Peanut Butter Chocolate Pudding Pie Bites

ssshhh these are almost sugar-free (just 1 tsp)!
This was my first attempt at diabetic-friendly desserts and it was much sweeter than expected.  It took some planning, and lots of asking questions, but these little pie bites turned out to be fun treats for everyone.  With just a box of pudding, a spread of peanut butter, and my pie crust (minus a teaspoon or two of sugar), I had a classically yummy flavor combo to keep the taste-buds, waistlines, and blood sugar happy.

Crust Ingredients
1 1/3 cup        flour
1 tsp               sugar
1/2 tsp            salt
1/2 cup           chilled shortening
3 tbsp             ice water

Chocolate Pudding Ingredients
1 box Sugar Free Chocolate Fudge Jell-O Instant Pudding (plus 1 3/4 cup milk according to pudding pie filling instructions)

Peanut Butter Spread Ingredients
* This was a work in progress so the measurements are as close as I can remember, but you can't really mess up with peanut butter :)
1/2 cup         peanut butter...JIF Creamy of course!
A few splashes of milk
A capful of vanilla

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2.  Spray mini cupcake pans with nonstick baking spray.
3.  Whisk together pie crust dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt).
4.  Cut in shortening using a pastry blender.
5.  Add water one tbsp at a time, using a pastry blender to combine each.  Dough will be crumbly.
6.  Form dough into disk.

7.  Flour rolling surface and rolling pin.
8.  Roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.
9.  Use a star cookie-cutter, or cutter of your choice, to cut out pie bite shells.

10.  Lightly press shells into individual mini-cupcake holes.
11.  Fork the bottom of shells to make sure they don't puff up...we need plenty of room for the peanut butter and chocolate!

12.  Bake for 12-15 minutes.
13.  Meanwhile, use a mixer to whip peanut butter and vanilla with milk until desired consistency.
14.  Next, prepare chocolate fudge pudding pie filling according to box instructions: whisk dry pudding mix and milk by hand for 2 minutes or until smooth.
15.  Make sure pie bite shells are cool before filling.
16.  Spoon peanut butter spread into bottom of pie bite shells.
17.  Fill remainder of pie bite shells with chocolate pudding pie filling.
18.  Refrigerate peanut butter chocolate pudding pie bites for a few hours...one is good enough if you can't wait :)

19.  Enjoy! And you can even have seconds, or thirds, since they're basically sugar-free!

Job Opening: Zesters Inquire Within

After making the dreamsicle cookies I have a little quirk to add to the list...I do not like zesting, not one bit.  It turned my fingers orange and left a stain on my shirt.  Some of the trouble may have come from my not having a real zester and using a cheese grater instead, but I still don't like it.  Right after I hire a dishwasher or two for my bakery, I'll hire a zester!  So, if you don't mind zesting oranges and such I'll leave a spot open for you in the bakery someday :)

Orange Dreamsicle Cookies

Orange you glad it's not s'mores :)
This little cookie was a sunny treat in the midst of a cloudy start to September.  From the cheerful color to the pop of orange flavor and smooth white chocolate, this dreamsicle cookie was a fun take on the summery popsicle, and more sharable too!

Dreamsicle Cookie Ingredients
1 cup           butter
1/2 cup        sugar
1/2 cup        brown sugar
1                  egg
1 tsp            orange extract
2 1/2 cups    flour
3/4 tsp        baking soda
1/4 tsp         salt
2 tbsp         orange zest (zest of 2 oranges)
1 bag           white chocolate chips

Orange Glaze Ingredients
1/2 cup        powdered sugar
1/4 tsp         orange extract
2-3 tsp        milk

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3.  Cream together butter and sugars.
4.  Mix in egg and orange extract.
5.  Mix in dry ingrdients (flour, baking soda, and salt).
6.  Zest oranges.
7.  Mix zest into dough.
8.  Mix in white chocolate chips.
9.  Place golf ball-sized scoops of dough onto cookie sheet (I use a little ice cream scoop...one of my favorite baking gadgets!).

10.  Bake 9 minutes.

11.  Let cool and snack on one or two just to make sure they're ok :)

12.  Meanwhile, whisk together glaze ingredients until desired texture.
13.  Drizzle the glaze over the cookies with a whisk, adding an extra burst of flavor and fancy!

14.  Enjoy! These disappeared by the handful so make sure you don't miss out :)

S'more S'mores Please

I did say I love s'mores...
My mom is hosting a backyard campout party next weekend and she put in a special order for a s'mores-like dessert for the party-goers who won't want to roast marshmallows.  While I'm not sure who wouldn't want to roast a marshmallow, I am sure that I'm up for taste-testing s'mores desserts!  These s'mores bars turned out just right; there's a nice crunch to the top cookie, and the inside is a gooey, melty mess of chocolate and marshmallow, just as it should be.  The only bad part about them is their 8x8 pan isn't quite big enough.  So, here's to next weekend's anti-mallow roasting partiers and to campfire-less s'mores lovers...enjoy!

Graham Cracker Cookie Ingredients
1/2 cup        butter
1/4 cup        brown sugar (plus an extra spoonful or two!)
1/2 cup        sugar
1                  egg
1 tsp            vanilla
1 1/3 cups     flour
3/4 cup        Honey Maid Cinnamon graham cracker crumbs (about 1/2 a pack of crackers)
1 tsp             baking powder
1/4 tsp          salt

Chocolate Ingredients
2 extra large Hershey's Milk Chocolate bars

Marshmallow Ingredients
1 1/2 containers Jet Puffed Marshmallow Fluff (about 1 1/2 cups)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Spray sides of 8x8in baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
3.  Place 1/2 pack of graham crackers in a gallon back and smash or roll into crumbs with a rolling pin.
4.  Cream together butter and sugars.
5.  Mix in egg and vanilla.
6.  Mix in dry ingredients (flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt).
7.  Press half of the dough into the baking pan, evenly covering bottom of pan.

8.  Place chocolate bars side by side on top of the dough in baking pan.

9.  Spread marshmallow fluff over chocolate bars.  This is a sticky job, but a little extra marshmallow never hurt!

10.  Roll out remaining half of graham cracker cookie dough to size of 8x8 pan.

11.  Cut or tear dough into pieces (I tried to do it with one big piece and it did not work at all) and completely cover marshmallow fluff, sealing all sides of pan.
12.  Bake for 30 minutes.

13.  Cool, cut, and (in the words of Ham) stuff!