I do have a great low fat cobbler recipe that I’ll get to soon, but in the meantime, here’s a really speedy way to make a delicious, elegant berry compote that you can serve on low fat ice cream or angel food cake. (OK, pound cake as well, but why do you think they call it “pound” cake?)

This is so easy I don’t know why I don’t make it more often. Frozen berries microwaved for a few minutes with just a bit of sugar. Voila.

I have other compote recipes that call for fresh fruit and different flavorings such as white wine, lemon and butter. I’ll include one of them later on. The beauty of this one is that you can keep bags of frozen berries on hand for last-minute, healthy indulgences. Speaking of which, want to add liqueur to this? Go ahead, I did. I poured Chambord (black raspberry) liqueur atop the berries and ice cream. Nothing wrong with gilding the lily.

1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 cup frozen blackberries
3 T. sugar
2 t. cornstarch

In a large bowl, stir together the frozen berries with the sugar and cornstarch. Cover and microwave for two minutes. Stir and microwave again for about 2 to 3 minutes, until fruit is beginning to bubble and is slightly thickened.

Serves: 8
WW Points per serving: 1

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When our son Corbett was in high school my girlfriend Marguerite occasionally baked cookies for him. He loved those home made treats and often lamented, “I wish I had a mother like Marguerite who baked cookies for me.”

It’s true, I didn’t bake a lot when the kids were young. Why? My selfish, bad-mother reason is simple: I love cookies as much, if not more, than Corbett, and if they were around, I’d eat them.

Like many Americans, my all-time favorite cookie is chocolate chip. They are irresistible if freshly home made. Great dunked in coffee or tea, or even gobbled as one heads out the door. (Notice how I euphemistically refer to active on-the-run gobbling rather than the sitting-on-the-couch-in-front-of-the-TV kind? It’s a Catholic-guilt thing.)

But I’ve found that you actually can have your cookies and eat them too. While these biscotti aren’t exactly diet fare, they don’t contain any butter, they’re impossible to consume quickly (too hard and crunchy) and they satisfy that chocolate craving quite nicely in just a few bites. They’re best when dunked in either coffee, tea, or as the Italians do, wine.

This recipe is from Maida Heatter, who has been called America’s queen of desserts. Her original recipe calls for two large eggs, but I found that the dough was much too dry (perhaps my flour was less hydrated due of our dry, cold winter) so I added three eggs and the dough was still pretty stiff but workable.

These take the cake, or should I say, cookie?

Chocolate Chip and Almond Biscotti

6 oz. (1 1/4 cups) whole almonds
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/8 t. salt
1 cup minus 2 T. sugar
12 oz. (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 large eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
2 T. brandy

Toast the almonds in a single layer at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes, shaking the pan a few times. Allow them to cool.

Change oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the sugar and stir to mix. Place about 1/2 cup of these ingredients into a food processor, add 1/2 cup of the almonds and process until the almonds are fine and powdery, about 30 seconds. Add the processed mixture to the rest of the dry ingredients and stir in the chocolate chips and the remaining almonds.

In a small bowl beat the eggs with the vanilla and brandy, just enough to mix. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until the ingredients are moistened. (Maida says to be patient, which you will have to be. This is a stiff dough.)

Turn dough out onto a piece of parchment or waxed paper. Wet your hands and shape the dough into a round mound and cut with a sharp knife into four even pieces. Continue to wet your hands and shape each piece into a log about 9 inches long, 2 inches wide and about 1/2 inch high. (Press, don’t roll, the dough.)

Prepare two baking sheets by layering them with parchment paper, and place two logs on each sheet. Place both pans into a 375 degree oven and bake for 25 minutes, reversing the sheets midway through baking time.

Remove the sheets and slide logs onto a cutting board to cool for 20 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees.

With a long serrated knife, carefully slice each log diagonally into slices about 1/2 inch wide. This can be tricky, so go slowly and cut with a sawing motion. Place the slices cut side down back onto the baking sheets, which at this point can be unlined.

Return to a 275 degree oven and bake for 25 minutes, turning the slices over midway through baking. Turn the oven heat off, open the oven door, and let the biscotti cool in the oven.

When cool, store in an airtight container. They’ll keep indefinitely!

Makes about 40 biscotti
WW points per cookie: 2 to 3, depending on size

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Two chocolate biscotti with a home made latte. Can't beat that!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 t. vanilla extract
3/4 cup dried cherries (I used Craisins)
1 oz. semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. (I line my pan with parchment paper.)

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla with an electric mixer. Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour mixture until well combined. The dough will be fairly stiff. Stir in the cherries or Craisins by hand and knead dough a few times to combine all.

Sprinkle work surface lightly with flour and turn dough onto surface. Divide in half. Roll each half into a long cylinder about 14″ long by 1 1/2″ wide. Place side by side on baking sheet and bake until firm and a toothpick inserted into center of each log comes out clean, about 15 minutes.

