic bag and crush with rolling pin.) Transfer to a small bowl; stir in butter and salt until crumbs are evenly moistened. Transfer to prepared pan, pressing to form even layer.
3. Sprinkle chocolate chips and walnuts over crust. Pour condensed milk over and sprinkle with marshmallows. Bake until chocolate is melted and marshmallows begin to brown, about 15 minutes.
4. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Refrigerate until firm. Cut bars into 4 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 4 pieces, making a total of 16 bars.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meals Cookbook. These treats are flavorful and delicious. If you love rocky road or smores, these sweet treats are for you. You can use crushed graham crackers in place of the chocolate wafers, almonds in place of the walnuts, and or dark or bittersweet chocolate chips in place of semi-sweet chocolate chips, these treats will still be delicious. These treats are perfect for a picnic, tailgate or even a birthday party and people will go nut for them.

Raspberry-Chocolate Shortbread Bars

Ingredients:

• 2 cups reduce-fat buttermilk baking mix
• 1/3 cup packed granular brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 tbsp. fat-free milk
• 1 (14 oz.) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 tbsp. chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves

Makes 30 Servings (1 bar per serving)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over rim of pan by 2 inches. Spray foil with nonstick spray.
2. Whisk together baking mix, brown sugar, and butter in a large bowl. Transfer 1/4 cup mixture to small bowl; set aside. Drizzle milk over mixture in large bowl and stir until evenly moistened. Turn into prepared pan and press to evenly cover bottom. Bake until edges brown, about 15 minutes.
3. Put condensed milk and 1 cup chocolate chips in large microwavable bowl. Microwave on High 1 minute. Stir until chips are melted; microwave 10-15 seconds longer if necessary. Spread filling evenly over hot crust. Mix pecans into reserved crumb mixture. Sprinkle over filling. Spoon jam by 1/2 teaspoonfuls over filling, spacing about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.
4. Bake until filling is set and jam is bubbly, about 25 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. Lift from pan using foil. Cut into 30 bars.

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Tastier than Takeout Cookbook. This sweet treat may take some tome and effort but it's worth it. If you love the combination of fruit and chocolate, this treat is for you. If you don't have buttermilk baking mix, substitute 2 cups flour with 1/4 cup powdered buttermilk and your treats will taste just as good. These treats are great to make on the weekend and you will be able to enjoy them throughout the week. You can use any kind of berry preserves in this recipe and your shortbread bars will be just as delicious.

Boston Cream Pie

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 cup cake or all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Custard:

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups 1% milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze:

• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp chocolate extract (optional)

Makes 12 Servings

1. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with nonstick spray. Line with wax paper rounds and spray with nonstick spray.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. With an electric mixer on high speed, beat the eggs until thickened, about 3 minutes. Gradually add the granulated sugar, beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low. Add the water, butter and vanilla; beat until blended. Add the flour mixture; beat until just blended. Pour the batter into the pans, dividing it evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Let coolo completely in the pans on racks. Runa knife around the edges of the cakes to loosen them from the pans; invert onto racks. Remove the wax paper.
3. To make the custard, whisk together the granualted sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the milk and egg until blended. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture simmers, about 3 minutes. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickned, about 1 minute longer. Remove the saucepan from the heat; stir in the butter and vanilla. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface; let cool.
4. To make the glaze, sift together the confectionaers' sugar and cocoa in a small saucepan; stir in the condensedmilk and set over low heat. Cook, stirring, until the mixture bubblesand thickens, about 2 minutes; cook 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and chocolate extract if using. let cool until thickened, about 10 minutes.
5. To assemble the cake, place 1 cake layer, bottom side up, on a serving plate. Whisk together custard until smooth; spread evenly over the layer, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with the remaining layer, top side up. Using a narrow metal spatula, spread the chocolate glaze evenly over the cake.

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 PTS

Note: This recipe appears in the WW All-Time Favorite Recipes Cookbook. In 1855 in Boston, the Parker House's pastry chef decided to dress up the hotel's Boston Pie, a 2 layer sponge filled with custard and dusted with confectioners' sugar, by topping it with a rich chocolate glaze. The chef renamed it the Parker House Chocolate Pie but over the years its name became the Boston Cream Pie. It still remains the signature dessert at the Omni Parker House and is the official State dessert of Massachusetts. I consider my self a Bostonian and I have always wanted make the official state dessert of Massachusetts. The cake was delicious as was the custard and the chocolate glaze was chocolatey. I screwed up on the chocolate glaze and the custard was not as custard-like but the cake was fluffy and moist. If and when I make this again, I'll make Boston Cream cupcakes so they will be easier to make and freeze. 

Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1 large egg white
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp imitation coconut extract
• 2 cups crisp rice cereal
• 1 cup shredded coconut

Makes 12 Servings (24 Cookies)

1. Preheat the oven to 300 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper ( or, with foil and spray with nonstock spray).
2. Combine the condensed milk, egg white, vanilla, salt and coconut extract in a large bowl; stir in the cereal and coconut. The batter will tend to fall apart; moisten your fingers with water and press  the mounds to evenly shape them. Bake until lightly browned, about 18 minutes. Cool completely on a rack. Carefully peel the macaroons off the parchment paper or foil and store in an airtight container.
3. Drop the batter in tablespoon-size mounds onto the baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.

 

WW POINTS VALUE 2 pts.

 

Note This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. I had coconut macaroons earlier in the holiday season and I wanted to try to make the macaroons myself this holidays season.  Macaroons are normally served during Passover but you can serve them during the Christmas season as well. They're often too sweet and rich to enjoy with reservation. The crisp rice cereal filling in for the coconut are feather light but just as satisfying. It just takes some time to get used to the less fattening taste.