Chocolate trifle is something to be excited about. And when adding tiramisu vibes for a pick-me-up… this is tasty good stuff. And the ingredients here are healthy, including Greek yogurt and pumpkin… good for the season we’re in. And year round as pumpkin sits on the grocery shelves.
For dark chocolate drama, I added balsamic vinegar to melted chocolate that gives a slightly tart bite.
And if you move your sweet bite from the front tongue taste to the sides, you’ll get more of that sour punch. I think I learned in grade school when we learned about our tongue tastes… those were unforgettable lessons.
And tart flavor is just enough to give the ordinary chocolate flavors an oomph.
And it also makes the melted chocolate more drizzly to create special food art effects. 🍥
That gives an overall elevated vibe that can be admired. And maybe set out early on the table. That can be good for any occasion.
And the chocolate brown goes with pumpkin orange in the autumn. Especially in the cooler months. 🍁
Chocolate-pumpkin 🍫+🎃 is also a great tasting pairing duo. So it’s a win-win score.
And with those ingredients, it’s even easier than store-bought frozen pumpkin pie because you don’t have to bake any part of your chocolate trifle if you choose.
And it’s delicious when you pair the tastes that everyone likes. It’s great for a potluck. I remember the first trifle recipe I saw was handed to me in a printed recipe from a church leader from a potluck event.
So it has a special place for me.
It’s also great for a casual dinner.
A trifle will impress because it looks like an elegant table centerpiece if you put in a large display vessel. It’s an illusion. Because the dessert has no shape but the (glass) dessert vessel has a distinct shape that the dessert takes on.
I’m surprised I didn’t think about the dessert or centerpiece back in my hotel catering days when I was always thinking about table decor.
It probably works better for a home setup. And it’ll impress you as you get your day back in the prep process.
Where you don’t have to spend your day worrying about bringing or making a dessert that pleases guests you’re serving.
And most importantly… pleases you!
You can think of a chocolate trifle as a side dessert. That will go well with cookies or Madeleines. Or holiday pie, celebration cake, fun candy, and anything in between.
You decide what will be dunked in the trifle for the effect you want.
And you can fill your trifle dessert with the healthiest foods like Greek yogurt. And pumpkin that’s beta-carotene healthy. It has the antioxidant vitamins, A-C-E.
It aces the healthy test. And pumpkin is affordable. You can find cans year round that you can stock up on when it goes on sale.
Shelf-life for pumpkin is usually at least a year long if not longer.
So no need to wait for Thanksgiving or holiday desserts.
And then to top off your special dessert, you can make luscious swirls.
Who says Greek yogurt whipped up can’t be exciting?
Like this soft as a pillow yogurt layer… where you can dunk your spoon in without guilt.
You can also make cute individual yogurt trifles for any occasion. Oui?
And to top off with a zhugh, I used coconut shavings. But a cinnamon or ginger powder dusting would also be pretty and healthy too.
An easy dessert for any occasion or table that you can whip up with healthy ingredients in minutes.
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Ingredients
layer of Greek yogurt
layer of ricotta (optional)
115 ozcanned pumpkin
110 ozchocolate morsel package
1Tbspbalsamic vinegar
Instructions
Prepare sponge cake for lady fingers or use store-bought Madeleines or cookies.
Assemble cake or cookie at the bottom and layer with yogurt, pumpkin, and chocolate sauce. To make your own chocolate sauce, add chocolate morsels and balsamic vinegar to a bain marie (double boiler) to melt on low heat. Tip: use dark chocolate for healthy and color drama effects. Also add ricotta for cheesecake trifle vibes.
Apple tart can be a breakfast idea or dessert made from healthy baked wheat, oats, and honey. Oh, and wholesome apples are whole snacks for some… maybe you? Fuji apples here, but there are so many apple to choose from for your enjoyable tarts. 🍎
Below is an easy breakfast ingredient recipe for apple tart that’s low sugar and needs no proofing. And the proof is when you make them (…and in photos below 😊).
And if you decide to bake your apples at all…
Because a whole apple snack from an apple tree needs no improvement or addition… and if all you do is add peanut butter on them and eat them raw, they’re delish-elevated!
