Strawberry Sugar Cookie Cut Outs: No Spread, No Chill, All Natural

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Whelp, it has been 3 years. I can explain, but later. I made up this recipe today as a Valentine’s gift to my family and wanted to share. I honestly don’t know if anyone is still out there to find this recipe, but if you do IT’S YUMMY. I canceled all my email services and lead capture software when I took a long blogging break and don’t have a good way to notify you I’m back. So If you find this post, leave a comment so I know you’re here.

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1.2 oz freeze dried strawberries, divided

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

Granulated sugar for rolling

additional for frosting

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbs liquid egg whites (optional)

1 Tbs heavy cream (optional)

1-2 Tbs water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a food processor or coffee grinder, pulverize freeze dried strawberries into a powder. Use a fine sieve to strain out the chunks.  Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla, scraping the bowl as necessary. 

Beat in 3/4 of the strawberry powder, reserving the remaining 1/4 for the frosting. 

Beat in cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and flour. 

Roll out on a sugared surface to 1/4 or 3/8 inch thick.  Cut into desired shapes and place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes or until set but not brown.  Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. 

For frosting, mix powdered sugar and remaining strawberry powder. Stir in egg whites, cream and water until desired spreading consistency. Spread frosting on cookies with a knife and set out to dry. Frosting will self level somewhat.  If you want to leave out the egg whites and cream, just water can be used to thin the frosting to desired consistency. 

Makeover Strawberry Pretzel Salad

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Strawberry Pretzel Salad is more dessert than salad, and it’s one of my favorites.

The original recipe is packed full of sugar, excess butter, artificial coloring, and hydrogenated fats.

I saw some opportunities for nutritional improvement without sacrificing much flavor.  I started by reducing the amount of butter by half…and honestly it still was plenty.  I also cut the sweetener amounts way down and then substituted Truvia or Erythritol for the sugar.  I got rid of the hydrogenated fats by swapping out the whipped topping for protein rich Greek yogurt. And ditched a pile of sugar and artificial food coloring by using homemade gelatin from light cranberry juice that was colored with vegetable powder instead of box gelatin colored with food dye. This healthier version is worthy of potluck suppers.

Healthier Strawberry Pretzel Salad

2 cups (about 5 oz) roughly chopped pretzels (gluten free work too)

6 Tbs butter, melted

3 Tbs Erythritol or Truvia

8 oz Neufchatel Cream Cheese

8 oz Unsweetened Greek Yogurt

1/2 cup Erythritol or Truvia

1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

2 cups Low Calorie Cranberry Juice, look for an aspartame free variety.  I got mine from Aldi and it has 5 calories per cup.

1 Tbs plain Gelatin

  1.  Sprinkle gelatin over 1 cup of cranberry juice.  Let stand for 1 minute.  Microwave on high for 1 minute or until dissolved.  Stir in the remaining cup of cold juice and chill until thickened.  (About 30 minutes to an hour.)
  2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together pretzels, melted butter and 3 Tbs sweetener. Press evenly into the bottom of a glass 9×13 pan.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden.  Cool to room temperature.
  3. Beat together cream cheese, Greek Yogurt and sweetener until smooth.  Spread over cooled crust.
  4. Top cream layer with sliced strawberries, then pour thickened gelatin over all.  Chill for 3 hours or until set.Note: If you don’t let the gelatin thicken before pouring, it will sink to the bottom and make your crust soggy. I learned from experience

It makes 8 generous servings each with 262 calories; 16g fat; 20g net carbs and 8g protein.  I enjoy a piece for breakfast, or a snack, or both.

For the same size serving, the original recipe has 510 calories; 29g fat; 57g net carbs and 4g protein.

Have you given a favorite recipe a healthier makeover?  I’d love to hear about it.

This post contains amazon affiliate links.  Linking to the products that I personally use in my home. If you choose to purchase anything through one of these links, I will receive a small commission.

Easy No Bake Eggnog Pie 2-Ways

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Easy Eggnog Pie 2 Ways---delicious and creamy with weight loss versions too

This light creamy pie is perfect for last minute desserts.  It’s fancy enough for company or basket dinners or even a neighbor Christmas gift, but so fast even a stressed out Mama can whip it up.  Graham cracker pie crusts are easy to make but for $.69 each at Aldi, I just buy them and keep several on hand at all times.

