Don’t Skip the Sweets!!

— Written By and last updated by Jessica Griffin
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The holiday season has officially kicked into gear and along with the holiday comes a multitude of fabulous holiday meals treats and traditions! Instead of skipping all your family favorites try to capture the flavors you know and love in these healthier versions! Don’t skip the sweets this year!

Light German Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

For the cake

  • Cooking spray
  • 1 (4-ounce) package Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate, chopped
  • ½ cup boiling water
  • 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
  • ⅔ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ¼ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For the topping

  • ½ cup chopped pecans
  • ½ cup sweetened flaked coconut
  • 1 (12-ounce) can fat-free evaporated milk, well shaken
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°F. Coat two 9 x 1½-inch round cake pans with cooking spray. Line bottoms with parchment paper and spray the parchment.
  2. For cake: Place chocolate in a medium bowl, add boiling water, and whisk until smooth. Add yogurt, oil, vinegar, and vanilla to chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add egg whites; whisk until smooth.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the next 5 dry ingredients (through salt). Pour chocolate mixture into flour mixture and whisk just until combined. Divide batter between the prepared pans. Tap pans lightly on a work surface to pop any air bubbles.
  4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in the centers of the cakes comes out clean (leave oven on). Cool in pans on wire racks for 15 minutes. Turn the cakes out of the pans, remove the parchment, and cool completely.
  5. For topping: Spread the pecans and coconut on a large baking sheet and toast in the oven, stirring once, until lightly browned (10-12 minutes); set aside. Whisk together evaporated milk and cornstarch in a small, heavy saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat and cook, whisking constantly, until thick and foamy (it will happen almost all at once), about 4 minutes. Whisk in sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt; cook for 3½ minutes, until thickened. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Stir in coconut and pecans before frosting.
  6. Place 1 cake layer on a platter and spread half the frosting over top of cake. Add the remaining cake layer and spread with the remaining frosting over top. Slice and serve.

Serves 18. Each serving contains 376 calories, 15.2 g fat, 6 g protein, 56 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 5 mg cholesterol, 291 mg sodium.

Carrot Apple Spice Cake with Browned Butter Glaze

Ingredients

For the cake

  • ½ cup nonfat buttermilk
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 (18.25-ounce) box spice cake mix
  • 1 cup grated carrot
  • 1 cup grated peeled Honeycrisp apple (or any sweet-tart apple)
  • Baking spray with flour

For the glaze

  • ¼ cup butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar, divided
  • 2 ounces ⅓-less-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons 2% reduced-fat milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Dash of salt
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans, toasted

Directions

To prepare cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at low speed for 1 minute or until well combined. Add cake mix to buttermilk mixture; beat at medium speed 1 minute or until well blended. Stir in carrot and apple until just combined.
  3. Divide batter evenly among 3 (8-inch) round cake pans coated with baking spray.
  4. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans; cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare glaze

  1. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; cook 6 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Cool slightly.
  2. Combine browned butter, 1½ cups powdered sugar, cream cheese, milk, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at low speed 2 minutes or until smooth.

To assemble cake

  1. Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread ¼ cup glaze over cake layer. Top with second layer and spread with ¼ cup glaze. Top with third layer.
  2. Stir the remaining ½ cup powdered sugar into remaining glaze. Spread remaining glaze over top of cake. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Serves 16. Each serving contains 294 calories, 12 g fat, 3.6 g protein, 43.7 g carbohydrate, 0.6 g fiber, 45 mg cholesterol, 259 mg sodium.

Low Fat Gingerbread Cookies

Cookies

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 egg
  • ⅓ cup dark molasses
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Icing

  • 1½ tablespoons egg whites
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • Pinch of cream of tartar

Directions

For the cookies

  1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar and applesauce until smooth. Add the egg and molasses, mix well. In another large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and spices. Add to sugar and molasses mixture, stirring well. Divide the dough into two flat balls; cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously dust the surface of your working area with flour before rolling out the dough. Work with one ball of dough at a time, keep the other refrigerated while you do so. Roll the dough out to ¼ or ⅛-inch thickness, sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough if it’s a little sticky. Cut the gingerbread with a cookie cutter shape of your choice.
  3. Place cookies 1 or 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes.

For the icing

  1. Mix the egg whites with lemon juice. Combine with powdered sugar, mixing well. If the icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar, if it’s too thick add a drop of lemon juice.
  2. Add to a piping bag to decorate cookies when cookies are cooled.

Serves 48. Each serving contains 66.2 calories, 0.8 g fat, 14.9 g carbohydrate, 0.1 g fiber, 0.9 g protein, 8.5 g sugar, 30.4 g sodium.

Buttermilk Pralines

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups sugar
  • ½ cup whole buttermilk
  • 1½ tablespoons light-colored corn syrup
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • Dash of salt
  • ⅔ cup chopped pecans, toasted
  • 1½ teaspoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook over low heat until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Continue cooking over low heat until a candy thermometer registers 234° (about 10 minutes); stir occasionally. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes.
  2. Stir in nuts, butter, and vanilla; beat with a wooden spoon until mixture begins to lose its shine (about 6 minutes). Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let stand 20 minutes or until set.

Yields 30 pieces. Each serving contains 65 calories, 0.4 g protein, 11.4 g carbohydrate, 0.3 g fiber, 36 mg sodium.