Double Chocolate Filled Strawberries

I get several emails from Kraft with recipes.  One of them has diabetic friendly recipes and that is where I found this little gem.  You can go here to see the recipe posted on their website.  I was looking for a low sugar dessert for Easter that everyone would like.  My boys love strawberries so this looked like a great choice.  We gobbled them up and then I had to buy more strawberries to make more!  You could defintely play with the pudding flavor used in this recipe to change it up too.  I may leave the cream cheese out next time too.  It was such a little amount added that I don't think it would make much of a difference.

Double Chocolate Filled Strawberries

2lbs strawberries
1/4c of 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1c cold milk
1 pkg of sugar free white chocolate pudding
1c sugar free cool whip
1/4 of a chocolate bar or mini chocolate chips

Wash and dry berries.  Cut the stems off and cut an "X" in the end of the strawberries and spread it open to hold the filling. Whisk the cream cheese and a 1/4 of the milk together until well blended.  Whisk in the remaining milk and pudding mix.  Stir in cool whip and fill a ziploc bag with the filling.  Cut of a corner of the bag to create a small opening.  Pipe the mixture into the strawberries.  If you have any filling leftover, just keep it in the fridge till you get more strawberries!  Melt the chocolate bar in a ziploc bag in the microwave.  Just for a few seconds or you will melt your bag!  Cut a corner of to create a small opening to drizzle chocolate over the strawberries.  The second time I made this I just topped the strawberries with mini chocolate chips.  Refrigerate the strawberries till ready to serve.

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

This was my submission for our annual cookie swap this year.  It's a recipe I found in my Kraft Food & Family magazine.  At one time it was free magazine but now I think it costs about $10 a year for about 4 issues a year.  It's always full of several easy meal ideas and coupons. 

Anyway, we have been doing our cookie swap for about 6 yrs now.  I look forward to it every year.  My friend Emily had a great cranberry and orange cookie she found on All Recipes here.  Oh, and of course I forgot to take a picture of my cookie.

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

1c butter softened
2c flour
2c sugar
1/4t salt
1 1/2c light corn syrup
1 pkg Baker's semi sweet chocolate (8 squares)
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 t vanilla
2 1/2c chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350.  Beat butter, flour, 1/2c sugar, and salt.  Press onto bottom of 15x10 pan sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake until 20 mins until lightly browned.  Microwave corn syrup and 6 chocolate squares for about 2 1/2 mins or until chocolate is melted, stirring halfway through.  Add remaining sugar, eggs, and vanilla and mix well.  Stir in nuts and pour over crust and spread.  Bake 35 mins or until filling is firm but still slightly soft in center.  Cool completely and then melt remaining chocolate and drizzle on top.

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

I find the best recipes in my Southern Living magazine.  This one came from the May 2010 edition.  It is a rich buttery cake but not too sweet.  I only had a 1/2 bag of mini chocolate chips so mine wasn't as chocolatey as it should have been but it was still wonderfull.  Also, I had my little helper in the kitchen.  Jack loves to help me cook and he is starting to get where he can actually help rather than hinder!  He learned that the best part about being the baker is that you get to lick the beaters at the end.  You'll also notice that my ol' green machine was pulled out for this recipe.  If there is a KitchenAid mixer fairy out there somewhere I wish she would visit my house!

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

2/3 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 (12-oz.) package semisweet chocolate mini-morsels

Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together first 3 ingredients in a small bowl, using a fork. Sprinkle in a greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer 3 to 5 minutes or until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition, stopping to scrape bowl as needed. Beat in chocolate mini-morsels. (Mixture will be thick.) Spoon batter into prepared pan.  Bake at 350° for 50 to 55 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour).