Serenade's Place: Kitchen: Desserts: Page 1

CHEWY CHOCOLATE COOKIES,
FAT-FREE

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup corn syrup, light or dark
3 egg whites

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Stir in corn syrup and egg whites until blended. Dough will be thick and slightly sticky.
Spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake in 350 degree F oven for 7 to 9 minutes or just until set. Cookies will be soft when pressed. Do not overbake. Cool on wire rack.
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Nutrition facts per serving:

0 g fat
60 calories
1 g protein
13 g carbohydrates
0 mg cholesterol
65 mg sodium

A recipe personally tested by Yours Truly.

COMMENTS:

The source for this recipe is listed as a Karo pamphlet.

CHOCOLATE CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 egg whites
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup dry cocoa
1 Tbs baking powder
1 cup water

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat 9x13 cake pan with non-stick cooking spray, then flour.
Cream together applesauce, sugar, egg whites and vanilla. Beat well, then set aside.
Sift together all the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir into egg/sugar mixture alternating with water, blending well to make sure there are no lumps.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes.

Nutrition facts per serving:

.25 (1/4) g fat

A recipe personally tested by Yours Truly.

COMMENTS:

This recipe came to me through a recipe mailing list. Although it is obvious from the information that I have that it came from a cookbook, the name does not appear in the copy I have.

This cake is so good it doesn't even need frosting. If you absolutely must have frosting, try drizzling it with a mixture of confectioner's sugar and vanilla. Keep it covered and it will remain moist for several days (if it lasts that long). *grin*

CHOCOLATE CHANUKAH STARS

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup prune purée *
1 cup sugar
2 eggs **
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
confectioner's sugar (optional)

* Substituted prune purée (use jars of baby prunes) for 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened.
** Use egg substitute or 4 egg whites instead.

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, beat prunes, sugar and eggs on medium speed of electric mixer. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixure, beating until well-blended.
Cover and refrigerate dough until firm enough to handle.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness and cut with star-shaped cookie cutter.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 5 to 7 minutes, or until no imprint remains when touched lightly in the center. Cool 1 minute then remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, if desired.
Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

A recipe personally tested by Yours Truly.

COMMENTS:

These cookies were pretty tasty. Try adding some different extract flavors for an interesting variety. Of course, you can also use other cookie cutter shapes or even make your own designs out of the dough. Alphabets and other shapes are easy to make with it.

Store these cookies in an airtight container. They tend to get hard quickly due to the lack of fat content if not kept in a sealed bag or container.

JELL-O MERINGUE COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

3 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 Tbs Jell-O
--(dry mix and NOT sugar free)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vinegar
1 cup mini-chocolate chips

NOTE: Use any flavor Jell-O. May omit chocolate chips.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
Beat egg whites with salt until foamy. In a small bowl, blend Jell-O powder with sugar and add to egg whites gradually. Beat until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved.
Mix in vinegar, then fold in chocolate chips.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet which has been lined with brown paper.
Bake for 25 minutes, then turn the oven off, but DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR! Leave in the oven another 20 minutes.

Nutrition facts per serving:

0 g fat
34 calories

A recipe personally tested by Yours Truly.

COMMENTS:

These cookies are very pretty and can make quite a colorful presentation if you use different flavors of Jell-O for different batches. They do not freeze well and should be stored in a tightly covered container. To save time, put the meringue mixture in a plastic bag, snip off the corner and squeeze out onto the cookie sheets. One batch goes a long way, so think twice before doubling the recipe.

KRAFT KITCHEN'S
LIGHT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup light peanut butter
1/4 cup soft margarine *
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg**
3/4 cup 100% Bran Cereal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

*Use applesauce or oil substitute instead.
**Use egg substitute or 2 egg whites.

DIRECTIONS:

Cream peanut butter, margarine and brown sugar until smooth. Blend in egg.
Grind cereal in food processor or blender for 20-30 seconds. Stir in flour and baking soda.
Stir dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and flatten slightly with a fork.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 9 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
Makes 30 cookies.

Nutrition facts per serving:

3.9 g fat
82 calories
1.8 g protein
1 g dietary fiber

A recipe personally tested by Yours Truly.

COMMENTS:

I've made these cookies several times using applesauce or one of the new oil substitutes instead of margarine with wonderful results. I also use egg whites or egg substitute instead of the whole egg. One other trick I use to reduce the fat in these cookies is the "size trick." I make the cookies smaller which means less fat per cookie. Sure, you may eat 2 or 3 of the small cookies, but that's still less fat than 2 or 3 full-sized ones. *wink*

Questions? Comments? Typos? *EEEK!!!*
Email: Carla Moore
Perfectionist Extraordinaire®