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Sat
22 ^nd

Cinnamon Sugar Crescent Pretzels

Posted by Pinparent — 6 Comments

Cookie monster is to cookies as my daughter is to Play-doh. She just can’t get enough of it. Her favorite of all Play-Doh creations is crafting baked goods. She makes cakes & cookies and asks mommy to join in as well. I got creative the other day and made Play-Doh pretzels. This got a giggle out of my daughter & also inspired her tummy with a pretzel craving. I thought it might be fun to make some soft pretzels with her & combine the fun of playing with dough and the deliciousness of getting to eat our creations after.

Once I suggested it though, my laziness kicked in & I looked for an easy way out. Hurray for crescent rolls. These are not exactly your classic soft pretzel, but they were a quick, easy and yummy treat.

Ingredients:

1 tube of low fat crescent rolls

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Unroll your tube of crescent rolls. Pinch the perforated seams together & roll out into a rectangular sheet. With a rubber spatula spread out the oil evenly over the sheet. Stir the cinnamon & sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle the entire mixture evenly over the crescent sheet. Mai did the sprinkling for us, so it was not entirely even. Cut a 1/2″ wide strip lengthwise. Roll the strip just enough to form a rope like strip. Fold & twist into a pretzel. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Serve while warm.

Mai loved these. I gave her one pretzel, but our sneaky little girl smuggled a few extra when I wasn’t looking.

Sat
12 ^th

Granola Balls

Posted by Pinparent — 5 Comments

I have a sweet tooth problem. Like most women I know, I love chocolate. I would eat it all the time if I could, but alas, not only am I not supposed to eat a lot of sweets, it is not exactly kind on the waistline. One thing that helps me get my chocolate fix & feeds my sweet tooth is granola. I love making it. I make bars, squares or just straight up granola with chocolate in it of course. It is easy to make & my daughter loves helping me too.

But my favorite of all granola snacks that grace my lunch box are granola balls. There is just enough chocolate to keep me happy, but with no sugar added, I feel less guilty.

Ingredients:

3 cups of quick oats
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup chopped almonds
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup of honey
1/4 cup of peanut butter
2 eggs
2 tbsp safflower oil
1 tbsp vanilla
3/4 cup of dark chocolate

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix in honey, oil & vanilla, stirring well. With a fork cut in the peanut butter until mixed well. Add chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed throughout the mixture. Scoop a spoonful of mixture & roll with your hand into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on a greased cookie sheet & bake for 15 minutes.

Mon
26 ^th

Frozen Strawberry Cheesecake Sandwiches

Posted by Pinparent — 6 Comments

My obsession with cheesecake inspired desserts continues. Since the warm weather is here, I opted for a frozen cheesecake treat. These are easy to make and oh so delicious.

Ingredients:

15 full graham crackers

2 packages of softened cream cheese

1 tub of Cool Whip

2 cups of strawberries (cleaned, stemed & sliced small)

1 1/2 sticks of margarine

1/2 cup of sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. In a small sauce pan melt the margarine. Line a baking sheet with tin foil . Split the full graham crackers in half at their seam and place on the lined tray. Pour the melted butter over the crackers. Spread evenly across coating each cracker. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes. Remove from the oven & cool.

As the crackers cool, prepare your filling. In a large mixing bowl add cream cheese, sugar & strawberries. Beat on a low setting until all ingredients are blended, scraping the sides as you go. Add the whipped cream & stir by hand until evenly blended.

Transfer half of the cooled crackers to a 12×8 baking dish. Place them side by side. Pour the cheesecake mixture over the top of the crackers. Evenly distribute the mixture & smooth out. Add the rest of the graham crackers over the top in the same pattern as the bottom. Scrape around the edges of the baking dish smoothing out the filling around the edges of the outside crackers. Cover & freeze for 3 hours. Cut & separate each cracker sandwich with a sharp knife. Serve & enjoy. Wrap the unused portions and keep in the freezer.