Sugar-Free Panna Cotta

With autumn in full swing and sugary, baked goodies coming out of the oven, it's nice to have something a little lighter to kick the sweet tooth. Of course, you can make this recipe with real sugar; but why not make it skinny! It's not a secret that I love panna cotta, so I wanted to find a way to serve it with an autumn twist!

You will need:
2 cups skim milk
1/2 cup half&half
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tbsp. Splenda
1 envelope unflavored gelatin

To start:
1. In a medium bowl, dissolve the gelatin into 1/4 cup of the milk.
2. Add the remaining milk, half&half, vanilla and Splenda to a medium saucepan and stir over medium heat for 10 minutes.
3. Pour the cooked cream into the dissolved gelatin and stir. Be careful not to stir too hard to avoid creating bubbles.
4. Next pour the mixture into 4 ramekins. If you plan on turning them out, you'll need to lightly grease the ramekins (I suggest coconut oil.) I used a mini leaf and pumpkin mold by Wilton to make mine!
5. Cover the panna cotta and refrigerate over night.

I drizzled honey over these and served them with plum tarts and baked crusted apples! Its was the perfect way to get into the autumn spirit! These are fun for a brunch or dessert, but they're only good covered for about a 1-2 days after made- so eat em' up!

Happy cooking!

Whole Wheat Plum Galette

I love this recipe! The short butter crust and plums compliment each other so well! I especially like it because it uses little artificial sweetener. It's beautiful and there are different variations you can try!

You will need:

For the crust-
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
5 tbsp. softened butter
2 tbsp. cold water

For the filling-
2 black plums sliced (30-33 slices)
2(ish) tbsp. honey
1 tsp. brown sugar

To start:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
2. Mix the flour, brown sugar and salt together. Cut the butter into the dry mixture using a pastry cutter or fork. Add the water and the mixture should come together.
3. Roll the dough out on a piece of parchment or silicone baking mat. It should be about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Arrange the plum slices on the dough leaving about 1&1/2 - 2 inches of dough on the edges.
5. Drizzle the plums with honey and fold the edges of the dough over them. This part can be tricky so take it slow. The dough should overlap and fold a bit which is normal.
6. Sprinkle the top with a teaspoon of brown sugar. I also sprinkled salt over mine and it was great.
7. bake for 25 minutes or until dough has become crunchy.
8. Allow to cool and cut it like a pizza to serve.

These are great for breakfast or to have with sweet tea and lemonade! They're simple, tasty, and healthy: a triple threat! I love them and I hope you do too!

Happy Baking!

Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

I made these cookies this week and I'm already trying to find another excuse to make them again! They're the perfect treat during this chilly weather! These cookies go great with the holidays and will be great for gifting! The recipe is simple and yields about a dozen and a half to two dozen cookies depending on the size you make them.

You will need:

1  1/3 cup rolled oats

1  1/4 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. butter

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1  1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup craisins (dried cranberries)

2/3 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

To start:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the egg, vanilla, brown sugar, honey, applesauce, and butter. It's best to use an electric mixer for this. 

3. Next, add in the baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually mix in the flour with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. 

4.  Fold in the oats until evenly distributed.

5. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon (a spatula would be best) mix in the cranberries and pecans.

6. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and spoon the dough onto the pan in 2 inch circles about 2 inches apart. 

7.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are solid.

8. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes before packaging.

I hope you found this recipe useful! Happy cooking!