5-Ingredient Almond Cake with Fresh Berries

This simple almond cake is made with just five ingredients (not counting the berries), but don't let it's simplicity fool you – it's delicious (and it also happens to be gluten-free)!

When my family gets together for holidays, birthdays, or just because, everyone chips in and brings a dish. It's usually a given that my cousin Nina who blogs over at Ambrosia Baking will bring dessert. My aunt recently had to stop eating gluten, so lately the desserts have been gluten-free. The last family party we had, Nina brought this cake and I loved it. I started poking around asking her questions about the ingredients, and when I realized it was fairly light, made with no oil or butter I got busy in my kitchen testing it out. The original recipe comes from baking goddess Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Baking Chez Moi. If you're a baker, this book belongs in your kitchen!

The only changes I made to her original recipe was cutting back the sugar and using less egg yolks. The results were fabulous, and this cake is amazing. It stays moist for days!

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Sprinkle Dipped Meringues

Melt-in-your-mouth meringues dipped in creamy white chocolate and sprinkles, is there anything sweeter?

This meringue recipe is from my friend Rosie’s new book The Sweetapolita Bakebook, which comes out next Tuesday, April 7th! This book is BEAUTIFUL, filled with brilliant ideas for the baking enthusiasts.

I'm not quite sure if I could do this book justice, the quality of her work is just a bit out of my league, yet it's one of those books I can't stop looking at. Recipes like Cotton Candy Cloud Cookies, and Chalkboard Cookies with Edible Chalk – I'm totally obsessed! If you're a baker, or know a baker, this book is a must!

Back to these meringues. Naturally I chose this recipe because they are low in fat. Two cookies are under 100 calories, so if you need a sweet treat to bring to a party that's not over-indulgent, this is a great option.

A note from the author: When making meringue, be sure that your mixer bowl and whisk are completely free from even a smidge of grease or other residue. For the most stable and voluminous meringue, I find it’s best to use fresh eggs, without a trace of yolk, and not pre-packaged egg whites. Egg whites tend to separate best when they are cold, but they whip up best when room temperature or warm.

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Coconut Macaroon Nests

Coconut macaroons shaped like a bird's nest, filled with mini chocolate Cadbury eggs. An tasty Easter treat!

These were inspired by this month's Martha Stewart Living magazine, but after trying the recipe in the magazine, I thought it would taste better adapting it from my favorite coconut macaroon recipe instead. But rather than baking them on a cookie tin, you use a mini muffin tin to create the little nests. Fun to make with the kids!

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Coconut Obsessed Pie

I'm so excited about this pie, because, well I LOVE coconut and I LOVE pie! So after testing this out several times to get it JUST RIGHT, I'm thrilled to share this recipe!

I also love that this pie serves 8 people, for only 205 calories a slice!

The crust is made from crushed graham crackers and shredded coconut. You can use gluten-free graham crackers if you're gluten-free, I tested it with both and they were equally delicious. The filling is easy, and all made in the blender using organic silken tofu and coconut cream. Now, if you're thinking tofu? Think again because you'd never know it and I had the hardest time stopping at one slice. Try it and tell me what you think!

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Gluten-Free S'mores Tartlets

For all the bakers and chocolate lovers out there – this recipe is for you! These chocolate tartlets are a fun twist on a my favorite camping dessert, S'mores. Crushed graham crackers on the bottom, a yummy chocolate filling and a marshmallow Italian meringue on top.

Madison loved helping me in the kitchen. I put those little hands to work. I also made the cupcakes a day ahead, then made the meringue the following day which worked out perfect.

I adapted this recipe from Kyra Bussanich's cookbook, Sweet Cravings. Such a great cookbook for gluten-free desserts. I met Kyra a few months ago, she was the first gluten-free winner of Food Network's "Cupcake Wars" where she beat out non-gluten free cupcakes on the show which is pretty impressive. Although her recipes are all gluten-free, they are obviously not light so it took some work to cut the calories but I loved the final result. Her original recipe uses heavy cream in her chocolate ganache filling, but these worked out well using evaporated milk instead. I made some other modifications and everyone enjoyed them.

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Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

This chocolate chip cookie pie is secretly good for you, but don't tell anyone! You won't believe it's made with beans, dates and oats! And because it's made with such wholesome ingredients, it's very filling.

I can't tell you how excited I am to share Katie's new cookbook, Chocolate Covered Katie! I've admired Katie's blog for years and have always been amazed by the sweets she dreams up and her healthy approach to making dessert. Oh and by the way, the back of her cookbook has a blurb from yours truly! Thumbing through her book I wanted to make so many things, but I'm a sucker for chocolate chip pie, so I knew I wanted to try this.

