Happy New Year’s Eve!

Two more dessert recipes for you guys!  I’m almost done posting all the recipes I promised you I would.

Peppermint Bark

Recipe inspired by Food.com

Ingredients

• 12 ounces chocolate chips –> I used dark chocolate to try to make this a bit healthier
• 1 pound white chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/2 cup peppermint candy, crushed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Line a 9×13 pan with foil, letting it hang over the sides.  Spray foil.
3. Pour the chocolate chips in an even layer on the foil.  Place in oven for 5 minutes or until almost melted.
4. Remove from oven, smooth with an offset spatula or knife.  Place in refrigerator until cold and firm, about 20 minutes.
5. Melt white chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a metal bowl over simmering water (don’t let bottom of bowl touch water), until chocolate is almost melted.
6. Remove bowl from water and stir until completely melted, stirring in extract. Let cool a bit so it doesn’t melt the chocolate layer when you pour it on top.
7. Pour this over chocolate layer, and, working quickly, spread to cover.
8. Sprinkle with crushed candy.
9. Chill until both layers are firm.  Lift foil out of pan and shake off excess candy.  Trim edges.  Cut into 2” wide strips.
10. Peel bark from foil and cut each strip as desired.  Chill in covered container.  Makes about 2 pounds.

Lesson Learned:  Don’t wait too long between steps 6 & 7, or else the two chocolates won’t stick together and you end up with bark that falls apart.

The bark tasted great!  But I was bummed about the layers separating.  I still brought it with me to Tim’s cousin’s house on Christmas Eve though.  I just instructed everyone to make sure to take a chocolate layer with their white chocolate bark chip.

Better luck next time.  Any tips for me?

Mini Red Velvet Santa Hat Cupcakes

Recipe inspired by 5 Girls Chiropractic

Ingredients

• Half an 18.25 oz box of red velvet cake mix
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tbsp applesauce
• 1 large egg and 1 egg white

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325º
2. Combine the cake mix, water, applesauce (healthier option than oil!), egg and egg white.  Beat the ingredients until smooth.
3. Spoon the batter into mini-muffin tins, lined with your favorite holiday wrapper and bake for 15 to 17 minutes.
4. Let the muffins cool for 1 minute before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Red velvet = festive!!

For the frosting, you can really do whatever you want.  You could go store-bought, you could use a marshmallow fluff, or you could try this low-fat cream cheese frosting that I decided to make.

Low-Fat Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe inspired by SkinnyTaste

Ingredients

• 8 oz 1/3 fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.

And for the Santa part?!

Just slice the top off the strawberries and place upside down on the cupcakes.  Put a dab of frosting at the top and use coconut to make a little pom-pom.

Super cute huh?

Lesson learned:  Dry the strawberries before placing them on cupcake.  If you don’t, the moisture makes the cream cheese frosting run a bit!

Special thanks to Shannon for letting me borrow her mini muffin tin!

Anyone baking any desserts to ring in 2012?!

Have a fun and safe New Year’s Eve, everyone!