I worked on a holiday project with Good Bite for Betty Crocker, and this is one of the recipes I contributed to them based on a combination of my favorite desserts and flavors. I think it’s one of the most un-weelicious recipes I’ve ever created because it’s packed with sugar, but since it’s the holidays and I don’t believe in deprivation, I decided to post it here, too. I find this to be a super delicious dessert, not to mention a total show piece for your guests. With a rich chocolate brownie base; peppermint, mint chocolate chip and vanilla ice creams and peaks of meringue all over, Baked Alaska is a gorgeous and delicious dessert to serve for Christmas that will blow everyone away. The best part is that you can prepare it days or even a week in advance and keep it in the freezer until you’re ready to serve it.

You can’t imagine how big Kenya’s eyes were when he saw the final product. Of course being the sweet mom that I am (wink, wink), I never want Kenya to miss out on such a special treat. So, I cut into the Baked Alaska
and served us each a slice. He was totally intrigued by the layers of ice cream, and remarked, “it’s beautiful!” He loved eating it so much, I may switch up the flavors and make it for his birthday this year. But, no matter what time of year you decide to make it, everyone will fall in love with this incredible treat!

Holiday Baked Alaska (Serves 20-24)

1 Pint Peppermint Ice Cream, softened
1.5 Oz Gallon Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, softened
1.5 Oz Gallon Vanilla Ice Cream, softened
1 Cup Butter
8 oz Bittersweet Chocolate
4 Eggs
2 Cups Sugar
2 Tsp Vanilla
1 1/4 Cup Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
8 Eggs Whites, room temperature
1/4 Tsp Cream Of Tartar
1 Cup Sugar

1. Line a 3 quart metal bowl with plastic wrap and scoop out the softened ice cream in layers starting with the peppermint, then the mint chocolate chip and finally the vanilla.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 4 hours or more.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Grease a 9 inch cake pan, line the bottom of the pan with parchment and grease again.
4. Place butter and chocolate in a glass bowl over a pot of hot water (or a double boiler) and stir the butter and chocolate until melted. This can also be done in a microwave for 1 minute.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla until combined.
6. In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt until combined.
7. Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the eggs and whisk to combine.
8. Add the flour to the chocolate mixture and whisk to combine.
9. Pour the brownie mixture into the cake pan and bake for 50 mins-1 hour.
10. When the cake is completely cool, unmold it on to a large flat, ovenproof plate.
11. Unmold the ice cream dome on top of the brownie layer and remove the plastic. Place back in the freezer.
12. Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar for 2 minutes on medium high speed.
13. Increase the speed to high and add the sugar in a slow stream until stiff, but not dry peaks form.
14. Cover the ice cream dome with the meringue covering completely and make swirly peaks with a spoon all over.
15. Freeze for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
16. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
17. Bake the baked alaska for 3-5 minutes or until the peaks start to turn golden.
18. Slice and serve.
* Tip: Wetting your knife in hot water in between cuts makes the dessert easier to cut.
* You can place it back in the freezer after the meringue bakes until you’re still not ready to serve

Months ago I bought some unsweetened shredded coconut at our neighborhood health food store in order to make weelicious Date Nut Bites. To say the least, I was shocked when I discovered that Kenya had eaten over HALF of the bag while I was organizing the kitchen, so I couldn’t even make the recipe. When I looked at him with a shocked expression on my face, he said “mommy, I love coco-noot!”

We all know that when kids get their hands on a food they love, they will gobble it up in no time. While thinking of holiday cookie ideas that feature Kenya’s beloved “coco-noot” but DON’T use refined sugar, the idea for making macaroons came to mind. I love macaroons, but most of the ones I find in stores are LOADED with sugar and other nasty ingredients. Just for kicks, I decided to replace the cup (or more) of white sugar found in most macaroon recipes with agave nectar and I’m happy to report it was a total success! In order to make the macaroons even more appropriate for the holidays, weelicious test number two was to place some of the cookie mixture in cookie cutters, pat them down to keep them flat and remove the mold before baking — they turned out looking amazing! Finally, so I could have variety without much more effort, weelicious test number three was to see if I could make a delicious chocolate version without major changes to the original recipe. To my surprise, the new macaroons came out perfectly by adding just a tablespoon of cocoa powder. I love it when I’m testing a new recipe and all my little experiments actually work out so well!

I think you’ll find this recipe to be versatile without added effort and a real treat for anyone that loves coconut as much as my little guy. Happy holidays!

Macaroons

2 Cups Unsweetened Coconut, shredded
1/4 Tsp Salt (I used kosher)
4 Egg Whites
1/4 Cup Agave Nectar
1 Tsp Vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl (preferably a metal bowl) beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes or until they have stiff peaks.
3. Fold in the remaining ingredients until incorporated (the egg whites will deflate quite a bit).
4. Place 2 tbsps of the batter on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet (you can also place cookie cutters on the baking sheet and place the batter inside patting it down with a soon to even it out. Remove the cookie cutter before baking).
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
6. Serve.

*If you want to make 1/2 the batter chocolate macaroons, add 1 tbsp cocoa powder. If you want to make all of the macaroons chocolate, use 2 tbsps.