The first version uses instant pudding mix and sugar free works just fine.  If you want to replace the Eggnog with a non-dairy version, you’ll need to add additional thickener like 1/2 tsp of Xanthan gum or Glucomannan powder.  There’s something about the dairy milk protein that is essential to thickening up instant pudding mix properly.

Eggnog Pudding Pie

1 Graham Cracker Crust

1 box, Instant Vanilla Pudding

1 cup Milk

1 cup Prepared Eggnog

4 oz Whipped topping

Beat the milk, eggnog and pudding mix together.  Pour into the crust.  Let chill for at least 30 minutes then top with whipped topping.  Alternately the whipped topping can be folded into the pudding mixture and spread into the crust.  Sprinkle with a little nutmeg.

This second pie is a no-bake cheesecake that is easy to make fitness friendly.  For the most diet friendly, skip the crust and use a homemade sugar free eggnog, recipe coming soon.

Eggnog No-Bake Cheesecake Pie

1 Graham Cracker Crust

8 oz Neufchatel Cream Cheese

8 oz Plain Greek Yogurt

1/3 cup Sugar or Erythritol

1 cup Prepared Eggnog (Regular or Dairy Free)

1/4 cup water

1 Tbs or 1 Packet Unflavored Gelatin

4 oz Whipped Topping

Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup water in a medium sized microwaveable bowl.  Let stand for 1 minute or until gelatin is dissolved.  (It will be clear and no longer yellow in color.)  Microwave for 1 minute or until melted, clear and smooth.  The gelatin will bloom and spill over if your bowl is too small.

Meanwhile beat together cream cheese, yogurt, sweetener, and eggnog. Beat in gelatin mixture.  Pour into crust and chill until firm (about 3 hours.)  Spread with whipped topping.

So what’s your favorite easy Christmas dessert?  I’m looking to expand my repertoire!

Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

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French Toast Casserole reminds me of Christmas morning or a celebration brunch, but it’s easy enough to have any time.  I love that it can serve a crowd without having to stand over a hot griddle cooking a few slices of bread at a time.  The pumpkin flavor and pecan butterscotch topping, makes this dish especially festive.

You can bake it in a 9×13 casserole dish, muffin tins, a Bundt pan, or even a slow cooker.  It makes a great freezer meal, or a prep the night before dish. I’ll give instructions for each variation at the end.

Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

1 loaf, 20 oz of bread.  We like Saralee Artisan Golden Wheat Bread

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Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts, No Special Pan Needed

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These sweet and tender Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts are as easy to make as biscuits.  Brandon helped make our first batch at 2 years old.  He’s 10 now–eeek!  When I look back on these old pictures I wish I had taken a lot more.

We like this recipe because it doesn’t take any special pans or a donut maker which makes it accessible to every kitchen.  It’s easily made dairy free. Just sub coconut oil for the butter and almond milk for the dairy milk.  And dust with powdered sugar instead of yogurt glaze. We’re still perfecting a gluten free recipe so you have that to look forward to that later.

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Pumpkin Muffin or Cookies Jar Mix

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This mix contains the epitome of autumn flavors with the butterscotch chips, pumpkin spice and pecans.  It has has been a family favorite for years and fits prettily in a quart jar and makes a nice appreciation gift or a welcome to the neighborhood gift.  This is another original recipe you won’t find anywhere else.

Pumpkin Jar Mix

1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Spice

1/2 cup Rolled Oats

3/4 cup Sugar*

1/2 cup Butterscotch Chips

1/2 cup Chopped Pecans

Layer in a quart jar

*If you are baking right away, brown sugar tastes better.  If it is a mix for storage then white sugar is best.  Brown sugar will dry out next to the flour and get hard and impossible to mix into the recipe.  Sucanat or coconut sugar would work in either situation.

For cookies: Mix 1/2 cup softened butter, 1/2 t maple flavoring, 1 cup of pumpkin puree and 1 egg. Add pumpkin mix, and mix just until combined. Drop by spoonful onto greased cookie sheets.  Optional, decorate before baking by pressing a pecan half into the top. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

For muffins:

Mix together 1/4 C butter or yogurt, 2 eggs, 1/2 t maple flavoring, and 1 cup of pumpkin puree. Add pumpkin mix alternating with 1 C milk. Fill greased muffin cups nearly full and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Makes 15-18 muffins.

