Low Sugar Peach Crisp......heavenly!!

Have you noticed how sweet and juicy the peaches are this summer?  I mean they are usually delicious, but they are even sweeter this year - or at least they seem like they are!!

I love to make apple crisp in the fall, but often forget that other fruits taste delicious baked with that slightly chewy wonderfully buttery oat topping.  That is my favorite part of the crisp!

I decided that I wanted to try to reduce the sugar in this and I am so glad I did because it tastes just as good as the full sugar recipe but it's healthier (as long as you don't focus on all of the butter that goes into the topping.  Can't win em all!!

I took my inspiration from a recipe on Cooking Classy, substituted the sugar with Truvia Baking Blend and Splenda brown sugar blend, and added a few more spice flavors.  For the final touch, I sprinkled some almond macaroon granola over the top to add a little extra crunch to the topping. I am so glad I did that!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I intend to!! (and as far as I am concerned, peach crisp is not only a dessert, but works well for breakfast with a spoonful of vanilla yogurt on top.  Anytime you want to entice your taste buds with peachy cinnamon goodness is the right time for this!

LOW SUGAR PEACH CRISP

adapted from Cooking Classy

Filling
3 lbs peaches (about 7 medium ), peeled, cored and sliced into thick wedges (about 3/4")
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/8 cup Truvia Baking Blend
1/2 tsp. LorAnn Cinnamon Baking Emulsion (optional)
2 Tbsp. flour

Topping:
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup regular oats
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. apple pie spice (optional)
3/8 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and cubed in 1/2" pieces
1/3 cup granola (optional - for added "crunch")

Preheat the oven to 350.  Toss the peaches with lemon juice in a large bowl.  Sprinkle the Truvia Baking Blend and flour over the peaches and lightly mix to coat evenly.  Butter a 11x7 or 13x9 inch pan and pour the peach mixture into the pan.

Sugared peaches....

Ready to bake oat topping...

In a food processor (you can do this step by hand, but it's easier this way!), mix the flour, oats, salt, and spices.  Add the Splenda Brown Sugar Blend and the chilled cut up butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly.  Pour over the top of the crisp and sprinkle with additional granola (if the taste and crunch is desired).  Bake for about 35-30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and you can see the fruit bubbling.  Serve warm or cold with whipped cream, Cool Whip, or vanilla ice cream.

Fresh out of the oven...

Oh yummmmm....

And a dollop of whipped cream makes it even better...

And don't forget a dusting of cinnamon sugar on top.  You really need to make this now and enjoy every single bite.....  This is now the ONLY way I want to eat peaches!...

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Inside-Out Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins - low sugar and low fat

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have been cooking a lot of soup lately, but it just didn't seem right share something that didn't have a connection to Thanksgiving, so luckily I have just the right thing!  I made these earlier in the week and they were delicious. I had picked up a container of Philadelphia cream cheese recently at the store - it was a limited edition flavor. Yes that was all it took for me to grab it - I had to try it before it was gone! And with a label of "brown sugar and cinnamon" - well how could I pass it up?  That's right - I couldn't!

I really had no idea what I was going to do with it but then a series of events occurred.  First of all, I had cooked some sugar pie pumpkins and had that wonderful fresh pumpkin just waiting to be baked into that perfect something.  And of course I have a thing for muffins  - they are just the ideal breakfast food... easy to eat, tasty, and filling.  And they complement a cup of coffee perfectly!  So it was inevitable that the pumpkin (the first I have ever cooked!) and the cream cheese blended to make this fall treat.

A new favorite!

CREAM CHEESE-FILLED PUMPKIN MUFFINS

adapted from the King Arthur website

1 cup fresh pumpkin puree (or canned)
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp. applesauce
1/4. cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (or 1/2 c. regular brown sugar)
1/4 cup boiled cider (King Arthur)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1.4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. baking spice (Penzeys Spices)
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda (if using Splenda blend; decrease by 1/4 tsp if using regular brown sugar)
1/3 cup milk (I used vanilla Coconut milk)
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

Filling:
1 container of spreadable brown sugar-cinnamon Philadelphia cream cheese
2 packets Truvia for a little extra sweetness

Preheat the oven to 400.  Line a muffin tin or spray with a non stick spray.

For the batter, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, Splenda baking bland, applesauce, boiled cider, and all of the better ingredients except for the flour..  Mix until well combined.

Add the flour and continue mixing until completely blended.

For the filling, I just took the flavored cream cheese and stirred it until smooth and then added t packets of Truvia in order go sweeten it up just a little.

Take about 2 Tbsp. of the batter and spoon it into each greased or lined muffin cup. Be sure it covers the bottom of the cup. Then drop a heaping tablespoon of cream cheese filling onto the center of the batter, then cover with the remaining batter, about another 2 tablespoons each.

Bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.   These muffins taste even better the second day The pumpkin flavor seems to intensify upon standing.

