Holiday desserts and baking

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  • Gingerbread Persons
    2 3/4 cup cake flour, sifted
    1 tbsp baking powder
    1 tbsp ground cinnamon
    1 tsp ground cloves
    1 tsp ground ginger
    1/2 tsp table salt
    1/4 tsp baking soda
    1 large egg(s), beaten
    1/4 tsp ground allspice
    1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
    3/4 cup molasses, dark
    1/2 cup reduced-calorie margarine, at room temperature

    In a large bowl, sift together first seven ingredients; set aside. In mixer on medium, beat egg, allspice, brown sugar, molasses and margarine. Add dry ingredients to liquid ingredients, a little at a time, mixing after each addition to form a stiff dough.

    Gather dough into 2 equal balls, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.

    Heat oven to 375̊F. Lightly grease baking sheet(s) with nonstick cooking spray.

    Remove 1 ball of dough from refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a 1/3-inch thickness. Cut gingerbread shapes from dough with floured cutters (about 3 inches tall). Decorate as desired with oven-safe decorations.

    Transfer cookies to baking sheet(s). Bake until slightly firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool.

    Yields 60 cookies. 1 point per cookie NOTE: points do not include decorations.
  • Cranberry Christmas Cookies
    3 large egg white(s), at room temperature
    1/4 tsp cream of tartar
    3/4 cup sugar
    1/4 cup canned cranberry sauce, whole berry
    1/3 cup dried cranberries, about 80 cranberries

    Preheat oven to 200F. Coat 2 large sheet pans with cooking spray or cover with parchment paper.

    Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form in a large bowl; gradually beat in sugar until mixture is very stiff and shiny. Gradually fold in cranberry sauce (you can add a few drops of red food coloring at this point, if desired) while beating for 1 minute.

    Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto prepared sheet pans; press 1 dried cranberry into the top of each cookie.

    Bake for 2 hours. Cool completely before removing from pans. Store in airtight containers.

    Makes 20 cookies at 1 point for 4 cookies
  • Phyllo Pumpkin Pie
    6 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
    Cooking spray
    3/4 cup dark brown sugar
    1/2 tsp salt
    1 tsp ground cinnamon
    1/2 tsp ground ginger
    1/4 tsp ground cloves
    1/2 cup egg substitute or 4 egg whites
    1 15-ounce can pumpkin
    1 12-ounce can fat-free evaporated milk

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees

    Cut phyllo sheets in half and stack on wax paper or plastic wrap (each full length sheet is 14 x 18 inches; if you happen to have 14 x 9-inch sheets, leave whole) . Place wax paper or plastic wrap on top layer and cover with a damp towel to prevent sheets from drying out.

    Coat a 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray. Lay a half sheet of phyllo pastry in pie dish. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Repeat with rest of half sheets, fanning out to form a circle. Fold and crimp edges. Weigh down with pie weights and bake for 10 minutes until slightly browned.

    Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Beat egg substitute or egg whites with pumpkin puree. Slowly pour in evaporated milk and mix well. Add sugar and spices to pumpkin mixture and blend thoroughly. Pour into pie crust; bake for an hour, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

    Makes 8 servings
  • Decadent Truffle Squares - 1 pt

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    1 cup Carnation Evaporated Milk
    1/2 cup granulated sugar
    2 (12 oz ) packages semisweet chocolate chips
    1/4 cup liqueur
    Nestles Quik or icing sugar

    Directions:

    Line 9-inch (2.5 L) square cake pan with foil; set aside. In medium sized heavy saucepan, combine
    evaporated milk and sugar; cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture comes to full boil. Boil
    for 3 minutes, stirring constantly; remove from heat.

    Add chocolate chips and liqueur; stir vigorously until chocolate is melted and smoothly combined.
    Pour into prepared pan. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours or until firm. Cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm)
    squares. Toss squares in chocolate drink mix until coated.

    Place in foil or paper candy cups and keep refrigerated until just before serving. (Squares can be
    layered between waxed paper in airtight container and refrigerated for up to 1 week.)

    Alcohol Tip: For a non-alcoholic version, substitute hot strong coffee made with Nescafé Rich
    Blend Instant Coffee or Nescafé Instant Express for the liqueur.

    Makes 80 Servings (4 squares per serving) 1 Pt. per serving

    Nutritional info: Calories 48, Total Fat 1.2 g, Dietary Fiber 0 g


    I'm not seeing how this is 80 1-pt servings. Yes, it makes 80 squares, but each square is approximately 1/2 pt.

    Calorieking.com lists the following caloric counts for the ingredients:
    evaporated milk, 1 cup = 322 calories
    1/2 cup granulated sugar = 387
    2 (12 oz ) packages semisweet chocolate chips = 2016

    total (without fat/fiber or liquor & spices) = 2725 for the entire pan
    divide by 80 servings equals roughly 35-40 calories for each square with 1.5 grams of fat. Two pieces just barely squeezes in at 1 point.