I esp. like the crunch and taste pairing of Granny Smith green apples with a natural peanut butter (like the kind you stir up with peanuts). 🥜
With a baked apple tart recipe, the sweeter crisp red apples are better for dessert snacking. As they soften in the oven, you can taste more of the sweet and tart.
…And for a pop of bright red on a plate.
Well… sometimes.
They do come out with baked fall colors. You’ll see below what I’m talking about. 🍁
Because red apples vary in color as you’ll see shades of red, yellow, white, and green if you pay closely attention. It’s like nature did a Bob Ross painting on each apple (and apple orchard if you like landscapes).
Like us peeps in nature, no two apples are exactly alike.
They say there are over 7,000 apple varieties and you know the ones that are abundant and growing in your surroundings. 🌳
Red apples dominate the fruit market scenes in the autumn. They match the fire engine red leaves on the U.S. east coast and make great healthy candy apples (instead of sugary caramel).
Healthy apples can be stuffed with healthy ingredients… like the sweet messy kind you can’t stuff in a bag 🎃, but you can stuff yourself with and enjoy the swirling mess in your mouth.
That’s one idea for today.
And with apple season upon us, you need no other reason to come up with new apple snack ideas, like an easy baked apple tart.
The steps are simple and easy…
Cut your whole apples in half and de-core them.
An easy way to do this is to take a paring knife and cut around the core, and as you get around to the other side of the track, you can almost pop the center out.
Save your apple seeds and plant them.
Then seedless, you can eat all the apple flesh parts without waste. Organic (pesticide-spraying free) apples are suggested if you eat the skin (that have a lot of healthy fiber).
Add peanut butter (that will ah! and ooh!-zeout when warmed and baked).
Then put your apple halves aside.
Make your pastry dough:
It’s an easy mix of ground oats and whole wheat. You can even add wheat bran and/or buckwheat for some more variety and healthy goodness, like I did. Mix in water.
Then add the honey and butter that’s a food pairing harmony, working so well together for taste and texture.
But if you want to use a healthy oil (instead of butter) you could do that.
And also your choice is to add cinnamon (and/or cardamom) spices with your apples.
Cinnamon adds that warm fall-ish cozy fireplace or fall hiking outdoor tasting vibe. Sweater weather is coming, but apple cinnamon baking is the active season beforehand.
For Vata (fall season) and us balancing moods, that’s comforting and clearing. It’s a great season to breathe intently and catch new breaths.
And getting back to the bake (and not to get too much in the weeds), cinnamon will help anxious energies. Cassia or traditional cinnamon spice you find easily in grocery stores is going to be sweet for adding to bakes before going in the oven. The other Ceylon cinnamon kind is more healthy and good to add to coffee and zhughing. But mix-and-match spices and kinds before, after, and during as you please.
You do you… and dousing some cinnamon spice of any kind is healthy. The plants even love some on their soil to prevent unintended growth. 😊
Cinnamon is one of those natural foods that have no pitfalls. and goes great in the fall.
And now you’re ready.
For this easy apple tart good for fall bake, you can put this short pastry crust together in a few short minutes.
The dough will have crumbly bits falling off (appropriate for the season), but will mostly stick together as a ball.
Divide the dough into three equal parts.
Flatten/roll out the dough with the palm of one hand is easier. See as easy promised, you don’t even need a rolling pin.
Shape the dough into an apple shape around each apple half if you like. Of make into a circle with your circle cutters.
Use some honey to glue your apple bottoms (halves) to your flattened pastry bases. Then when you’re happy with your apples…
Bake at 325°F for about 25 minutes. If you want to give your apples a drying baked apple look (see 🍎 baked photo above), you can leave them in the still-warm oven after you turn the oven off. That will soften the apples even more for that you can even add to an apple pie. 🥧 💭
Before the apples are fully softened, the pastry base will be golden brown. You can pull them out of the oven at that point or bake a ‘lil longer. The apples start out shiny smooth like this duo below.
