Chocolate Infinity Pie (from Chocolate Covered Katie)

This pie reminds me of my favorite chocolate cheesecake.  But, much better for you!  It meets all of my eating requirements  – it is healthy, delicious, and easy to make.  The secret ingredient to make it healthy…is tofu!!!  And you’d never know it was made with tofu!

I’ve tried a number of different crusts (all homemade but easy to do) – a wheat-free chocolate crust, a chocolate crust made with wheat flour, a graham cracker crust, and chocolate graham cracker crust.  The graham cracker crusts required sugar plus graham crackers (which contain sugar) which is why I  prefer the wheat-free chocolate crust I made, but I’ll leave the crust selection to you.

This recipe is not mine, so here is a link to the yummy recipe: Chocolate Infinity Pie (from Katie Higgins’ Cookbook, Chocolate-Covered Katie. You can also click her to check out her blog).

Sweeter Honey’s Lemonade

My kids love lemonade especially on a hot summer day. Here is a quick and easy sugar-free lemonade recipe. Note: we tried it with honey and did not like the flavor. It had a strong almost bitter flavor. The maple syrup is a much milder taste. You can also freeze this lemonade and make lemonade pops. Another favorite at our house.

Sweeter Honey’s Lemonade

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 2 quarts

Ingredients

  • 8 cups water
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup lemon juice (I used the organic lemon juice from Costco – easier than squeezing lemons although you can do that, too!)

Instructions

  1. Warm the water on the stovetop.
  2. Add the maple syrup. Stir.
  3. Once mixed, remove from the heat.
  4. Add lemon juice. Stir.
  5. Allow to cool and then serve with ice. Stir again before serving. Delicious!
http://sweeterhoney.com/sweeter-honeys-lemonade/

Maple Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies – from Cookie + kate blog

My husband found this recipe awhile back and we tried it last week.  These cookies are delicious!  The best part…there is NO SUGAR!  Perfect for our no sugar summer!!!

You must give these a try!  The name of the recipe says exactly what is in these tasty cookies.  From Cookie+Kate blog: Maple Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies.

Here is a picture of a few of the ones from my first batch:

maple syrup oatmeal cookies

 

I’m off to make another batch!

Sweeter No-Sugar Cookies

Imagine…sugar cookies without sugar! Doesn’t make sense, right? Well, this recipe is exactly that…a no-sugar sugar cookie. These sugar cookies were discovered when my daughter tested different sweeteners in a sugar cookie recipe. Of course, regular sugar cookies taste better, but these are “sweeter” to me because they are healthier!!!

A bonus when using honey or maple syrup – it requires less sweetener. Usually you can use a ¼ – ½ less of the sugar substitute when you sub in honey or maple syrup for sugar. For example, this recipe called for 1 cup of sugar, but we only used ½ cup of honey.

I was short on time, so I did not try rolling them out and cutting them in shapes. I think it would work…will try that next, but I simply used a cookie baller and dropped them on a cookie sheet and into the oven they went. My son said, “they look like mini scoops of ice cream!” You know – they kind of do!

No Sugar Cookies

Sweeter No-Sugar Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 2 dozen

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 egg
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Beat the butter in a mixer until light and fluffy.
  2. Add the honey and continue to mix for 1 minute.
  3. Add egg and vanilla.
  4. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and mix well.
  5. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
  6. Preheat oven to 350.
  7. Remove dough from refrigerator. Either scoop dough into 1 inch balls on cookie sheet or roll out and cut into shapes (note: I have not tried baking in shapes yet).
  8. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until slightly brown around edges.
  9. Enjoy as is or decorate (if only we could make icing without sugar!).

Do Ahead Prep

Set butter out to soften.

http://sweeterhoney.com/sweeter-sugar-cookies/

Sweeter Brownies

Brownies sounded good to me the other night, so I went searching online to find a recipe that was simple, but one that I could modify easily to make it healthier.  I don’t buy brownie mixes at the grocery store – they are full of bad ingredients from trans fat to artificial flavors and dyes.  The brownies were a hit with my family and this recipe was the result.  Note: Like several of my “typical” dessert recipes on this website, it is not perfect and has ingredients that I don’t recommend eating.  But, once again, it is ok to indulge every now and then.

Ready to eat my brownie!

I like these because they use oil (not butter).  I substituted the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, and reduced the sugar and substituted flaxseed (ups the fiber content).