The healthy ingredients!

Fresh sugar pie pumpkin!

The batter with cream cheese filling. More batter went on top before baking.

A plate of goodness...

A sneak peek ...

This picture says it all.....

I wish everyone the happiest of Thanksgivings - and am so very grateful for my family, my friends, and the many blessings in my life that brighten each and every day.

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Skinny Banana Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins - Low Sugar

It's muffin time again.  I know that the fresh fruit of summer will be gone soon, so I want to take advantage of every tantalizing combination that I can!

My bananas have been ripening faster than I can use them, so this recipe was the perfect one to pair my mushy bananas and super sweet and LARGE raspberries!  My neighbor loved the combination so much that she made the recipe using white chocolate chips.  That was a great change and I will do that next time (see picture at the bottom!)

SKINNY RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA MUFFINS - low sugar

adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 c. honey

1/4 c. Splenda brown sugar blend

1 cup mashed banana (about three medium bananas)

1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt (I used Yoplait honey vanilla)

1 egg, beaten (I use x-lge)

3/4 cup milk (I used 1/2 cup vanilla coconut milk & 1/4 cup Coffeemate GS Caramel & Coconut Creamer)

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used a combination of dark and milk chocolate chips)

 1 3/4 cups fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 325.  Spray regular muffin tin with non cooking spray.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.  Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk the honey and Splenda brown sugar blend together. It will be VERY thick.  Add the mashed bananas, yogurt and beaten egg. Gently pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold them all together. It will be very thick.  Add the milk slowly and continue to gently fold the ingredients together. The milk will thin the batter a little.  Then fold in the chocolate chips.  Finally fold in the raspberries just until blended so they don't crush and turn the batter red!  Overmixing will cause tough muffins.

Divide the batter into 12 muffin cups.  Fill them to the top.  Sprinkle the tops with sparkling sugar if desired.

Bake for 17-18 minutes or until golden brown.. Allow the muffins to cool on a wire rack.

 These are chock full of raspberries and chocolate.  The flavor combination is soooooo good!

Sparkling sugar makes everything better!

Brimming with raspberries. You can see the steam on the plate!

Spotlight on this muffin with the white chocolate chips.

I love all of the photo editing you can do with Pic Monkey.

Enjoy!!

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Peach Melba Cobbler

I don't know about where you are living, but, but the peaches that have been available here this year have been incredible.  I am not always a huge peach fan, I think because I have had my share of mushy flavorless peach mpostors. You know the kind? They look so good on the outside,but you cut into them and you just know that first bite will not be memorable, at least not in a good way.

But this summer has been an entirely different experience.  Ohhhhhhhhh goodness....... they have been juicy and sweet and just plain delicious, bite after bite........pound after pound!  So I have been eating them for snacks and cooking with them.  And when I saw this recipe on Iowa Girl Eats (love her!), I knew I had to make it with a twist. She used peaches and blueberries, but I reverted to my Peach Melba obsession and used raspberries.  AND...... I made it low sugar.   It was so delicious. The only thing I would change is to put it in a smaller, deeper dish so the fruit layer has more depth and then the cobbler would cover it completely - or at least almost!

It is delicious plain, with whipped cream or Cool Whip, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or Healthy Choice vanilla bean yogurt (see pictured below) and works either hot or cold.  You just cannot go wrong!!

And in my world,  when it is mainly fruit, it works for breakfast too! :)

Low Sugar Peach Melba Cobbler

adapted from Iowa Girl Eats Peach A Berry Cobbler

1 c. flour
1/4 c. Truvia Baking Blend (or 1/2 c. sugar)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/8 c. Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (or 1/4 c. brown sugar)
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 c. cold water
3 c. sliced fresh peaches, skin on (3 large peaches)
1 c. fresh raspberries
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Truvia Baking Blend (or 2 Tbsp. sugar)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350.

Topping Mixture:

Combine the flour, 1/4 cup Truvia baking blend, and baking powder in a large bowl and stir to combine.  Add milk and butter and stir until relatively smooth and set aside.

Fruit Mixture:

In a large saucepan, whisk together the Splenda brown sugar blend, cornstarch, and water until smooth.
With heat on medium, add the peaches and raspberries,  and cook until mixture is thick and bubbly, mixing with a wooden spoon.  Add the remaining butter (1 Tbsp) and lemon  juice and stir until the butter is melted.

Pour mixture into an ungreased 1 1/2 quart baking dish (I used a 10"x10" glass dish. Next time I would use a smaller, deeper dish for more fruit concentration and a better coverage of cobbler batter.)  Spoon topping mixture over the top of the fruit.  It does not have to be even or cover completely.  Blend the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over the top.

Place baking dish on a cookie sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the dough comes out clean.

Are these not the most beautiful peaches???

Peaches and raspberries simmering goodness...