Which btw, these apple tarts in-the-making look like they are in jail but believe me, they’re enjoying their warm cell and cozy base as they bake. 😁
Oh, and if you like this recipe, you’ll love these low-sugar dessert recipes… some even have apple ingredients.
Baked Apple Tart Breakfast with Oatmeal and Peanut Butter
This is a great dessert snack idea with healthy oatmeal breakfast-inspired ingredients. Makes 3 apple tarts.
Course Breakfast
Servings 3apple tarts
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Ingredients
3/4cupwhole wheat flour (can combine with wheat bran or buckwheat)
2Tbspsoftened or melted butter
1/2cupold fashioned oats
3tsppeanut butter
1Tbspraw honey, plus more
4Tbspheated warm water (plus a little more as needed)
1-1/2tspcinnamon spice
1/2tspcardamom spice (optional)
Instructions
Grind your oats into fine pieces.
Cut your apples in half and hollow out center with seeds. Leave skin on (if using non-organic apples, you can de-skin apples also if you choose).
Add peanut butter to apple hollowed center. Set apples aside.
Make the pastry dough apple bases. In a bowl, add the flour and oats, butter, cinnamon, and then add water and honey, and cinnamon (if using). Fully combine with a spoon. You can use a little more water as needed to help the dough crumbly pieces stick together. The dough should stick together and have some crumbly bits.
Divide pastry dough into 3 equal balls. Flatten each with palm of hand and shape into circle or apple disc-base shapes that your apple halves will fit onto of.
When you're happy with your pastry discs, add a honey circle ring drizzle around to "glue" your apples to the pastry. The peanut butter will ooze out of the apples.
Bake at 325°F for about 25 minutes or until the pastry is lightly browned on the sides and bottom. You can leave in the oven after the temp is turned off for a softer baked apple tart.
Matcha cookie is hard to match-ah. This one you don’t have to bake, tastes great and is low sugar. And sweet tooths, you don’t have to love green tea.
And the healthy benefits are BIG and green:
Matcha green powder comes from the chlorophyll pigment that’s anti-inflammatory (along with EGCG catechin found in green tea, some other teas, fruit, wine, cocoa, and most coffee, to name a few sources).
And matcha powder has L-theanine that’s also found in black, green, oolong and white teas that come from the same Camellis sinensis tea plant shown to be good for calming, sleep, and productive mental focus.
The downfall is matcha green powder is not naturally a sweet ingredient, so if you’re not a fan of the bitter and earthy taste… you’ll love this matcha cookie that turns out sweet as honey!
But is low-sugar.
There’s actually healthy honey in the cookie (but less than 2 tsp per cookie).
And you can make this without butter that most cookies are made with.
Coconut oil is a good healthy fat to use instead and is used in the recipe below.
It’s a recipe that fits the easy and fun mold.
And in the mold, you can simply refrigerate and enjoy.
These matcha cookie shaped-as-donuts are delicious on their own (and dare I say more satisfying than a donut! 🍩). But you can try for yourself.
And you can add a strawberry glaze with jam if you like (but is not needed especially if you’re counting low-sugar grams).
…Now we’re jammin’! 🍓
Oh, and if you want to pop these cookies (…yes, they’re cookies!) in the low temp oven and bake these for a little crunch, you can.
But I like ‘em (taste and texture) just as they are as a low-sugar sweet bite with healthy ingredients.
You can also make this matcha cookie gluten-free with buckwheat, coconut, tapioca, or all almond flour as substitution choices.
Since gluten-free flours usually make a more crumbly dough, if you find that happens, simply add a little more coconut oil and/or honey and you’ll see the crumbly bits come together when you press into the dough.
This is as easy as playing with dough and as fun as edible Play-doh!
Add flour to a bowl. Make a well/hole in the middle.
Add and combine honey, extract, and matcha to make the dough mixture. Tip; Combine with a spoon starting in the middle and moving out so the liquids are incorporated. Make another well.
Heat or microwave coconut oil (for 20-30 seconds) into liquid (if not already). Add coconut oil to the dough mixture warm.
Use spoon and fingers to make a dough. The dough should be a little wet and like Play-doh. The small pieces should stick together easily.
