Lower Calorie Tiramisu

I adapted this from a recipe in my Skinny Italian Cooking cookbook. Tiramisu usually requires mascarpone cheese, which has a whopping 130 calories and 13 grams of fat per 2 tablespoons. No thanks. This version was relatively easy to make, and in about 5 hours I can let you know how it tastes. Looks pretty good though:

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups freshly made instant espresso
2 T rum
1 1/2 cups 1% cottage cheese
1/4 cup water
1 7oz jar marshmallow Fluff
1/2 t almond extract (I used vanilla - but only because I didn't have almond)
8 oz light cream cheese, cut into chunks
9 oz ladyfingers (I used madelline cookies because I couldn't find ladyfingers)
1 oz. top quality semisweet or bittersweet chocoalate, grated

Directions:
1. Combine espresso and rum and set aside to cool slightly
2. Meanwhile beat cottage cheese and water until cottage cheese is almost smooth. Add marshmallow fluff and almond extract and mix 20 seconds to incorporate. Add chunks of cream cheese one at a time and beat until smooth and cream cheese is completely mixed in.
3. Dip ladyfingers in espresso mixture for 3 seconds and arrange in a flat layer in baking dish. Spoon 1/2 of cheese mixture over ladyfingers, spreading evenly. Sprinkle evenly with half of grated chocolate. Dip the remaining ladyfingers in espresso mixture and lay over first layer. Spoon remaining mixture over ladyfingers. Finish by sprinkling remaining chocolate evenly over top layer.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours to let flavors incorporate.
Makes 9 (huge) servings.

Nutritional Info:
Calories: 323
Fat: 10
Carbs: 48
Protein: 9

Post tasting update: I freaking love this recipe. So much so that I probably consumed 1500 calories worth over 2 days. Oops! My boyfriend, on the other hand, took one bite and said that it tasted too much like coffee and too much like cheesecake and too little like chocolate. I think he's on crack. TOO CHEESECAKEY! Is there really such a thing? I think that's what made this recipe so motherfreaking awesome. So talk to the hand, baby. I still love you, but we'll have to agree to disagree on this.

Forget the Diet for a Night Cookie Dough Brownies

Another sinful (but quick!) recipe. Whoever came up with this recipe really me in mind because it combines 2 of my favorite things in the world: brownies and cookie dough. This combo is worth every calorie.

Make a box of your favorite brownies (I used the kind with extra fudge and meltaway chocolate chips). One option to de-sin these is to use the pumpkin brownie recipe below, or use No Pudge Brownies (you'd need 2 boxes). Even though I made this using the full fat brownies, in the spirit of this blog, nutritional info reflects the No Pudge Brownie version.

Cookie dough topping layer:

1/2 c. butter softened
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
3 TBS skim milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. flour
1 c. chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in the milk and vanilla. Gradually add the flour to the mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread the topping over the cooled brownies. Store the dessert in the fridge until serving-and after.

And if you're ever just craving straight up cookie dough, you can skip the brownies and dig in with a spoon - the lack of raw egg make it totally safe to eat.

Servings: 24

Nutritional Info:
Calories: 220
Fat: 5.9g
Saturated fat: 3.7
Carbs: 37.8
Protein: 2.8

Brownies That I've Been Meaning to Try for Ages

I've seen this recipe floating around all over the place, and since I'm a sucker for a recipe with few ingredients I had to try it. I've never made brownies from scratch (one of these days I will), but I've become a bit of a brownie mix connoisseur. And I've learned 2 tricks for the perfect brownie after many years of baking brownies from a mix:

1. Always double the recipe (i.e., 2 boxes go into one pan)
2. Always use a glass baking pan

Follow these tips and you end up with super fudgey brownies every time. I'm going to be honest, unlike what most comments on this recipe said, I can definitely tell the difference between these brownies and the brownies you make by following the recipe on the box. But if you let them sit overnight, the pumpkin flavor is less overwhelming and the more delicious the brownie. They are super moist and very fudgy. Definitely worth trying!

Onto the recipe:
Ingredients:
2 boxes of brownie mix
30 oz canned pumpkin
1/3 cup water

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a huge bowl. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the pan comes out clean. Servings: 60 (bite-size pieces, picture above is approx. 2 servings)

Nutritional Info (per serving):

Calories: 85.4
Total Fat: 1.7 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 77.8 mg
Total Carbs: 17.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.1 g
Protein: 1.5 g