All cooked and waiting  for the cobbler dough!

Ready for the oven with a sprinkle of  cinnamon  sugar.

All cooked and ready for a taste test!!

This is delicious on its own, with vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream, or whipped cream or topping.

I love the individual serving cups of frozen yogurt from Healthy Choice!

Who wants the first bite???

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"Dated" Brown Sugar Banana Bread

Oh that was bad - but it got your attention - right??!!??

I had planned to make a  new recipe for banana bread today, but I never thought about how important it was to have that cup of coffee first.  Lesson learned - I hope.

I was measuring my dry ingredients and needed 3/8 cup.  No problem. I knew I had a 1/8 cup measure and a 1/4 cup so I was good.  The math worked fine.    Where I failed was in reaching for the measuring cups without checking.  I thought I had the right sizes and moved right along - flour, brown sugar blend, baking soda, salt, cinnamon. I was whisking away and was about to go to the next step when that delayed sip of coffee aka caffeine shot kicked in.  I looked at the measuring cups and literally said out loud "OH NO!!"  My dogs looked at me like I was telling them that they were not going to get breakfast!!
But no -- the gasp was not meant for them.  I realized that I had pulled out a 1/4 cup measure AND a 1/3 cup measure!!  I might have been able to fudge a little had I just used the 1/3 cup - but no - I used both and knew that it was way too much sugar for the recipe.  So that bowl of flour mixture went straight into the trash .  I gulped a few more swigs of coffee and proceeded to remeasure and get the correct amounts into the bowl!!  Good grief!

So what was I making??  Here is the recipe, thanks to another blogger and a great cookbook.  Used a bit of inspiration from both!   And the second time around it turned out perfect!!!

Brown Sugar Banana Bread with Dates!

adapted from Cookies and Cups and  The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook

2 cups flour

3/8 cup Splenda brown sugar baking blend

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking spice (Penzey's Spices)

1/4 c. chopped dates

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (4 small)

1/4 cup Greek yogurt (I used Trader Joe's vanilla bean)

2 eggs

6 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray (I use EverBake from King Arthur Flour - love it and it never fails me!).  Set aside....

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar blend, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and baking spice.  Mix in the chopped dates. Whisk til well combined

In a separate large bowl, mash 4 small bananas (that is what it took for me to get 1 1/2 cups -).  Add yogurt (can substitute with sour cream), eggs, melted butter and vanilla.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and combine until just blended.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan.  OPTIONAL:  Sprinkle several tablespoons of the brown sugar blend over the top of the batter. It will form a nice crust as it bakes..

Bake for 45- 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan after running a knife around the edges to loosen.

Cool completely on a wire rack.

So when you forget to take a picture before it goes in the oven......

Oh I wish you could smell this...

It was SO hard to wait for this to cool!

Look at that crunch brown sugar topping!!!  So Yummy!

Tried a new spotlight feature on this picture - highlights all of the moist ingredients.

A closeup of the bananas and dated scattered throughout!

Ready to eat?  Breakfast anyone?

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Chocolate Zucchini Bread - LOW CALORIE!

OH MY GOSH!!! This may be my new favorite recipe for zucchini.  It was SO easy and so good.  If you have a surplus of zucchini adorning your garden, or even if you have to go to the store or the Farmer's Market to get some, it is SO worth it!  Trust me - you just HAVE to make this!

Can you see how moist this is??

CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI BREAD

adapted from Eat More of What You Love by Marlene Koch

1/4 cup canola oil

1/8 cup Splenda brown sugar blend*

1/3 cup Truvia Baking Blend **

1 large egg

1 large egg white

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (I use the little individual serving cups - perfect!)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups grated zucchini

1 1/2 cups flour

2-3 teaspoons orange zest

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

*Splenda brown sugar blend can be replaced with 1/4 cup regular brown sugar

**Truvia Baking Blend can be replaced with 2/3 cup Splenda OR 2/3 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray a loaf pan  (9x5") with nonstick baking spray.

In a medium bowl, blend the oil, brown sugar blend, Truvia baking blend, eggs, applesauce and vanilla and whisk it well.  Add the grated zucchini and stir until well combined.

In another medium bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and orange zest.  Make a well in the center and add the zucchini mixture.  Stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Pour mixture into the prepared pan..

You can see the richness in the batter, along with the zucchini!

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack  for 15 minutes and then remove from pan to finish cooling. When it is completely cool, dust with powdered sugar.

All ready adorned with powdered sugar!

Sliced and ready to serve....and eat!! 

You will not believe this is low calorie but IT IS!!

This would be great with a scoop of  ice cream on top for an added treat (although that kind of ruins the low calorie part!!)  If it's too tempting, put it in the freezer sliced and take out a slice when you are ready for a treat.  Eating it frozen is almost like eating an ice cream cake without the ice cream.  YUM!

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