An alternative to apple pie using Apple Pie
Yogurt. Photo courtesy Yoplait.

Looking for sweet relief from high-calorie holiday desserts? Yoplait’s limited edition winter yogurt flavors can fill in.

The new flavors include Greek 100 Caramel Macchiato, Greek Cinnamon Roll, Original Coconut Caramel and Light Chocolate Mint. Refreshing from the cup, they can also be combined with other ingredients to make better-for-you desserts.

For example, you can make this apple pie yogurt cup in just 15 minutes:

RECIPE: APPLE PIE YOGURT

Ingredients For 1 Serving

1. PLACE a 6-inch cooking parchment paper square on microwavable plate. Spray with cooking spray. In small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon; set aside.

2. CUT two 3-1/2-inch rounds from the egg roll skin; discard scraps. Cut each round into 1/2-inch strips. Tightly weave the strips into a lattice pattern on parchment paper.

3. SPRAY the strips with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with cinnamon sugar.

4. MICROWAVE uncovered on Medium (50%) 30 seconds; continue microwaving an additional 15 to 30 seconds, checking every 5 seconds to prevent the strips from burning in the center. Cool 5 minutes on parchment paper (the lattice will crisp as it cools). Meanwhile, stir the chopped apple into the yogurt cup.

5. PLACE the pie crust on top of cup, and serve.

Or, try apple chips with a caramel-yogurt dip. If you don’t want to make the apple chips, it’s easy to buy them.

Prep time is 10 minutes; total time including making the apple chips from scratch is 1 hour 10, minutes.

Ingredients For 1 Serving

Apple chips with a caramel yogurt dip. Photo courtesy Yoplait.

1. HEAT THE oven to 275°F. Line a cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper.

2. USE a sharp knife to cut the apple into very thin slices (about 1/8 inch). Place on the cookie sheet.

3. BAKE for 30 minutes. Quickly turn the slices and bake for 30 to 40 minutes longer or until golden brown and crispy. Cool on a cookie sheet (the apples will continue to crisp up). Meanwhile…

4. MICROWAVE the caramel topping in small microwavable bowl, uncovered on High for 30 seconds. Stir in the salt. Place the yogurt in a small bowl and drizzle the with salted caramel. Top with the walnuts and serve with the apple chips.
 
Find more recipes on Yoplait.com.

Prep time is 30 minutes. For best results, prepare no more than 2 hours in advance of serving.

 
RECIPE: STRAWBERRY SANTA HATS

Ingredients For 30 Pieces

 
Preparation

1. WASH the strawberries and pat completely dry. Slice off the stem of each strawberry, creating a flat bottom.

2. MELT the CandiQuik in a tray according to package directions. Dip the bottom of each strawberry in the CandiQuik, allowing the excess coating to drip off.

3. POUR the pearl dragées into a small bowl. ROLL the bottoms of the strawberries in the pearls. Dip the very bottoms of the mini marshmallows in the coating and attach to the tips of the strawberry hats.

4. PLACE on wax paper to set.

RECIPE: CHEESECAKE SANTA HATS

This Christmas cheesecake treat is from Rachel of BakedByRachel.com. The mini eggnog-flavored cheesecakes have a chocolate cookie crust, topped off with fresh whipped cream and strawberry Santa hats.

Prep time is 15 minutes, cook time is 20 minutes.

Ingredients For 12 Pieces

For The Crust

 
For The Filling

 
For The Whipped Cream

 
Plus:

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the 12 wells of a mini cheesecake pan.

2. BLEND the cookies in a food processor until only fine crumbs remain. Combine the crumbs with the butter and sugar. Divide among the greased cheesecake wells, adding 1 small cookie scoop of crust mixture to each cavity. Press down firmly to create an even layer. Bake for 5 minutes.