Sweeter Brownies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 16 square brownies

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil (use a higher quality oil like safflower or grapeseed)
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup flaxseed
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (do not use imitation – another artificial food)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or you can use walnuts) (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan.
  2. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  3. Mix together oil, sugar, flaxseed, and vanilla.
  4. Beat in each egg.
  5. Gradually add flour mixture.
  6. Stir in chocolate chips, if desired.
  7. Spread batter evenly in pan. Note: it will be a little lumpy.
  8. Bake for 20 minutes or until brownie begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
  9. Allow brownies to cool. Cut and enjoy!
http://sweeterhoney.com/sweeter-brownies/

 

 

 

Click here – No Bake Energy Bites

A friend of mine introduced me to this delicious recipe.  They almost taste like peanut butter cookie dough!  This recipe is not mine, so I will not include the recipe here, but want to point you to it.  To access the recipe, please visit Gimme Some Oven’s blog – No Bake Energy Bites.

Two suggestions to make it them “clean”:

  • Use unsweetened coconut flakes (don’t want any added sugars)
  • Use natural peanut butter (don’t want any trans fat)
  • Oh, one more thing – use dark chocolate chips if you can.

 

 

Sweeter Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

These are one of my favorite cookies.   Yes, they do have sugar (a little sugar on occasion never hurt anyone, right?), but everything else about them is good which is hard to find in a cookie.  They have oil rather than butter.  Whole wheat flour rather than refined flour.  I replaced some sugar with flaxseed.  Oats (and flaxseed and whole wheat flour) up the fiber content.  Cinnamon adds flavor and health benefits like reducing LDL cholesterol and inflammation.  Enjoy these healthy cookies!

Hot out of the oven!

Sweeter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 2 dozen

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup safflower oil
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup flaxseed
  • ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • ½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  2. Mix together oil and sugars.
  3. Add in egg, vanilla, and flaxseed.
  4. Stir in flour mixture.
  5. Fold in oats and chocolate chips.
  6. Cover and chill dough for at least 15 minutes.
  7. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
  8. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  9. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Press cookies down a little to flatten.
  10. Bake 7-8 minutes.
  11. Enjoy! Store leftover cookies in freezer to preserve freshness.
http://sweeterhoney.com/sweeter-chocolate-chip-cookies/

 

Pumpkin Cookie Cake

My daughter is not a fan of cookie cake (or any cake for that matter), but she likes pumpkin cookies.  I combined the pumpkin cookie recipe with a standard cookie cake recipe and tweaked it to make it Sweeter Honey approved.   This recipe is the result.  I served it to a group of girls and 75% of the girls liked it and went back for seconds!

Pumpkin Cookie Cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup applesauce
  • 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
  • ½ cup pure maple syrup
  • ¼ cup ground flaxseed
  • 1 egg
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • ¾ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Spray a round cookie cake pan with nonstick spray.
  3. In large bowl with an electric mixer, mix the applesauce, pumpkin, maple syrup, flaxseed, egg, and vanilla.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
  5. Add flour mixture to egg mixture. Mix well.
  6. Add chocolate chips.
  7. Spread dough into prepared pan.
  8. Bake 15 minutes or until light golden brown.
  9. Allow cake to cool. Eat as is or decorate with homemade icing.
http://sweeterhoney.com/pumpkin-cookie-cake-2/
  Enjoy!

 

Cocoa Coconut Bites

These are delicious.  My new favorite dessert.  I found this recipe on Sprouted Kitchen’s website.  I double the recipe to make more at one time.

Cocoa Coconut Bites

Yield: 20 bites

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups dried, unsweetened coconut
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin, unrefined coconut oil
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions

  1. In a mixing bowl. Combine the coconut, cocoa powder and rolled oats together. Stir in the maple, coconut oil, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix to coat everything evenly. Set in the fridge for 20 minutes.
  2. Preheat the oven to 215'.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a mini scooper or your hands, make 1 inch balls and set them on the baking tray (they don't spread, ample space between is not important).
  4. Bake them on the middle rack for 20 minutes. Remove to cool.
http://sweeterhoney.com/cocoa-coconut-bites/

Cream Cheese Frosting

This not a perfect recipe (it has sugar), but it is much better than store-bought icing.  See my post about store-bought frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield: Tops 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups of powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla.
  2. Gradually add sugar, beating until smooth.
  3. Use to frost cakes and cupcakes.

Do Ahead Prep

Get out cream cheese and butter to soften.

http://sweeterhoney.com/cream-cheese-frosting-3/
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