Healthier Indulgences | Just About Baked

Warning: getimagesize(/home/justab8/public_html/wp-content/uploadshttps://justaboutbaked.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/cheesecakebar3-e1402495015894.jpg): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/justab8/public_html/wp-content/themes/Total/framework/classes/image-resize.php on line 121

Skinnier Cheesecake Bars

June 13, 2014
Mir
Bars n' Brownies, Cupcakes and Cheesecakes, Healthier Indulgences
8 Comments

There are certain facts of life that are indisputable, so here are a few:

1) A perfect nap is harder to find than a good life partner.

2) Summer dresses are the best part of being a girl.

3) Beaches are magical.

4) Even if it sucks, you have to sweat every day to feel good.

5) Cheesecake is the best and worst dessert of all time.

What was that last observation?

I love cheesecake. LOVE it. Most people do, you know. But when you see how much gets loaded into the batter, it’s kind of sad. Because all that deliciousness usually comes at quite a price, health-wise. Fat? Check. Calories? Check. Indigestion? Double check.

But fear not! You don’t have to drop cheesecake from your repertoire. These bars do the trick quite nicely and you will never know they’re skinny!

Warning: getimagesize(/home/justab8/public_html/wp-content/uploadshttps://justaboutbaked.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/moon4-e1396891685156.jpg): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/justab8/public_html/wp-content/themes/Total/framework/classes/image-resize.php on line 121

Almond Moon Cookies

There are very few non-chocolate desserts that I’ll go for. I’ve been working on establishing my love for anything with a crumb topping, so we’re clear on that! And I do have a special fondness for cheesecake, as do most breathing human beings. But along with these exceptions to my rule, I love anything with marzipan or almonds. My German grandparents pretty much made sure of that by passing down their love of almond through my mother and straight to me.

I’m a total sucker for chewy almond cookies, the kind you get at good, old-school bakeries. Sometimes they’re plain, sometimes dipped in chocolate. They come in all different shapes. I don’t really care what they look like, as long as they’re soft. Once they age and get harder, I lose interest. When I was a kid, our local fishmonger used to sell them (no idea why), and his name was Mr. Moon. So, I’ve always called almond cookies Moon Cookies.

Warning: getimagesize(/home/justab8/public_html/wp-content/uploadshttps://justaboutbaked.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Oreo2-e1395743168145.jpg): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/justab8/public_html/wp-content/themes/Total/framework/classes/image-resize.php on line 121

Skinny Oreo Cheesecake

March 26, 2014
Mir
Cupcakes and Cheesecakes, Healthier Indulgences
4 Comments

Okay, I admit it. I’m going heavy on the Oreos this week. After eating all the cookies and cream bark, my cravings just intensified. But I wanted to be somewhat healthy, so here we go!

Cheesecake is exciting. I used to go to the Cheesecake Factory and inhale giant slices of peanut butter cookie dough cheesecake. It was really awesome until they stopped making it. Oh yeah, and until they posted their nutrition information. All of a sudden, I was horrified.

Okay, I know cheesecake is not a health food. Duh. So now and then, of course I’ll indulge. But I have to have cheesecake more often than “now and then,” so that’s why I decided to make this cheesecake.

Warning: getimagesize(/home/justab8/public_html/wp-content/uploadshttps://justaboutbaked.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/challah5.jpg): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/justab8/public_html/wp-content/themes/Total/framework/classes/image-resize.php on line 121

Mostly Whole Wheat Challah

Ahhhh…TGIF. Almost. Before I breeze through the last day of the week, it’s time to make some serious bread.

Challah, that is.

Challah is too awesome to fly so much under the radar. It’s traditionally an egg bread made with white flour and sugar, kind of like brioche. It makes amazing French toast. There are also water versions, calling for no egg, as well as challahs filled with anything from raisins to chocolate chips.

And lately, whole wheat challah has begun to pop up in bakeries with more frequency, though it’s often put down by challah traditionalists, and who can blame them? Challah is an indulgence, a bread so good that spreading butter or jam on a slice can actually take away from the yeasty, fresh-out-of-the-oven perfection of the bread itself.

I was pretty hestitant to give the whole wheat thing a try. Why fix what ain’t broke? But in a world where whole grains are healthier and white bread is just an occasional indulgence, I wanted to have my challah and eat it too.