3. REDUCE the oven temperature to 325°F.

4. BEAT together in a large bowl or stand mixer the cream cheese and granulated sugar, until fluffy and smooth. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the eggnog, flour, vanilla and salt. Gradually increase the speed, mixing until no lumps remain. Finally, add the egg, mixing until combined with no streaks remaining.

5. DIVIDE the batter among the cheesecake pan cavities using a medium scoop. Add roughly 1 and 1/4 scoops (a heaping scoop) to each cavity. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the cheesecakes are set.

6. COOL the cheesecakes in the pan on a wire rack until they are room temperature. Transfer them to the refrigerator to chill overnight or until chilled through.

7. BEAT together the heavy cream and powdered sugar in a medium bowl, until stiff peaks form. Cover and chill until ready to use.

8. CAREFULLY REMOVE the cheesecakes from the pan, removing the pan discs from the crusts. Top off with whipped cream and strawberries. Sprinkle with optional powdered for a snow dusted look.
 
Find more delicious recipes at BakedByRachel.com.

You can purchase a sampler of lovely cupcakes like the ones in the photo (from Williams-Sonoma).

Or, you can do it yourself: Turn plain cupcakes into holiday celebrations with green, red and white icing and some purchased adornments such as:

 
Hanukkah cupcakes are even easier: just blue and white icing, topped with:

Inspiration to bake your own! Photo courtesy Williams-Sonoma.

Different companies make a variety of designs. The set in the photo is from Williams-Sonoma, and includes festive holiday cupcake papers.

Holiday cupcake decorations can be found online, at craft and baking stores, and maybe even the baking department of your supermarket.

Make Christmas/Hanukkah/holiday cupcakes an annual tradition!

Thanks to Hannah Kaminsky for tipping us off to this great cookie stamp.

Whether for the experienced baker who’s looking for something new, or the newbie who wants to surprise friends, this little gadget rocks!

Interchangeable letters, numbers, and symbols offer endless possibilities for personalized messages that you create within the frame of the stamp.

Spell out names and messages (Congratulations, Happy Birthday, whatever) to make your next batch of cookies memorable.

The Customizable Cookie Stamp is $15.00 at UncommonGoods.com.

Our friends at GQ magazine sent us their 50 Best Things To Eat Right Now article, and we learned something new: trash fish.

In the fishing industry, a by-catch is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while catching the target species (recall the dolphins swept up in tuna nets).

A subspecies of by-catch is rough fish—the slang term is trash fish. The term is used in the U.S. to describe fish that are less desirable to sport anglers.

While not desirable by anglers for sporting purposes, trash fish species can be very important in the commercial fishing industry, where they make up the bulk of commercial food fish catches in inland fresh waters. The challenge is turning them into popular fish, desired and asked for by consumers.

There is no standard list of trash fish. A fish that is considered trash in one region may be treasure in another. For example, the common carp is considered undesirable in the U.S. and Australia, but is the premier game fish of Europe and the most valuable food fish across most of Asia.

Dogfish, a.k.a. Cape shark, travel in schools with flounder, hake and pollock, so are often landed as by-catch. Fishermen in the U.S. toss them overboard because dogfish don’t often command prices worth the effort of processing them. Yet, the mild, sweet, boneless flesh is desired for fish and chips in the U.K. In Germany, the belly section of the fish, smoked, is considered a delicacy. [Source]

You can buy a trash fish like dogfish for say, $5.50 a pound to substitute for the fashionable cod or haddock, which command $15 a pound.

Today’s trash fish lack the marketing heft to become glamorous fish like branzino, cod, flounder, salmon and tuna. But with the increasing demand for fresh fish, the overfishing of popular species and the ever-increasing prices, attention must be paid.

So today’s tip is: Don’t turn your nose up at a trash fish because it’s oily (blue fish, mackerel), ugly (scorpion fish) or small (sardines). Once it’s cleaned and in the pan or the pot, it looks like other fish, and taste just as delicious. For a fraction of the price.

Get some suggestions from your fishmonger, and make an entire Feast Of Seven Fishes!