Slide out onto a cutting board and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F. With a serrated knife, slice each log crosswise into about 30 (1/2″) slices. Place slices onto baking sheet and bake until fairly dry, about 10 minutes on each side. Cool completely on wire rack.

Place semisweet chocolate into a small microwavable bowl and microwave on High, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted and smooth, about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer chocolate to a small zip-lock plastic bag. Cut off a tiny corner of the bag and drizzle chocolate over cookies. Allow to harden before serving.

Notes: The logs may crack during the first baking. That’s OK. And when you slice the logs, some of the slices will break apart at the ends. I just pinched them back together or left them as-is. Apparently, this is a natural consequence of biscotti-making. As I bake more recipes, I’ll get back to you on this. Also, my chocolate didn’t become thin enough to drizzle lightly over the biscotti, so I used more and made fatter drizzles. What’s not to love?

Makes: about 60 cookies
WW Points per serving: 1 (for 3 cookies, or 2 if you do what I did and use more chocolate. Two of these are worth a measly 1 point anyway!)

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Today is only the 2nd of February, and in the next two weeks we’ve got both Super Bowl Sunday (the biggest snacking day of the year in America, according to the big food folks) and that venerable chocoholic’s dream, Valentine’s Day.

The opportunities to overeat, and to justify it because “it’s a special day”,  just never end.

Instead of heading from one food disaster to the next, my motto is to try to enjoy every holiday without making any one celebration a reason to blow it. I know this borders on un-American, but I’m not going to make any dip for Super Bowl Sunday, low fat or otherwise. Dips provide too much temptation to endlessly dip, dip, dip and munch, munch, munch. Think about it, what exactly is a portion of dip? Do you really scoop out 1/4 cup and eat only that? I think not.

Instead, I’m going to cook something delicious and healthy that we can enjoy without feeling guilty after the game. Beer will be included on the menu. After all, it is a football game.

Fudgy yet low in fat, these are REAL brownies!

But let’s get to the real reason for this post–chocolate! Valentine’s Day is the next holiday, and here, from Cooks Illustrated again, is a low-fat brownie recipe that I’ve made twice with great results.  Real non-dieting men said that they couldn’t tell these brownies were low in fat, that’s how good they are. The secret is to not over-handle or over-bake them.

The original recipe doesn’t call for nuts, but to me it’s not a brownie without nuts, so I added whole pecans on top before they went into the oven. I think nuts are better when they go on top of a baked good; when they are chopped up and stirred into the dough, they tend to stew rather than roast.

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Ghirardelli Bittersweet chocolate chips)
2 T. unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 T. low-far sour cream
1 T. chocolate syrup (I only had fat-free fudge sauce and that worked fine)
1 large egg plus 1 egg white
2 t. vanilla extract

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8″ baking pan with foil so that it comes out over the edges on all four sides (you’ll need two long pieces of foil, folded to fit neatly into the pan) and press it down so that it’s smooth. Spray the foil with nonstick spray.

Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl. Melt the bittersweet chocolate and butter together in a large bowl in the microwave, stirring often, until melted. Let cool slightly.

Whisk the sugar, sour cream, chocolate syrup, egg, egg white and vanilla into the chocolate/butter mixture. Fold in the flour mixture in 3 additions with a spatula, stirring only until just combined.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Tap the pan against the counter to remove any bubbles. Bake until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs attached, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Do NOT overbake.

Let the brownies cool completely in the pan, about 2 hours. Lift them out with the foil and cut into 2″ squares.

Makes 16 brownies
WW Points per brownie: 2

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This was our Christmas dessert; it tastes better when it’s made the day before serving, which gives the intense ginger and molasses flavors ample time to marry. If you don’t want to make this now, when our thoughts are turning to lighter, slimmer New Year’s resolution fare, tuck this recipe away for when you want the best gingerbread you’ve ever had. I’ve been sneaking little bites of it since Christmas, and it has brought a smile to my face every time I’ve tasted it. Adapted from Gourmet Magazine.

Gingerbread decorated by Miss Elizabeth Bennett!

1 cup Guinness Stout
1 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
1/2 t. baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
2 T. ground ginger
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cardamom
3 large eggs
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 12″ bundt pan and dust with flour, knocking out the excess.

Among the traditional British Christmas dishes, such as turkey and brussels sprouts, was a mousse made with Bailey’s Irish Cream. Naturally, that’s the one that caught my eye. I went straight to the liquor cabinet and pulled out our bottle of Bailey’s to make it.

The recipe says that you can also make this with Tia Maria (a coffee liqueur that’s widely available in the UK). In the US you can substitute Kahlua.

Bailey’s Mousse

1/3 cup granulated sugar  (In the UK, 60 g caster sugar)
1 T. water
3 eggs, separated
4 T. Bailey’s Irish Cream
3 T. whipping cream
1/2 heaping t. cocoa powder

Reserve 1 T. sugar. Please the remaining sugar and water into a small saucepan. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then boil rapidly for 1 minute until the mixture is syrupy but not caramelized.