Yes, you read it right, sugar cookies! At weelicious we try to create and promote recipes without refined sugar, but when the holidays and other special occasions roll around, I ease off some of my restrictions and pull out this favorite. After all, decorating sugar cookies with kids is just about as much fun as you can have in the kitchen and this version is really easy to make and even yummier to eat.

Last week I whipped out this recipe for Kenya and I and we had a blast cutting out the sugar cookies into all kinds of festive shapes. But it wasn’t until after they finished baking and had cooled that the real fun began. You should have seen Kenya’s eyes when I pulled out all the different colored sprinkles and other decorations. He’s not even 3 years old yet, but watching the precision and dedication with which he applied himself to adorning the cookies with icing and sprinkles was precious. After we were finished decorating, the family sat around and munched on Kenya’s gorgeous creation (even the ones covered with pounds of icing and sprinkles). He was so proud and we had a great time spreading our own sweet holiday cheer.

Now, no more sugar till next year (fingers crossed)!

Sugar Cookies (Makes about 1 Dozen Large Cookies)

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Butter, softened
1 Cup Sugar
1 Egg
1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla

1. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl using electric beaters or in a standing mixer,
cream the butter and sugar for 3 minutes on medium to high speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla to the butter mixture and beat until incorporated.
4. Turn the speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until the dough comes together.
5. Place the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, parchment paper or wax paper and flatten into a round shaped disk.
6. Wrap the dough disk and chill in the refrigerator until firm, at least one hour or overnight.
7. Once chilled, preheat oven to 325 degrees.
8. Let dough sit for about 10 minutes or until soft enough to roll out.
9. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface until 1/4 thick and even.
10. Use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes (I like to start at one end of the dough placing the cookie cutters close together).
11. Using a spatula, transfer the cut-outs onto a cookie sheet (preferably a lined-silpat cookie sheet).
12. Bake for 10-15 minutes rotating halfway through until edges turn golden.
13. Cool cookies on a rack.
14. Ice and serve.

Icing

1 Cup Confectioners (Powdered) Sugar
1-2 Tbsp Milk

1. Combine the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Use to decorate the cookies.

Not enough time (or too lazy) to make homemade crust for a pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving? Want a really fast and easy dessert that your family will think you spent hours preparing?

After roasting a turkey and making homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, and more, I’m exhausted! The thought of having to make a dessert that lives up to that meal is too nerve racking and time consuming for me to try doing, but I still need my pumpkin fix for the holiday!

These individual pumpkin cheesecakes are sweet, creamy and delicious and take no time to whip up.

Kenya loved watching them bake and then was totally bummed that he had to wait until they cooled before he got his little mitts on them. I’m pretty sure it was worth the wait though, since he scarfed his up in no time flat!

Individual Pumpkin Cheesecakes (Makes 8 Individual Ramekins)

8 oz Cream Cheese, softened (I softened mine on a plate for 20 seconds in the microwave)
1 15 oz Can Pumpkin Puree
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
1/2 Cup Agave or Honey
Accompaniments: Crushed Gingersnap Cookies or Graham Crackers, whipped cream or ice cream

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a mixer or in a bowl with beaters, beat the cream cheese until creamy and smooth.
3. Add the pumpkin and mix until smooth and combined.
4. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until combined.
5. Add the remaining ingredients and combine.
6. Pour into 8 ramekins and fill 3/4 full.
7. Bake for 25 minutes.
8. Cool and serve.

We eat a lot of bananas in our house. I would say between the four of us we easily go through six bananas a day (yes, even baby Chloe eats one a day now). Sometimes, I think I live in the monkey house.

When I want to spice things up a little and do something beyond the standard banana cut up on oatmeal, blended in the smoothie or just eaten on it’s own, I make this quick, sweet dish. It seems very fancy and difficult to prepare, but it couldn’t be easier to do. Whether you’re making this for breakfast or dessert, it will excite you toddler and impress the adults. For the little ones, I like to serve the bananas with plain yogurt, but for a party you could add a scoop of Yogurt, Honey and Cinammon “Ice Cream” to make it a little more elegant.

Baked Maple Bananas

1 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
4 Bananas, peeled and cut into pieces or sliced lengthwise
1 Tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In an 8×8 inch pyrex dish combine the butter and maple syrup.
3. Melt the butter and maple syrup in the microwave or oven.
4. Add the lemon juice and cinnamon and stir to combine.
5. Gently toss the bananas in the liquid mixture to coat.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.
7. Serve.

One of my favorite snacks growing up was Dannon Fruit on the Bottom yogurt. I loved sliding my spoon through the top layer of plain yogurt and down into the sweet fruit puree at the bottom. When I say “sweet,” I mean SWEET! Until recently, I had no idea how much bad sugar was in the Fruit at the Bottom (sugar, fructose syrup and high fructose corn syrup are among the very first ingredients).

Tons of varieties of apples are all over farmers’ markets and groceries this time of year, so I decided to make my own fruit on the bottom yogurt using what I can find. If you decide to make this treat at another time of year, you can also use other types of seasonal fruits. This particular recipe works best with pears, peaches or bananas.

