3 Skinny Desserts for Every Sweet Tooth
Looking for a way to keep your Easter celebration light, but still satisfying? These three skinny desserts are crowd-pleasers for anyone watching what they eat.
1) Springtime Chocolate-Filled Strawberries
Makes: 18 Strawberries
62 calories per strawberry
Ingredients:
- 12-18 medium to large fresh strawberries
- Jelly Belly jelly beans (3-4 per strawberry)
- Edible Sugar Glue
- Cake Sprinkles/jimmies
Ganache Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 oz. dark chocolate, finely chopped (preferably 70% cacao)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Refrigerate 15 minutes until set. When chocolate sets, remove from molds.
- 1/2 oz. (1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, softened
Ganache Recipe:
Chop chocolate and place in heatproof bowl, set aside. Bring cream to boil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour cream over chocolate in separate bowl, stir to melt. Add butter and whisk till smooth. Let cool to thicken up, then whisk till fluffy. Fill pastry bag or resealable freezer bag with the corner snipped off, pipe into strawberries.
Directions:
While ganache cools, use melon baller to scoop tops off the strawberry to create small cup. Trim bottom tip strawberry with knife to make it stand up. Apply thin layer of edible sugar glue (found in cake decorating/crafts stores), to bottom half of strawberry, then spoon on sprinkles. Fill the strawberry with approximately two teaspoons of chocolate ganache. Finish with four Jelly Belly jelly beans pressed into ganache. Makes 12-18 strawberries, 62 calories each.
2) Jelly Belly Nest Cookies
Makes: 30 cookies
86 calories per cookie
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup shortening
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
- 5-oz. Jelly Belly jelly beans, assorted flavors
Ganache Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 oz. dark chocolate, finely chopped (preferably 70% cacao)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Refrigerate 15 minutes until set. When chocolate sets, remove from molds.
- 1/2 oz. (1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, softened
Directions:
Heat oven to 375⁰F. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In large bowl beat shortening, sugar, egg white and vanilla extract until well blended. Add flour mixture and milk until blended. Stir in coconut.
Roll dough into a ball, divide in half. Roll 15 one-inch balls from each half and place on ungreased baking sheet. Make thumb print depression in center of each ball to form nest.
Bake 6 minutes. Remove from oven and place 4 Jelly Belly beans in center of each cookie. Return to oven and bake 5 more minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.
3) Meringue Nests with Raspberry Sorbet
Makes: 6 nests
206 calories per nest
Ingredients:
- 6 egg whites
- Pinch of salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 4 – 6 ounces assorted Jelly Belly jelly beans
- Raspberry sorbet for center
Directions:
Preheat oven to 170 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
In clean dry mixing bowl beat egg whites, salt and cream of tartar with electric mixer until soft peaks form. With mixer running add almond extract and gradually add sugar. Beat until stiff and glossy.
Spoon meringue into pastry bag with large flower tip. Pipe meringue onto parchment lined baking sheet in nest shape. Leave center large enough to hold scoop of ice cream. Select a variety of colors of jelly beans, or a single color theme, such as blue or red jelly beans. Gently press jelly beans into sides of meringue. Bake 2 ½ hours or until hard. Store in air tight container. Serve with scoop of orange sherbet in center. Can be made two days ahead.
© Jelly Belly Candy Company
