Delicious and Light Orange Poke Cake

submitted by Traci

1 vanilla cake mix

1 cup water

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 eggs

1 small package orange jello

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup cold water

1 container Yoplait orange creme yogurt (6 oz)

1 container Light Cool whip (8 oz)

Mix cake mix, water, applesauce and eggs. Bake cake for about 2 minutes less than the recommended baking time for pan size according to directions on box. Cool cake completely. After the cake is cool, use a fork to poke many holes in the top of the cake, covering the whole surface. Add Jello to boiling water and stir until dissolved. Stir in cold water. Pour Jello evenly over cake. Place in refrigerator. Meanwhile, fold the yogurt in to the Cool Whip. Frost cake with cool whip mixture. Chill entire cake for at least 4 hours before serving.

Mrs. Fields Low-Fat Chocolate Cookies

submitted by Traci

note: if you want a GREAT cook book for desserts buy Mrs. Fields Best Ever Cookie Book, it's my favorite cook book!

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

*In a medium bowl, combine the flour, coca, baking soda, and salt.
*In another medium bowl with an electric mixer, blend the brown and granulated sugars. Slowly beat in the oil. Beat in the applesauce, egg whites, and vanilla, and blend on low speed until smooth.
* Add the flour mixture and blend on low speed until the dough is just combined. Refrigerate the dough until firm, about 1 hour.
*Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
*Roll the dough into small 1-inch balls, place on a cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Sprinkle with the mini chocolate chips, then bake for 17 to 19 minutes (do not overbake; when the cookies cool, they will get hard). Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.

Traci's Notes:
*I actually have never ever had canola oil in my house. I didn't really want to buy it just for this recipe either. So I thought about using vegetable oil, but it turns out that there is actually less fat in butter. I ended up just using 1/3 cup butter instead of the canola oil.
*Also, I did as the recipe said and sprinkled the chocolate chips on top. Next time, however, I think I will just mix them in (and, like this time, there is no way I'm measure just 1/2 cup). This is because the chocolate chips really made a mess on top. Maybe they eventually harden elsewhere, but since I live in AZ, they still haven't solidified totally on top and giving these cookies to a toddler makes a huge mess!
*Finally, these cookies were actually really good. I have eaten about a billion and don't feel guilty because they are low-fat (I know, a billion can add up though). They kind of remind me of Oreo Cakesters. I think next time I make these I will freeze some as sandwiches with lite whipped topping in the middle. I would do it this time... but there are only two left!

Pregnancy Approved/ "Healthy" Cookie Dough

invented by Traci

1/4 cup light margarine
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup oats
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup - 1 cup chocolate chips

Combine margarine, applesauce, sugars and vanilla in a small to medium bowl. Add remaining dry ingredients. Stir. Enjoy!

I just invented this recipe (I was craving cookie dough) and have only tried it once, so there very well may be edits. I just had to write it down before I forgot how I did it. This dough doesn't have the raw egg of regular cookie dough so it's safe for pregnancy. Plus, I used light margine for part of the butter and replaced the rest of the butter with applesauce. The applesauce makes the dough sweeter, so I reduced the sugar. I figure adding oats in adds a little extra fiber too, therefore making the dough healthy :)! Okay, less unhealthy. I am aware that the salt and the baking soda don't really make a difference because the dough isn't going to be baked, but I swear I can tell a slight difference in taste when I don't add them. It's up to you whether you want to include these ingredients.

Rich and Chewy Low Fat Brownies

contributed and modified by Traci
from http://www.recipezaar.com/

1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cup white sugar
2 egg whites (or one whole egg)
3/4 cup applesauce

1. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl using a hand mixer. Add egg whites, applesauce and vanilla.
2. Mix all other ingredients in a separate smaller bowl and add to the wet ingredients in the large bowl. Do NOT overmix!
3. Spray 8x8 dish with PAM and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Makes 16 brownies.

before the modifications, the nutrition facts state that this recipe has 1.8g of fat per serving and 147 calories. But then I modify it.
Traci's modifications: I added a few chocolate chips. I also put a thin glaze on top a few minutes after taking it out of the oven. I made the glaze by melting 1 tablespoon of butter. then I added 3 heaping tablespoons of powdered sugar and a 1 heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder and then milk until I achieved the right consistency. I then spread the glaze on the brownies. For being low-fat, these brownies were pretty tasty! Plus a lot of the reviews said they tasted better the second day. I guess they kind of did.

TIP: I doubled the recipe and made a 9 x 13 pan of them. Then, I cut the brownies into squares/rectangles, and wrapped each square in a piece of plastic wrap and then a piece of foil. I then put the brownies in a ziploc in the freezer. This way I didn't eat them all at once and they are actually very tasty frozen. They were also a quick treat for Gary to take in his lunches. That one pan lasted us several weeks in the freezer, a small miracle indeed :) (I won't hypothesize how long they would have lasted had I not frozen them...)

4-30-09
Okay so I made these again tonight and doubled them and I'm pretty sure that 1.5 times the recipe would have been sufficient to fill the 9 x 13 pan.