Makes 8 servings

• 1 lb good quality dark chocolate
• 8 6-inch bamboo skewers
• *Silicon pop mold or ice cube tray

Directions:
Melt 3/4 of the chocolate in a double boiler (stainless or glass bowl fit over a sauce pan of simmering water) until the chocolate reaches 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate. Mix until all the chocolate is melted. Pour chocolate into a silicon pop mold – filling each mold 3/4 full. (If you don’t have a silicon mold, an ice cube tray can double as a mold.) Cover mold lightly with plastic wrap and push skewers through the plastic into the center of the pops. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until set. Remove pops from refrigerator and carefully take plastic off. Set aside and prepare marshmallow topping.

* Silicon pop molds can be purchased from Sur La Table.

Marshmallow Topping

• 2 packages unflavored gelatin
• 2/3 cup ice cold water, divided
• 8 ounces granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla or peppermint extract
• 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• Nonstick spray

Directions:
Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.

In a small saucepan combine the remaining water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium-high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees Fahrenheit – approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed gradually to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the extract during the last minute of whipping.

Place some of the mixture into a pastry bag and pipe the marshmallow onto the top of the chocolate pops. Return to the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

To make hot chocolate, carefully heat 8 ounces of milk in the microwave until hot. Place one chocolate stick in your cup of hot milk. The dark chocolate pop will slowly melt as you stir. Enjoy!

For remaining marshmallow topping:

Combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners’ sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Recipe compliments of Chef Jeremy Glas, CEC, Executive Chef, Riviera Casino Black Hawk. For more recipes visit NationalDairyCouncil.org/recipes.

16 servings
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 1/2 hours (including cooling time)

Cake

• 1 cup all-purpose, flour
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, (not Dutch-process)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup nonfat buttermilk
• 1 15-ounce can unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 large egg white, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Glaze & Garnish

• 1/2 cup packed confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon nonfat buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips, or toasted chopped nuts (see Tip)

Preparation

To prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray.

Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a medium bowl.

Blend 1 cup buttermilk, pumpkin puree and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed. Beat in whole egg and egg white. Stir in oil, corn syrup and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

Bake the cake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on the rack, about 2 hours.

To glaze & garnish cake: Combine confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon buttermilk in a small bowl, stirring until completely smooth. Place the cake on a serving plate and drizzle the glaze over the top; garnish with chocolate chips (or chopped nuts) while the glaze is still moist.

Nutrition

Per serving :234 Calories; 5 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 13 mg Cholesterol; 46 g Carbohydrates; 4 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 238 mg Sodium; 159 mg Potassium
3 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 3 other carbohydrate, 1 fat

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 4 up to 1 day ahead. Glaze and garnish (Step 5) shortly before serving. Equipment: 12-cup Bundt pan

Tips: To warm an egg to room temperature, either set it out on the counter for 15 minutes or submerge it (in the shell) in a bowl of lukewarm (not hot) water for 5 minutes.

Traditional recipes for apple squares often use plenty of trans fat-laden shortening in the crust. We replaced it with a mixture of canola oil and butter and swapped out half the all-purpose flour for whole-wheat pastry flour for a little fiber. They are best enjoyed slightly warm. Gently reheat any leftovers in the oven or toaster oven to recrisp the crust.

Yields: 12 servings Total Time: 3 hr 30 min

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup(s) whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoon(s) sugar
• 3/4 cup(s) sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 4 tablespoon(s) cold unsalted butter
• 5 tablespoon(s) canola oil
• 1/3 cup(s) ice water
• 1 large egg, separated
• 4 cup(s) thinly sliced firm tart apples, such as Granny Smith, Empire, or Cortland, peeled if desired
• 1 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon

Directions

Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Cut butter into small pieces and quickly rub them into the dry ingredients with your fingers until smaller but still visible. Add oil and toss with a fork to combine. Whisk water and egg yolk in a small bowl. Add to the flour mixture and stir until it begins to come together. Knead the dough with your hands in the bowl a few times until it forms a ball. Divide the dough in half and shape into 5-inch disks. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.

Combine apples, the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Roll one portion of dough between sheets of parchment or wax paper into a 9-by-13-inch rectangle. Peel off the top sheet and invert the dough into the prepared pan. Peel off the remaining paper. Trim the dough so it covers just the bottom of the pan. Spread the apple filling evenly over the dough. Using the parchment or wax paper, roll out the remaining dough, invert it over the filling, and trim the edges so it just covers the filling. Whisk the egg white in a bowl until frothy and evenly brush over the top crust. Lightly sprinkle the crust with additional sugar, if desired.
Bake until golden brown and bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for at least 1 hour before cutting into 12 squares.

Makes 2 dozen cookies
Active Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Crust

• 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (see Note)
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Pinch of salt

Filling

• 4 ounces pitted dried dates (about 3/4 cup)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting or whipped cream for garnish

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray.

To prepare crust: Pulse flour, brown sugar, walnuts, cornstarch, 2 tablespoons butter and salt in a food processor (a mini food processor works well) until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Divide the crust mixture among the prepared mini muffin cups (about 1 1/4 teaspoons per cup) and press evenly into the bottoms.

To prepare filling: Combine dates, water, brown sugar and 2 1/2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has cooked away, 8 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly, then process the date mixture in a blender or food processor until processed into a paste. Add cream cheese and vanilla; blend or process to combine. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in pecans. Divide the date-nut filling among muffin cups (1 generous teaspoon each), gently pressing the filling down and smoothing the tops.

Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is lightly cooked, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Loosen the edges of the crust with a small spatula or butter knife and transfer the tassies to a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar or serve with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.