Katie says: "So famous it's been featured on ABC's Five O'Clock News, this gooey cookie pie sparked a complete beans-in-dessert revolution on the Internet..." I knew I HAD to make this! She has two versions, one with xylitol or sugar, and this more natural version using dates as a natural sweetener. If you prefer to skip the dates and use a sweetener, she used 1 1/2 cups.

I topped this with a little fat free vanilla frozen yogurt but that's completely optional. Everyone in my house enjoyed this!


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Poached Pears with Yogurt

These poached pears are simple and wonderful, whether you want to serve them for breakfast or dessert.

I gently poached them in a combination of apple and pomegranate juice along with a cinnamon stick and an orange rind. No additional sugar needed  – so easy and delicious!

My aunt recently had to stop eating dairy for health reasons, so when Silk approached me about their new dairy-free yogurt alternative I was excited to try it. My Aunt was super excited because she wasn't happy with the flavor and texture of two other brands she tried (Trader Joe's and Stonyfield's). I bought them all as well to do a taste comparison and hand down, Silk Dairy Free Yogurt Alternative had the best flavor and texture, it's delicious!

This recipe is also naturally gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian. These best part about these pears is that the can be made a few days in advance, and kept refrigerated until ready to eat.

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White Chocolate Oatmeal Lace Cookies

Baking cookies for the Holidays has always been a family tradition for as long as I can remember. My Mom loves baking and has taught both my children to love it too. Oatmeal lace cookies have always been a favorite of mine, and since they don't use as much butter as most other cookie recipes, they certainly fall into the light category (as long as you have some self control of course).

Last year I shared these Dark Chocolate Lace Cookies which were sandwiched with dark chocolate in the middle, but as a white chocolate lover I wanted to change things up slightly. 

Rather then sandwiching them together this time I kept them single and dipped them in the melted chocolate a third of the way so I could add some colored sprinkles. They turned out delicious and I've also tested them with Bob's Red Mill All Purpose flour and they worked great for those of you with gluten allergies.

I also wanted to share a little info this Holiday season about santasmilkdrive.com. Did you know milk is one of the most requested items at food banks, yet it is rarely donated? Of the 46 million Americans food banks serve, the average person gets less than 1 gallon of milk per year. The entire dairy industry from dairy farmers to dairy processors has come together and joined with Feeding America food banks to help get milk to those who need it most.

You can help by donating just 1 Gallon of Milk by visiting santasmilkdrive.com to donate.
The cool part is when you do to the site to donate, type in your zip code and the donation will be distributed to a food bank in your own area, so your good will is doing good in your very own community.

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Baked Pears with Walnuts and Honey

Baked pears with cinnamon, honey and walnuts – it doesn't get simpler that this!

I had some beautiful ripe Royal Riviera pears on my counter from Harry & David and didn't want to waste them, so I cut them in half, cored them and baked them in the oven this morning. While they baked my kitchen smelled heavenly! They turned out even better than I hoped – I had one for breakfast with a little yogurt, but this would also make a wonderful dessert.


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Skinny Pumpkin Butterscotch Bars

These cookie bars are the perfect Fall dessert – moist and chewy, made lighter with pumpkin puree and studded with butterscotch chips. The topping is a simple, light cream cheese frosting drizzled with chocolate – so good!

I played around with my Skinny Cranberry Bliss Bars and loved how they turned out. They have just the right amount of pumpkin spice for my taste, but if you really love those spices you could add a bit more. If you want to make these ahead, you can bake the cookie bar a day ahead and make the frosting, then assemble the day you're ready to serve them.

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Coconut Lime Raspberry Chia Pudding

Chia pudding is the ultimate guiltless dessert, you can even have this for breakfast – if you're into that sort of thing! 

Me, I'm a huge fan of chia seeds. They have no taste so it basically takes on the flavor of anything you mix up, and those tiny seeds expand to more than triple in size when soaked in any liquid and did I mention they have a satiating quality to them? Win! It's also gluten-free, dairy free and vegetarian.

One of my go to chia puddings has always been my Mango Coconut Chia Pudding, but I thought let's put the lime in the coconut and this was born! Enjoy this while those summer berries are still in the farmer's stands.

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Red White + Blue Fruit Pizza

My slimmed down fruit pizza was such a hit I decided to make a red, white and blue version using blueberries and raspberries for my stars and stripes for the Fourth of July! If you don't recall, this is a lightened up white chocolate chip cookie bar topped with cream cheese frosting and fresh fruit - delish!