Press into silicone mold (if using).
Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Dust with additional matcha powder. Add a a glaze if desired and/or enjoy!
Notes
Tip: If the dough is too dry and pieces aren't combining fully, then add a little more liquid (coconut oil, honey, or extract).
Fruit pastry tart that’s jam berry-filled is berry filling and puts a smile on some days and faces. And you can make a healthier, low-sugar version with little butter, so you can save the calories and still enjoy the pastry anytime!
Like these clouds, star, and moons…
That have a zing-y blackberry glaze for your starry gaze!
For the pastry filling, you make your own jam or use a store-bought (organic) jam with 10 grams of cane sugar per tablespoon or less.
It’s not the low-sugar 5 grams per 100 grams, or half-a-cup… but it’s lower sugar that still counts.
And for this fruit pastry tart, the pastry is made from whole wheat flour that’s a little more fiber and protein vs. all-purpose flour more commonly used.
Every little healthy bit adds up.
For the fruit pastry tart below 👇, you could use the steps to make a wholewheat simple pastry dough… or use the dough you would use for a pie shell or shortcrust.
No proofing needed.
And there’s no need for folding pastry to make lamination layers like in puff pastry (that looks like fabric bolts in a fabric store if you need an imaginary visual).
But the difference is the ingredients below are modified to healthier ones.
And if that’s important, save these measured steps because this is a simple pastry recipe that you can use over and over again for many baking and dessert applications.
So let’s begin…
First off, allow about an hour from start to finish.
The baking itself will only take 15-20 minutes, but pastry dough is easier to work with when it’s cold. So stopping to refrigerate twice (or at least once) when you’re picking up the delicate cutout dough shapes, will pay off in the end.
…I’m just trying to prep you for what to expect.💭
And the good news is that the minimal extra time needed to refrigerate is about as complicated as it gets for this pastry!
Fruit Pastry Tart Ingredients:
And so starting with the easy prep, gather your pantry cupboard ingredients and combine in a bowl with a regular spoon:
Whole wheat flour, honey, and neutral (light) olive oil will add to the healthy aspects. You can also sub in coconut oil that has a different viscosity, so the amount can vary.
Small amount of butter: Keep in mind it’s easier to work with butter when it’s room temp soft so you can bring out what you will need (the 2 pats), a few hours or a day before.
If you forget, you can use heated, melted liquid butter. Both ways will work in the end.
But before you add to the other ingredients, let warm butter cool down because you want to work with a colder dough.
Water: Use coldish water after you combine the other ingredients.
Add flavor extract, salt, and baking soda.
And after you’ve combined all the ingredients together by hand or machine (if you wish), you can roll out your pastry dough onto a sheet pan (like a 17″ x 11″ cookie sheet pan with a Silpat setup works great).
Add some bench flour, so the dough doesn’t stick to your hands and rolling pin.
If you use a full size Silpat, you’ll know you’re done rolling when you reach the inner orange edges (or about 1″ from each side).
When you’re happy with your evenly rolled out dough, then take your chosen cookie cutter(s), and imprint-cut 12 shapes (2 for each shape if you use different shapes, as you’ll need a top and bottom).
Any regular size cookie cutters will work, and you will have extra pastry that you can make more with or save for another pastry project. I’m a scrapbooker, so this step makes me happy! 😊
And at this point, do not remove the excess pastry yet as it’ll be easier if it’s cold. It’s easier to move shapes when the pastry is cold.
I mentioned that already, but it’s worth repeating.
Imprint cut but easier to remove shapes when the pastry dough is cold. ☁ ⭐️🌙
So then this is a good pause point to refrigerate the pastry pan for at least 10 minutes. (You can do a few yoga moves if you don’t know what to do).
Then when cold, bring out and remove the excess pastry from your shapes with a knife or offset spatula that you’ll use to pick up the shapes. I find it easiest to put the matching cookie cutter shape ontop of where I’m removing the excess pastry as I move from left to right on the pan.
But you do you! …and the way that makes sense to you.