Whisk the egg whites in a grease-free bowl until stiff, then slowly add the sugar syrup (it can be hot), beating well to thoroughly incorporate.

Put the 3 egg yolks, the remaining 1 T. sugar and the Bailey’s in a heatproof bowl. Position the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, but do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. (A double boiler works well here.) Whisk this mixture until thick and frothy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and fold in the egg white mixture. Spoon into 6 glasses and chill.

Whip the whipping cream until it holds its shape. In the UK whipped cream is not sweetened, but I added 1 T. of powdered sugar as I whipped the cream. Top the desserts with the cream and sprinkle on a bit of cocoa powder.

Serves: 6
WW Points per serving: 3

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This recipe, which hails from Cooking Light, is the find of the season. I’ve made it twice, the first time for Lizzie, the second time in a larger batch for Thanksgiving because we loved it so. After some minor changes to the original (I added cinnamon to the pudding mixture and pecans on top) we all pronounced it a total comfort-food winner. What’s not to love about bready pudding with warm bourbon sauce on top?  On Thanksgiving, I opted out on the store-bought pumpkin pie that a friend brought and had this instead. Let me tell you, I didn’t miss the pumpkin. Not one bit.

Pudding:

2 T. unsalted butter, softened
4 cups fat-free milk
9 cups French bread*, cut into 1/2 ” cubes and dried
2 cups sugar
1 t. cinnamon
2 t. vanilla
4 egg whites
1 egg
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans

(* I used a French Farm Bread, which has a hard crust and is slightly sour. Its sourness was a delicious contrast to the sweetness of the pudding. Any French bread will do, though. Cut it into cubes and put it on a large cookie sheet to dry out overnight or in a warm oven for a half hour or so.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread soft butter onto bottom and sides of a 9″ by 13″ inch baking dish. (Optional, you can also just spray the pan with nonstick spray.)

Heat milk in a saucepan until about 180 degrees, or until tiny bubbles form on the edge. Do not boil. Place dried bread cubes into a large bowl and pour hot milk over bread.

In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, egg whites and egg . Slowly add this to the bread and milk mixture, stirring as you pour it in. Stir in raisins.

Pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle pecans on top. Place dish into a large roasting pan and add hot water to the larger pan to a depth of about 1/2 inch. Bake for 50 minutes or until browned and set.

Bourbon Sauce

3/4 cup sugar
6 T. butter
1 large egg
1/4 cup bourbon

Combine sugar, butter and egg in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook 4 minutes or until a candy thermometer registers 165 degrees and mixture is thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in bourbon.

Serves: 16 (1/2 cup bread pudding and 1 T. sauce)
WW Points per serving: 6

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If you’re looking for “diet” cake, this isn’t it. It doesn’t use any of the substitutions or artificial ingredients you see in lots of diet recipes, but that’s what I like about it. I’ve said this before: in the 1970’s, I devoured every diet product on the market and I’m done with them. I didn’t lose weight eating diet foods then, and I certainly didn’t learn portion control (in fact, I remember chowing down on mega-portions of “diet” cookies, et al). It was a lose-lose situation.

Since then I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to lose weight and keep it off, and for me it involves moderation. I want to enjoy food because it is one of life’s greatest pleasures, especially during the holidays. I try to eat as healthfully as possible, and when I do indulge, I either take a few bites of something really rich, or I enjoy a piece of cake like this one without an iota of guilt. This is real cake, moist and chocolaty, yet it is lower in fat than traditional Bundt cakes. That makes it a real winner!

I baked my cakes in two 6" bundt pans instead of one 12" pan. I also sprinkled mini-chocolate chips atop the icing on one, and toasted pecans on the other.

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
2 t. vanilla extract
1 cup hot strong black coffee

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 to 2 T. buttermilk or milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup* Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Dust the pan with flour, shake it around to distribute it evenly and knock out the excess.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, white sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the buttermilk, brown sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for two minutes. Whisk in the hot coffee until completely incorporated. The batter will be quite thin, but don’t worry.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out nearly clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and allow to cool completely.

To make the icing: Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla and just enough of the buttermilk or milk to make a thick but pourable icing. Set the cooled cake on a serving plate and drizzle the icing over the top, allowing it to drip down the sides.

(*If you use half-size pans as I did, baking time will be shorter by about 15 minutes.)

Note: Cooks Illustrated recommends using Callebaut Dutch-process cocoa, which isn’t available locally in my area. (I mail-ordered mine. God bless the Internet!) Here’s my thought on cocoa–this cake has much less fat than traditional cakes, thus its ingredients must really shine. Use the best cocoa powder you can get your hands on, but if you must, use good old Hershey’s. Your cake may not be the Rolls Royce of chocolate cakes, but it will certainly be the newest, shiniest Toyota Prius. Hey, I like that analogy–a little goes a long way!

Serves: 16
WW Points per serving: 4

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