Madison helped me make this American flag and carefully placed the "stars" onto the frosting. She also helped me taste-test the final product to make sure it tasted yummy – she approved!

You could also used sliced strawberries if you prefer, but using raspberries didn't require any cutting, so it was pretty quick to assemble. 

Wishing you all a happy Fourth of July weekend!

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Quinoa Tabbouleh + Summer Berry Cobbler from the Skinnytaste Cookbook

I know a lot of you are really excited about The Skinnytaste Cookbook release. Well guess what?, so is Target! So excited in fact that they are carrying my cookbook which is now available for pre-order on Target.com.

The Skinnytaste Cookbook has 150 recipes – 125 of those recipes are brand spanking new and have never been published on my blog. But I gave Target a sneak peak inside the cookbook and shared two exclusive recipes and photos from the book. (photo credit: Penny De Los Santos)

I chose two of my summer favorites so you don't have to wait until September 30th – you can start making them now while the weather's warming up. The Quinoa Tabbouleh tastes so fresh – a perfect summer salad whether you serve this as a main dish or a side dish with grilled chicken or lamb. And this Summer Berry Cobbler – cobbler is my weakness and this is my absolute favorite way to utilize those sweet summer berries.

Did I tease you enough? Well that wasn't my plan... head on over to Target's A Bullseye View and get the full recipes!!!

Fruit Pizza

Need a colorful dessert idea for Mother's Day? Try these lightened up white chocolate cookie bars topped with cream cheese frosting and fresh fruit. The perfect dessert for Spring or Summer!

I brought these to my daughter's class party yesterday and shared a photo on my Instagram and everyone wanted the recipe, so here it is! You can use any fruit you like, I usually use my favorites and try to keep it colorful but if you don't feel like cutting fruit, just use berries! You may notice some of the photos pictured here don't have white chocolate chips, that's because I tried it both ways and liked it better WITH the white chocolate, but if you're not a fan of white chocolate you can leave them out and increase the sugar slightly. The recipe below and nutritional info includes the white chocolate.

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PB2 Flourless Chocolate Brownies

These brownies are pretty amazing! Made with PB2 (powdered peanut butter) instead of flour plus cocoa powder, raw honey and chocolate chips – moist and delicious, you won't believe they're only around 130 calories each!

I'm not a baker. Baking is an edible science that requires accuracy and precision. It requires the perfect balance between flours, leaveners, fats, and liquids. When I bake, I feel more like a mad scientist because I break all the rules. So when something actually works and turns out awesome, I'll be honest, I'm often surprised! These brownies are the perfect example – no flour, no oil or butter, but they are amazing (happy dance)! And the best part, you don't need a fancy mixer. I mixed this all by hand in a large bowl with a whisk and a spatula.

If you've never heard of PB2, it's basically a powdered peanut butter with 85% less fat. You add a little water to make it a spreadable peanut butter. I personally prefer real peanut butter if I'm spreading it on toast, but for baking and adding to smoothies, PB2 is excellent. I used to buy it on Amazon, but now I see it in my local supermarket. Here's the Amazon link if you can't find it near you.

Moist, chocolatey and delicious, you will LOVE them! They also happen to be gluten-free, and if you use dairy-free chips they can be dairy-free as well. If you have nut allergies however, these are not for you. But my other brownie recipe called: Amazing Flourless Brownies are your nut-free answer. Those are made with black beans instead of flour but I swear, you'll never know! Both recipes are great yet different. Curious to see which you like best!

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Amazing Flour-less Brownies

Moist, chocolatey and delicious – finally a low-fat, gluten-free brownie that's pretty darn good!

I can't get over how good these brownies taste considering they're made with no flour and no butter. Yet they're not cakie or dry like most low fat brownies I've tried. I found the original recipe last year on the Roasted Root, which I adapted and have made many times since.

The secret ingredient is black beans, and I'm sure you're thinking… what? But trust me, you don't taste it! My husband even loves them, and can't get over how good they are (and trust me if he didn't like it he would tell me). They really feel like you're eating something loaded with butter, yet it only uses 1/2 teaspoon of oil.  The last version I added some walnuts which increased the points to 5 each, but I gave you the basic recipe without.

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Chocolate Chip Clouds

Light, airy and chewy with chocolate chips in every bite. These cookies are a must for Santa, we've been making them for years and everyone loves them. Made with egg whites, sugar and chocolate, they are very light, gluten free and just melt in your mouth.

The perfect chocolate treat, and when you make them the night before, they are chewier the next day, which is just how I like them. Hope you enjoy and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

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