Then add jam to center of the bottom shapes (or 6 of the shapes). Leave some room for the jam to ooze out when you close up the pastries.
Refrigerate again: You can refrigerate the pan for the second time so you don’t mess up the shapes. This mostly depends on how quickly you work. I’m purposefully slow and detailed, so I refrigerate again.
You’re less likely to mess up the shapes when they’re cold and firmer.
When pastry sheet is cold again or easy to work with, use an offset spatula (or regular cooking spatula) to pick up the top fruit pastry tart shapes (without jam) and gently place on top of the bottom shapes.
Then crimp the matching tops and bottoms together with a silverware fork (no fancy tool needed).
I find this step very satisfying too. 😉
And if instead of vertical line patterns, alternatively, you can also use a toothpick to poke holes evenly spaced apart on the pastry shape edges, and then push down on the pastry making a line in-between the toothpick holes you’ve made. See the star and moon shape below.
You do this with the long side of the toothpick . . . like you’re connecting dots.
Then when you’re happy with your pastry creations, bake your fruit pastry tart pan.
It’s a quick bake… like cookies.
So stick around. And while you’re waiting for the bake, you can make the glaze.
You can use crushed berries. I like a blackberry, lime, and honey trio. You can use a sieve to filter the berry seeds and push the glaze through into a bowl so the consistency will be the same (consistent).
Let the fruit pastry tart pan cool before adding the glaze ontop.
These look like soft leather plushies. I could put a few faces on these. 🙂
Regarding freezing… yes, you can freeze them (and with a glaze), and bring them out and revive them with a smeared drizzle of honey (or maple syrup).
Like changing clouds, the smeared honey look like shadows… and now they’re glazed shiny again, happy, and ready to eat.
These are pastries that you can serve anytime with your favorite cookie cutters!
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Prep Time 40 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour
Servings 12pieces
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Equipment
cookie sheet pan
Silpat optional
offset spatula optional
Ingredients
2cupswhole wheat flour
2tbsphoney
2tbspbutter, softened
1tbspneutral oil (light olive oil)
1/2tspvanilla or almond extract
3/4cupwater
1tspbaking soda
pinch of salt
fruit jam
berries, maple syrup, juice and/or water for glaze
Instructions
Add the flour into a bowl. Then evenly combine the softened butter.
Add the remaining ingredients and form a pastry dough ball.
Roll out on a sheet pan. If you use a full Silpat (17" x 11-1/2") sheet, the dough will roll out to the inner orange edge or about 1" from the edge on each side.
Use your cookie cutters to imprint cut shapes but do not remove the excess pastry yet. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes.
Then remove excess pastry. You'll be left with extra pastry you can re-roll or freeze for another time or pastry project.
Add jam to center leaving an edge on the pastry shape bottoms.
Refrigerate again.
Add a top pastry with the same shape ontop.
Use a small silverware fork to make an edge pattern and crimp edges shut. Alternatively, use a toothpick to make evenly spaced hole indents and then press down with the long side of the toothpick to "connect the dots."
Bake pastry on 350°F/180°C for about 15-20 minutes. The bottom edges will look darker. Don't overbake.
For the glaze: crush berries and add milk, maple syrup, and water or liquid like lime juice until you get the right glaze consistency. Tip: push the glaze through a filtered sieve. If it's too thick, it won't go through.
Baked Alaska is one of my food dreams I’ve had ever since I started my career in catering after graduating college. And I finally made my own and you can too with just your oven! You don’t need fancy fiery equipment. The easy steps and healthy ice cream cake recipe 🍨is found below.
And I get excited dishing on the Baked Alaska dish! 🎂
It was served on a dish in hotel events I worked hard in.
And I had been thinking about it, but didn’t try one until two decades later. 💭
…Can you imagine!? My mind and stomach never forgot and when I tried my FIRST ever celebration for my birthday at the swanky DBGB DC restaurant.
…Say that 10 times! I don’t think I can… but I think I can eat it 10 times. 😊‼️
Baked Alaska bombe 🎇
DBGB near restaurants where I event planned
Cake slice celebrating life!
My memorable Baked Alaska experience that became experience-sss did not disappoint.
