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. 

Basic Crumb Crust

Ingredients:

• 32 low-fat honey graham crackers (8 full sheets)
• 2 tbsp. granular sugar
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 ½tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tbsp. water

Makes 8 Servings (1/8 pie crust per serving)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, place the graham crackers and pulse into crumbs, about 1 minute. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the sugar and nutmeg; mix well. Add the butter and water and mix until the crumbs are moist  and hold together in clumps when pressed. Press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Bake until golden, 8-10 minutes. Cool on a rack 20 minutes before using.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. crumb crust is both quick and easy and can be made with any pie filling. You can even make your on flavorful pudding into this crust topped with whipped cream and you'll have a creamy pudding pie. You can even take out the granulated sugar and substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon for a more flavorful crust.

Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 12 graham crackers (2 1/2-inch squares), made into crumbs
• 2 cups light cream cheese
• 1 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp. grated lemon zest

Makes 16 Servings

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F; wrap the outside of a 10-inch springform pan with heavy-duty foil; then spray the inside entirely with nonstick spray. Press the graham cracker crumbs over the bottom and partially up the side of the pan.
2. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed until blended; stir in the lemon zest. Pour the batter into the springform pan and set in a large roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until almost completely set, 30-35 minutes.
3. Turn off the oven and prop open the door with a wooden spoon; leave the cake in the oven 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack and run a knife around the edge of the pan to release the cake. Cool completely, then refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. Who says you can't have your cheesecake and eat it too? You can enjoy this rich and classic dessert at home with healthy ingredients. I do highly recommend putting in 1 teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and  nutmeg because they give the crust more flavor.  I also recommend using almond, lemon, mint or any flavor extract in this cheesecake for your desire. This cheesecake is literally a labor of love but worth every bite of it in the end.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Tartlets

Ingredients:

• 6 low-fat honey graham crakers (2 1/2-inch squares)
• 2 tsp butter, melted
• 3 cups chopped rhubarb
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tsp water
• 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp fat-free cream cheese
• 2 tbsp fat-free sour cream
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Makes 4 Servings

1. To prepare the crust, in a food processor or blender, whirl the graham crackers until finely crushed. Add the butter and pulse until well blended. Divide the mixture among 4 ( 4-inch) tarlet pans, pressing it over the bottom and up the sides to form a crust.
2. To prepare the filling, in a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the rhubarb, all but 1 teaspoon of the sugar, the salt and water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is soft, about 15 minutes. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds longer. Remove from heat and stir in the strawberries. Divide among the tartlet pans; refrigerate, covered, until chilled, 1-2 hours.
3. To prepare the filling, in a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, the remaining teaspoon of sugar and the vanilla; stir until smooth. Serve with the tartlets.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts per tarlet

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. I had never tried rhubarb before and I saw the photos for these treat in the cookbook and I new I had to try these tartlets. Plus, I also saw Chef Anne Burrell make a dish similar to this recipe and she made it look so easy. This is an easy an delicious dessert to make during the summer and it's even better to enjoy especially during a heat wave where you want something to make you happy. These fruity rhubarb tartlets do just that with the filling on top. It's like having your own little mini-fruit pie. The tartness of the rhubarb and sweetness of the strawberries make a yummy combination for these tartlets. Whatever you do, DO NOT puree the strawberries and rhubarb. You want these tartlets to have the texture of a fruity pie filling which is nice and chunky. I also highly recommend adding a little cinnamon and nutmeg to the graham cracker crust to kick it up a notch (as Emeril Lagasse would say) and to give it a little more flavor.



Basic Crumb Crust

Ingredients:

• 32 low-fat honey graham crakers (8 full sheets)
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• 2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tbsp water

 

Makes 8 Servings

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, place the graham crackers and pulse into crumbs, about 1 minute. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the sugar , nutmeg and cinnamon; mix well. Add the butter and water and mix until the crumbs are moist and hold together in clumps when presssed. Press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Bake until golden, 8-10 minutes. Cool on a rack for 20 minutes before using.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. I wanted to make a delicious dessert and the recipe called for this recipe. This is a very simple recipe that can be used to make any pie or cheesecake recipe. I added ground cinnamon to this recipe because cinnamon goes well with nutmeg and cinnamon goes well with any pie crust recipe.

New York Style Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 3 eggs, separated
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup sugar or sugar substitute
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup low-fat graham-cracker crumbs

Makes 10 Servings

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, beat the cheese until smooth. Stir in the egg yolks, honey, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla extract, mixing until thoroughly combined.
2. In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites with clean beaters for 2 minutes, or until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture.
3. Coat a 9" springform pan with cooking spray and cover the bottom with cracker crumbs. Pour the cheese mixture into the pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden and set.

WW POINTS VALUE PER SERVING: 4 PTS

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Cookbook. I was craving a sweet treat for dessert and this recipe looked so delicious and so easy to make. I love cheesecake and have always wanted to make it myself. This cheesecake is made from ricotta cheese and has a different texture than the typical cheesecake made from cream cheese but it was still delicious. You can serve any kind of berry with this cheesecake and even top it with a dab of chocolate sauce and it's still a guilty pleasure. I used muffin tins to make mini-cheesecakes and cooked them for about 35 minutes; you still get the same amount of guilty pleasure with a regular slice of cheesecake. I highly recommend you put the cheesecake in the fridge so it stays fresh.