P.S.  Did you know that parmesan jar lids fit quart jars?

This is day 12 of 31 Days of Pumpkin Recipes

1 Pumpkin spice mix

2 Homemade pumpkin puree

3 Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

4 Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

5 Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

6 Pumpkin Bagels

7 Butternut Chicken Stew

8 Healthy Pumpkin Pecan Scones

9 Pumpkin Waffles

10 Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

11 Butternut Squash Chili

12 Pumpkin Jar Mix

13 Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

14 Easy Pumpkin Cake

15 Pumpkin Dump Cake

16 Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

17 Pumpkin Mousse

18 Pumpkin Cheesecake

19 Pumpkin Latte

20 Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

21 Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies

22 Pumpkin Biscuits

23 Maple Pumpkin Butter

24 Stuffed Sugar Baby Pumpkins

25 Pumpkin Pancakes

26 Pumpkin English Muffins

27 Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

28 Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts

29 Pumpkin Biscotti

30 Pumpkin Caramel Monkey Bread

31 Impossible Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

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These Pumpkin Snickerdoodles have a thin crispy outside with a soft inside.  Not too cake-like and just enough spice.  I ate 4 just to make sure they were perfect and could have gone for another if I weren’t on a diet.  Self-control has to begin somewhere, bwa ha ha ha.

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Caramel Filled Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

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These cinnamon rolls start with a pumpkin based yeast dough, filled with cream cheese caramel, for an ooey gooey breakfast treat that triples as a perfect dessert or after school snack.

The dough is the same as our Pumpkin Dinner Roll Dough, but halved so it will fit in your bread machine.  Of course you can mix it up in your mixer if you prefer, or even make the larger batch like I did so there are plenty to share.

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Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodles

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chocolate-chip-snickerdoodles

This is the kind of cookie that kids grab by the handfuls after youth group, and insist everyone in their family try.  It’s the kind of cookie that gets teenagers out of their bedrooms and into the kitchen for some meaningful conversation.  It’s the kind of cookie that garners requests like, “When are you making these again?  Will they be done by the time I get home from school?”

It’s not low carb, low fat, or low anything.  It’s not high fiber, or highly nutritious.  Just delicious.  If you are on a weight loss plan, proceed with caution.

chocolate chip snickerdoodles 3

Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodles

1 cup butter, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

3 cups all purpose flour

12 oz mini chocolate chips

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla extract.

Beat in salt, baking soda and cream of tartar.  Scrape the bowl, then add flour 1/2 cup at a time and beat in well without over mixing.  Scraping the bowl from time to time.

Fold in chocolate chips.

In a small bowl, combine remaining sugar and cinnamon

Roll dough into walnut sized balls and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place 1 inch apart on greased baking sheets.

Bake for 10 (soft) – 12 (crisp) minutes or until golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

chocolate chip snickerdoodles 2

Creamy Pumpkin Mousse: A Weight Loss Recipe

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I’m so excited about the flavors of autumn! Apples, cinnamon, maple, pumpkin, acorn squash….Yes please!  All of it.

Here’s a super simple recipe that is sure to please your fall cravings, but is still cool and refreshing for those warm afternoons.  It takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and is low carb.  If you’re following Trim Healthy Mama, this would be an S. The few carbs that are in it are naturally present in the Greek Yogurt and Pumpkin.

Pumpkin Mousse

Creamy Pumpkin Mousse

1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 cup plain Greek Yogurt (I used fat free but any fat content is fine.)

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp liquid vanilla stevia

4 packets Truvia

(If you aren’t counting carbs and just want to use sugar, I recommend 1/4 cup real maple syrup or honey to replace the stevia and Truvia.)

Put everything in an electric mixer with the whip attachment and whip until soft peaks form.  You’ll be able to see the trace of the beater through the mousse and the lines will stay when it is ready.

Transfer to 6 serving dishes and chill until ready to serve.  I’ve found my stevia sweetened things taste better when chilled for a couple of hours.  It helps the flavors blend and makes the stevia less bitter. My kids gave this 2 thumbs up even before chilling.

For a new prep-ahead weight loss meal plan every week, click here.

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