Fat Free Chocolate Custard Cupcakes

Hello and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Today's recipe was inspired by a combination of having a random box of pudding to get rid of before break, having a cup of Karo syrup to get rid of before break, and one of my favorite recipes, Fat Free Chewy Chocolate Cookies. 

Thanks to Emmy for baking with me, and to Emma and Lauren for being our first tasters! 

The Recipe: 

• 1 box vanilla pudding mix
• 3 cups fat free milk
• 1.5 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 pack hot cocoa mix
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Karo Syrup
• 3 egg whites

The Process: 

1. Boil milk on the stove and mix with pudding. 
2. Chill in the fridge for about 6 hours, or until it sets. 
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176.7 degrees C). 
4. Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. 
5. Add karo syrup and egg whites. 
6. Bake in cupcake forms for about 8 minutes (depending on your oven). 
7. Allow to cool. 
8. Fill cookie press (with filling tip) with pudding and inject into cupcakes. 
9. Once all cupcakes have been filled, mix cocoa with pudding and ice cupcakes. 
10. Enjoy! 

The Calories:

Flour: 682 calories

Sugar: 387 calories

Cocoa: 98 calories

Baking Soda: 2 calories

Salt: 0 calories

Karo: 483 calories

Egg Whites: 36 calories

Pudding Mix: 90 calories

Hot Cocoa Mix: 30 calories

Milk: 259 calories

__________________________

TOTAL: 2067 calories

So it's not the most healthy, but it's much healthier than most other cupcakes, and fat free! The recipe makes 10 cupcakes, so each cupcake has 207 calories and is absolutely delicious. 

What went right: 

          If you're going to treat yourself to a cupcake, this is the cupcake to have! It's super delicious and satisfies the sweet tooth in the most lean way possible. 

What went wrong: 

           Nothing :) The only thing that could have worked better is the icing tip with the pudding. Pudding doesn't mold as easily as frosting, but is that really expected? 

Overall, an amazingly yummy, unbelievably healthy treat! 

The Workout: 

Still worried about eating that cupcake? 

Here's a quick and easy 200 calorie workout! 

Deceptively Healthy Dessert: Fat Free Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Welcome Deceptively Healthy Baking Fans! 

I was skeptical of this cookie recipe when I came across it on Pinterest. 'Fat free' and 'chocolate cookie' just didn't seem to fit in the same paragraph, much less recipe title. As the cookies came together, it made more sense...

The Recipe: Fat Free Chewy Chocolate Cookies

• 1.5 Cups Flour
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 Cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Karo syrup
• 3 egg whites 

The Process:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Butter a cookie sheet or spray with cooking spray
• In a large bowl, mix/sift the cocoa, baking soda, flour, sugar, and salt. Try to get out all the lumps.
• Crack your eggs into a smaller bowl, separating the whites from the yolks by carefully transferring the yolk back and forth between the egg shell halves. (You can save the yolks separately for later use in any other small container. If you do not save them separately, remember to label the container '3 egg yolks', so you know later on)
• Add the egg whites and Karo (corn syrup) to the dry ingredients
• Mix until the dough becomes thick, sticky, and thoroughly blended
• Use a spoon to drop small cookie balls onto the cookie sheet (the recipe says it makes 30, but I made almost 60...size matters!)
• Bake for 7-9 minutes, watching to see that the cookies rise
• They will still be soft to the touch, but a toothpick test will come out dry
• Allow cookies to cool and set for a couple minutes
• When storing, be sure to use wax paper to separate the cookies, and do not lock them into the container. Otherwise, they will stick together. 
• Enjoy!

The Calories:

Again, I've taken this recipe from another source. The only thing I changed was the salt content, which I cut in half. Additionally, mine were smaller. The recipe online says 55 calories per cookie. This makes mine about 27 calories per chewy chocolate cookie, and zero fat! 

What went right: 

         They are fantastic!!! Everyone who's had one loved it. They almost taste like brownies, and the small size, zero fat, and low calorie content makes them guilt-free as well :) 

What went wrong: 

         The first time I packaged them, I learned that they stick together. This was quickly remedied, and did nothing to the amazing taste of the cookies.

What I would do next time:

          A few new recipes for the batter come to mind...

1. Fat Free Blondie Cookies (no cocoa powder and light Karo syrup)
2. Fat Free Chewy Chocolate cookies with walnuts (add walnuts...could be done with pecans or almonds as well)
3. Fat Free Chewy Chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips (add white chocolate chips)
4. Fat Free Chewy Chocolate cupcakes with banana chocolate frosting (made with a frozen banana and unsweetened cocoa powder)
5. Chewy Chocolate Boston Creme cupcakes (bake cupcakes, cut the top open, fill with custard, close, and top with all natural, home made whipped cream)
6. Fat Free Chewy Chocolate cake batter (filling can vary from raspberries to chocolate truffle/mousse and caramel...possibilities are endless)

Will I do this in college:

          To all my lovely future classmates who so kindly read my blog, I promise you I will be making these cookies a LOT! They are quick and easy and -for the 15th time- fat free!

This recipe is definitely going to come back in other forms, so stay tuned for the fat free results!