Whether I make this for breakfast, school lunch, a snack or even as a healthy dessert, it’s a fast, fresh and easy success.

Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt (Serves 4)

1 Tbsp Butter
2 Apples, cored, peeled and cut into chunks (Gala, Fuji’s or any crisp eating apple)
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup, divided
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Lemon Juice
1 Cup Greek Yogurt

1. Heat butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat.
2. Add the apples, cinnamon, 1 tbsp maple syrup and lemon juice and stir to combine.
3. Cover and cook the apples for 8 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool.
4. In a separate bowl combine the greek yogurt and 1 tbsp of maple syrup.
5. Place 1 tbsp of apple mixture in a glass, then 2 tbsp of the yogurt and repeat.
6. Serve.

When I was growing up, I loved fruit on the bottom yogurt, but when I went to buy a few containers for Kenya I realized it was packed with sugar. I came up with a recipe that’s so easy and actually tastes ten times better then the brands you buy at the grocery. This is a great recipe because you can serve it for a healthy breakfast, snack or even as a dessert!

*recipe is coming Monday, so stay tuned.

Who says that you can’t eat ice cream for breakfast? In our house, we eat ice cream any time of day. I’m not talking Haagen-Dazs or Ben & Jerry’s. The reason ice cream is an anytime treat in our house is because we make homemade an Italian version of ice cream called gelato and ours contains no refined sugar.

My husband goes to our local ice cream store at least once a week to get a cup of yogurt gelato, so we were inspired to make our own version using honey to sweeten it and giving it some added depth with cinnamon. It’s heavenly and those are the only ingredients. Since this gelato is made with greek yogurt, it’s high in both protein and calcium which are important for little ones and their growing bodies.

So, whenever you want to give your crew a special treat that’s also good for them, just head for the freezer, put a couple of scoops of this “ice cream” in everybody’s bowls and watch the smiles light up light up the room. No matter what time of day.

Yogurt, Honey & Cinnamon Ice Cream (Makes 4-6 Servings)

16oz Greek Yogurt (I use Fage Total Whole Milk Greek Yogurt)
1/4 Cup Honey
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Pour the yogurt mixture into an ice cream maker and chill according to manufacturers directions (I have a Cuisinart ICE-50BC Supreme Ice Cream Maker and it took 30 minutes).
3. Place the mixture in the freezer to firm up, about 1-2 hours.
4. Serve.
*If you don’t own an ice cream maker, no worries, this mixture can be poured into popsicle molds and frozen for 6 hours or longer.

We’re big fans of dates in our house. When we go to the Farmer’s Market every week, we always get a bag of them. They’re Kenya’s version of “candy”. Sweet, chewy and rich, if you put them in a wrapper, I’m sure most kids would think they really are candy.

Although the dates we get are perfect just on their own, I decided to take them a step further, and try to make healthy candy bites out of them. The recipe only takes minutes to whip up and the bites freeze beautifully, too. Well, unless you’re making them for Kenya, of course. Then they don’t have enough time to make it to the freezer. Kenya figured out where I had put my freshly-made batch, carried his little chair to the counter, opened the tin and ate a dozen of these bites within minutes. Thank goodness they’re made with nature’s sugar!

Date Nut Bites

1 Lb. Dates (I used 21 Medjool dates), pitted
1/2 Cup Walnuts
1 Cup Coconut, preferably unsweetened

1. Place pitted dates and walnuts in a food processor and puree until smooth.
2. Place the coconut on a plate.
3. Take 1 tsp of the date/walnut mixture and roll into balls.
4. Roll the balls in the coconut to cover the entire outside of the balls.
5. Serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

A mother emailed me the other day and asked, “why don’t you ever do anything with raspberries, especially since they’re in season now?” Actually, for the 4th of July last year I did do a Red, White and Blue Parfait with raspberries that Kenya still loves to this day, but I’m really glad that mom emailed me. We always need more great recipes with raspberries!

This summer, Kenya’s been on a major popsicle kick. He’s even eating popsicles for breakfast! So, last weekend I went to the Farmer’s Market, got some gorgeous raspberries and broke out my popsicle molds. After a lot of thought, I made these raspberry frozen yogurt pops. They are tangy and sweet and loaded with vitamin C and protein packed raspberry seeds.

Everyone in our house was dying to try them, so I pulled them out of the freezer after only 4 hours and we all licked away. Delicious! Our tummies were very happy that the mother who emailed me had made the raspberry suggestion. And Kenya thinks I’ve come up with the perfect breakfast popsicle!

Raspberries Frozen Yogurt Pops (Makes 6 Popsicles)

1 Pint Raspberries
3 Tbsp Agave
1 7 oz. Containers Greek Yogurt (I used 2%, but you can use 0% or whole milk yogurt)
1/2 Cup Milk (I used vanilla rice milk)

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Pour the raspberry mixture in the popsicle molds.
3. Freeze for 4 hours or more.
4. Serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Kidco Healthy Snack Frozen Treat Trays