Nutrition

Per cookie :93 Calories; 6 g Fat; 2 g Sat; 2 g Mono; 7 mg Cholesterol; 10 g Carbohydrates; 1 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 24 mg Sodium; 60 mg Potassium
Make Ahead Tip: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. | Equipment: 24-cup mini muffin pan or two 12-cup mini muffin pans

Ingredient Note: Whole-wheat pastry flour has less gluten-forming potential than regular whole-wheat flour and helps ensure tender baked goods. Find it in the baking section of the supermarket or online at bobsredmill.com and kingarthurflour.com.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups reduced-fat Ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 6 graham cracker tart shells
• 3/4 cup strawberries, sliced (raspberries or blueberries also can be used)

Directions

Mix yogurt, Ricotta, sugar and cocoa powder thoroughly with whisk until creamy. Spoon 1/6 mixture into each tart shell and top with sliced strawberries.

6 servings

Nutritional Facts

Calories: 260
Total Fat: 9 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Cholesterol: 20 mg
Sodium: 250 mg
Calcium: 20% Daily Value
Protein: 9 g
Carbohydrates: 37 g
Dietary Fiber: 3 g

Cooking spray

• 1 (15-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 4 ounces Neufchatel cheese, or reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup all-fruit seedless raspberry jam
• 1 tablespoon orange liqueur or water
• 2 (6-ounce) containers fresh raspberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Place ricotta in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Add sour cream, Neufchatel, eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla, orange zest and salt. Process until well blended. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until the center is just set, 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and then cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

In a small saucepan, bring the jam and liqueur or water to a boil, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove sides of pan. Brush the tart with the jam mixture and top with raspberries, flat-side down.

8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup fat free or lowfat milk
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup crushed ice
• 2 T fat free half and half
• 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 banana, sliced and frozen
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1 T maple syrup
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• pinch salt
• pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

Combine milk and next nine ingredients (through salt) in a blender; process until smooth. Sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg, if desired.

Makes 2 servings, 4 ounces of milk per serving.

Nutrition

220 calories; 3 g fat; 1.5 g saturated fat; 5 mg cholesterol; 7 g protein; 44 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 340 mg sodium; 200 mg calcium (20% of daily value).

Nutrition figures based on using fat free milk.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 3/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated low-fat milk
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 large egg
• 2 T rum
• 1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin

Crust

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1-2 tablespoons ice water

Preparation

Position oven rack to lower position. Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare crust: Stir all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, swirling the pan, until the butter turns a nutty brown, 30 seconds to 4 minutes, depending on your stove. Pour into a small bowl and let cool. Stir in oil. Slowly stir the butter-oil mixture into the flour mixture with a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Gradually stir in enough ice water so the dough holds together. Press the dough into a flattened disk.

Place two overlapping lengths of plastic wrap on a work surface. Set the dough in the center and cover with two more sheets of plastic wrap. Roll the dough into a 13-inch circle. Remove the top sheets and invert the dough into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Remove the remaining wrap. Fold the edges under at the rim and crimp. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

To prepare filling, combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add pumpkin, and stir with a whisk until smooth.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Bake the pie until the filling has set and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes; cover the edges with foil if they are browning too quickly. Cool on a wire rack.

Topping

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 1 ½ cups crushed Cheez-It crackers
• ¾ cup coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar
• 2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

Macaroni and Sauce

• ½ lb diced bacon
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 ½ cups whole milk
• 3 cups coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

Mix together butter, crackers and cheese in a bowl until combined well.

Cook bacon in a saucepan over low heat until bacon is rendered and crisp. Stir in flour and mustard powder. Continue cooking for about 3 minutes and wisk in milk until smooth and thickened.

Bring sauce to a simmer whisking occasionally. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper until smooth. Remove from heat.

Combine macaroni and sauce in a bowl until incorporated and place mixture into a buttered baking dish.

Spread cracker mix evenly over the top of the macaroni and bake until bubbling – about 20 minutes.

Materials Needed:

• 8-9 clean, plastic gallon jugs
• String
• Scissors
• Craft knife
• Low temperature glue gun
• One-hole punch

Prepare:

1. Head – Choose a jug with a pair of circular indentations opposite the handle and turn it upside down. In the corner, opposite the handle, cut out a large smiling mouth, eyes and nose. Make two small slits in the top of the head and tie a loop of string through them to hang the finished skeleton.

2. Chest – Cut and trim away plastic to make a rib cage down the center of a right-side-up jug, directly opposite the handle.

3. Shoulders – Cut off two jug handles (leaving a small collar on the ends) and punch a hole at one end of each shoulder.

4. Hips – Cut all the way around a jug, about 4-1/2 inches up from the bottom. Take the bottom piece and trim away a small smile shape from each side to make a four-cornered shape. Punch holes in two opposite corners.

5. Waist – Cut out two spouts, leaving a ½ inch collar on each. Glue the spouts together.

Assembly Instructions: Hot glue the waist to the bottom of the chest and the top of the hip section. (For added security, you may wish to cut a circular hole in the “hips” and insert one end of the waist securely, then hot glue the waist to the hip section.)

6. Arms and legs – Cut eight long bone shapes from the corner sections of three jugs (cut into the curved shape of the jug to make the bones even more realistic. From two of these bones, cut out the center to make limbs (forearms). Punch a hole through the ends of all eight bones.

7. Hands and feet – trace hands and feet onto the side of a jug, then cut out the shapes. Punch a hole in each shape.

Assembly Instructions: With string, tie feet to the leg bones, and hands to the arm bones.  Tie the leg sections to the hips and the arm sections to the shoulders.

Variations:

Paint Mr. Bottle Bones a neon color to make him appear to glow.