…So I was inspired to make my own. I mean… what’s better than cake and ice cream, I scream! 😀
The freezing before the oven broiling… how dramatic! 🎂
Because when you look at this cake as an ice cream cake, it makes it so much less intimidating.
And I can tell you, it’s much easier than you may overthink like I did.
If you’ve worked with meringues, you’ll be golden… as in golden brown flecks on the meringue.
The bombe effect may be a little more effort, but you can make the ice cream cake part and then decide if you want the fireworks. 🎆
And this recipe is Baked Alaska in the oven.
If you were like me on my first Baked Alaska bake, you may have wondered how the ice cream didn’t melt…
A-ha! I figured out why…
The magical oven 🪄 doesn’t melt ice cream that is sooo cold (as has been in the coldest back part of the freezer for hours). Something to do with 32°F melting points and not reaching that limit… but scoring baked (Alaska) points.
…And btw, the dessert is named after the purchase of Alaska in case you’re wondering.
That was a celebratory reason to have cake. As much as end of summer, new season, or a birthday is. 🎂
And for your Baked Alaska, you can start with a boxed cake… but I think you’ll find baking a homemade chocolate cake easy and simple for your first one.
With cake and ice cream prepared, you’re ready for the meringue.
So here we go with the steps.
First off, grab a big bowl like one you would put a big salad in. It won’t be baked but it will need to be freezer safe. Be sure to clear enough space in your freezer for your Baked Alaska dessert.
Add a plastic wrap layer to line the inside of the bowl. I use a stainless steel round bowl. Those were the kinds I saw in hotel and restaurant kitchens I worked in, so I know they work well.
Or you could use a glass Pyrex or freezer safe one as all glass are not created equal. And some could break in the freezer. But then that’s why I used stainless steel.
Then make your meringue and add a layer to the plastic lined bowl. You actually don’t need to freeze your meringues at all. But for a better effect, you can freeze for a few minutes.
Another tip is to make your meringues and ice cream ahead of time. That’s the planner tip to do less in one swoop. That way you can enjoy the assembling on the day you want to enjoy your Baked Alaska (aka baking day or Alaska baking day!).
This is a great dessert to celebrate holidays, change of seasons, and flavors that are calling you like cinnamon and/or a healthy chocolate cake made with coconut oil that was on my mind. You get the picture! 😁
Flavors like chocolate, coffee, vanilla, Neapolitan trio, or cinnamon (my fave 🍥) always WOW 🤩 and work for a Baked Alaska.
Also, if you love the idea of a Baked Alaska ice cream cake, you’ll probably also love to make an easy and fun party tartufo dessert.
Baked Alaska is my favorite celebrations cake hands down and you can make your own cake, meringue and ice cream. I heard about the dessert working in catering and waited until I was ready to have the best cake slice of my life at DC's DBGB restaurant in 2015.
Course desserts
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Equipment
bowl to fit the ice cream shape
cake stand or plate
Ingredients
meringue shell
ice cream of choice
cake of choice
Instructions
You can make or prepare ice cream and meringue a day ahead or a few hours in advance.
Bake cake. Let cake cool or set aside covered in fridge until you're ready to bake. Cut the cake around the circle part of your bowl you'll be using.
Line your bowl with plastic wrap. Make meringues and add a meringue layer as thick as you want (up to 1" recommended). Cover with fanciful swirls if it suits your fancies.
Add ice cream until the bowl is full. Flatten out the top of the bowl.
Freeze meringue and ice cream at least 2 hours in the back of the freezer (but before/without icicles forming that would add unwanted moisture). Bake same day.
Lower top oven shelf low enough to cover the height of the Baked Alaska plus a minimum of 6 inches from top of oven to broil.
Pull ice cream/meringue bowl out of freezer and place into oven. Broil for several minutes until there's a toasted top. Safety tip: do not turn or move the cake (optional) in the hot oven without turning OFF the oven first! Then wait for the broil setting oven to cool down before opening oven door and turning oven/broil setting back on (optional). Watch the broiling for several short minutes until lightly toasted pretty, that happens quickly.
