Tag Archives: cranberry

Healthier Hot Cross Buns

Posted on March 26, 2011 | Leave a comment

Ooops a day late posting these. Got all caught up looking at bikes yesterday. The pedal kind. So excited about getting one finally. Especially with gas prices climbing more and more….and it isn’t even summer yet!! Time to find a better solution for those errands that are not within comfortable walking distance…which are a few. We are a bit out of the way here. Anyways! Hot cross buns. Those nummy treats that start coming out every spring. You see them there, taunting you, begging you to devour their souls….ummm….yeah. You get the idea.

  • 1 1/4 cup skim milk
  • 2 tbl dry yeast
  • 2 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbl unpacked brown sugar (you need this for that yeast to rise)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 6 tbl egg substitute (I use egg beaters)
  • 2 tbl light cooking margarine
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  1. If you have a bread machine you can skip all this by using the dough cycle according to your manufacturers directions.
  2. Heat milk to lukewarm and pour over the yeast, carefully.
  3. In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, sugar, and spices. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk mixture. Stir and add the eggs and then the margarines. Fold in the raisins and cranberries.
  4. Once they are evenly mixed in cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise to double it’s size. This usually takes about 2 hours.
  5. Once risen, grab pieces of the dough and shape into 18 buns and place on a baking sheet.  Allow to rise again slightly for about 30 minutes.
  6. Use scissors to snip the buns deeply in the form of a cross.
  7. Bake at 425F for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
  8. If you would like to glaze them I suggest a 1/2 cup icing sugar (if you can find the no calorie stuff even better) and about 1 tbl of lemon juice. Drizzle over hot buns.

Makes 18 buns. Each bun contains 112 calories, .8 gram of fat, 1.7 grams of fibre, 4 grams of protein, and 23 grams of carbs. These are tasty still warm and are sacrilegiously tasty first thing in the morning.

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Posted in Breakfast, Comfort Foods, Craving Buster, Dessert, Snack

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Rugelakh

Posted on December 29, 2010 | Leave a comment

No, they are not klingon. Oh tasty, tasty little nut filled crescents wrapped in a cream cheese dough. These are traditionally jewish, it wouldn’t be the first delectable food they have given us either. I tend to pronounce these rugalah, no idea how right that is but who cares once you have eaten your fill of these delicious delights. They look really impressive when you serve them but really they only take a few more steps than making those pilsbury crescent thingies. Definitely a win/win. My grandmother used to make a version of these for the holidays filled with hazelnuts or sometimes almonds. The filling is always changeable, it’s the crescent shape and the dough that are mainstays.

  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 cup fat free ricotta cheese
  • 114 grams light cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup splenda or sugar
  • 2 tbl light butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup chopped pistachios
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 6 tbl dried cranberries
  1. Combine the flours in a bowl. In another bowl beat the ricotta, cream cheese, splenda, and butter at high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the flour mixture, stirring by hand, mix until a dough forms. Divide the dough in half and shape into a flat disk. Don’t play deadly disc with it…it’s too tasty. Wrap each with plastic wrap and freeze for about 20-30 minutes. It should be firm.
  2. Combine the brown sugar, pistachios, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
  3. Roll out your first disk into an 11 inch round. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon mixture over the dough. Top with half of the cranberries. Press the topping into the dough using the palm of your hand. Using a knife cut the dough into wedges like you would a cake or pie, diagonally. You want 16 wedges.
  4. Starting at the outer edge of each wedge, carefully roll the dough to form a crescent. How curved you want your crescent is completely up to you. My grandmother liked to pinch the ends to keep the filling inside. Open or closed both are tasty. Place on a lined baking sheet. Repeat with the second disc.
  5. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes. They should be lightly golden. Good served warm or cooled completely.

Makes 32 Rugelakh. Each rugelakh contains 69 calories, 2.3 grams of fat, and .6 grams of fibre. This was calculated using splenda, add a bit more calories if you plan to use sugar.

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Posted in Dessert, Snack

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