LilSugar

Bite of Love: Macaroon'ed by Love Brownie Cupcakes

LilSugar — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:00:55 -0800

Looking to dress up your simple kid-friendly Valentine's Day dessert? Much to my children's pleasure I've been testing out a variety of tiny brownie bite "cupcakes" and pudding treats for a preschool party and our family celebration of love.

While most of the treats air on the simple side, I decided to dress up the beautiful, but plain Pretty-in-Pink cupcakes with tiny macaroons from the French bakery around the corner from our house. Not only does the dessert look more polished, but the mini macaroon on the top adds an extra nibble of sweetness for your little sweets.

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Need more ideas for creating tiny delicious treats for your tots this Valentine's Day? Check out our Bite of Love series for inspiration.

Babycakes: Bake Sweets With Baby Food!

LilSugar — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:00:00 -0800

Once your baby has outgrown pureed foods, what's a mama to do with her stockpile of jars in the pantry? Well, Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown found a winning dessert in one mother's cupcake recipe. Made with pureed baby food, the moist and delicious pecan-laced treats satisfy a sweet-tooth of any age.
To get the inventive recipe, read more.

Babycakes
Lisa Roman, Food Network

Have some leftover baby food in the pantry, try baking with it!

Ingredients

Cupcake Batter Ingredients:

* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 3 eggs
* 1/4 clover honey
* 1/2 cup light brown sugar
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 (4-ounce) jar pumpkins with pears baby food (recommended: Nature's Goodness brand)
* 2 (4-ounce) jars applesauce and apricots baby food (recommended: Earth's Best brand)
* 1/2 cup ground pecans

Frosting Ingredients:

* 1 teaspoon almond extract
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 4 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
* 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
* 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
* 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
* 1/4 cup ground pecans
* Special equipment: 2 (12-cup) mini muffin pans

Directions
Cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small mixing bowl add the baking soda, salt, baking powder and flour. Mix thoroughly with a fork and set aside. In a large mixing bowl add the eggs, honey, both sugars and butter. Mix until smooth using a hand mixer. Add the cinnamon and baby food. Mix until smooth. Using a rubber spatula fold in the pecans. Slowly add the flour mixture using a sifter and fold in until ingredients are evenly mixed.

Place 24 mini baking cups (2-inch, nonfoil) into each hole of the mini muffin pan. Place a 1-gallon resealable freezer bag into a bowl (for support) and pour the cupcake batter into the bag. Seal the bag and cut the tip off 1 of the bottom corners of the bag. Squeeze the batter into each baking cup, filling them only 3/4 of the way full. Place the mini muffin pan in the oven on the center rack. Bake for 12 minutes.

Frosting:

In a small mixing bowl add the extracts, milk, cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar. Mix until smooth and creamy using a hand mixer. When the cupcakes are done baking remove each cupcake from the pan and place on a cooling rack. Place the cooling rack in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 minutes.

Once the cupcakes are cooled remove them from the refrigerator. Frost each cupcake by putting a generous dollop of frosting on the top with a spoon. Garnish top with ground pecans and they are ready to serve.

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Bite of Love: Marshmallow My Love Pudding Cuppycake

LilSugar — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:00:00 -0800

If you don't have time to make almond butter and brownie cupcakes or fancy brownie cupcakes sprinkled with frosting, serve up a routine treat in an unusual presentation for your family's Valentine's Day fete.

I dished up chocolate pudding into mini cups and decorated the top with mini marshmallows for a festive, but portioned controlled dessert. Your child's mouth will water at the thought of a cup of sweet goodness, but the reality is you're only serving them four spoonfuls of pudding.

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For tips on how to make these little bites of love, read more.
I used one six pack of pudding from the health food store, which I dished into about 14 mini cups (you know the kind you used in college for Jello shots). I decorated with marshmallows, but you could use any candies or serve plain.

Bite of Love: Almond Be There For You Brownie Cupcakes

LilSugar — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:00:48 -0800

If you want to treat your family to a special treat on Valentine's Day, but hope to keep their sugar consumption reserved to Conversation Hearts, forgo fancy icing and add a pretty protein boost to a brownie bite. Almond butter is a delicious and nutritious paste that can be substituted for traditional peanut butter on sandwiches, waffles, pancakes, and used as a healthy decoration on desserts.

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To check out my guide to making these yourself, read more.

Almond Be There for You Brownie Cupcake
lilsugar original

Dress up a brownie bite for a healthy treat.

Ingredients

1. Package of pre-made brownie bites or homemade mini brownies
2. Almond butter (or peanut butter if your child has been tested and isn't allergic)
3. Carob or chocolate chips for decoration

Directions
Dress the brownie bites by spreading a thin amount of almond butter on top as a frosting alternative. Make sure to only put a little dab of butter so as not to overpower the brownie.

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Need more ideas for creating tiny delicious treats for your tots this Valentine's Day? Check out our Bite of Love series for inspiration.

Bite of Love: Pretty-In-Pink Brownie Cupcakes

LilSugar — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 12:00:56 -0800

Sometimes it's the simplest things that bring our children the most delight. When planning your impressive Valentine's Day dessert menu opt for the easiest, quickest sweet treat that will deliver a smile and small sugar rush in one beautiful and loving bite. I dressed up a regular brownie bite with cupcake frosting I found at the grocery store for an inexpensive, but dare I say, impressive dessert worthy of the lil (and big!) loves in my life.

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To check out my guide to making these yourself, read more.

Pretty-In-Pink Brownie Cupcakes
lilsugar original

Dress up a simple brownie bite for an impressive dessert fit for kids.

Ingredients

1. Package of pre-made brownie bites or homemade mini brownies
2. Cupcake or cake frosting (homemade or store bought)

Directions
Dress the brownie bites with fancy frosting work. Make sure to only put a little frosting so as not to overpower the brownie.

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Bite of Love: I Heart You Brownie Cupcakes

LilSugar — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:00:45 -0800

Nothing says I love you like homemade treats, but many mothers don't have time to make decadent desserts. Save yourself an expensive trip to the bakery or hours spent in front of the oven by dressing up a simple kid favorite - the brownie bite. Show your kids how much you love them with this simple Valentine's treat. I added a little festive conversation heart and frosting to a package of brownies we had around the house.

To check out my guide to making these yourself, read more.

I Heart You Brownie Cupcakes
lilsugar original

Simple "dressed up" brownie bite cupcakes.

Ingredients

Package of pre-made brownie bites or homemade mini brownies
Tube of cookie frosting
Conversation Hearts

Directions
Put a small dollop of cookie frosting on the top of your brownie bite and place conversation hearts in the center as festive decoration.

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Stay tuned for a whole series of simple, quick and inexpensive Valentine's Day dessert treats for your tots!

11 Healthier Winter Treats For Your Tots

LilSugar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 06:00:00 -0800

The frightful Winter weather makes kids and parents crave heavier carbs and sweets (pumpkin pie and hot chocolate anyone?!), which can make being inventive and health-conscious in the kitchen a bit more complicated. The good news is, many favorite goodies can be lightened or improved upon to create kid-approved treats that aren't loaded with sugar. Here are some of my shoo-in simple recipes and suggestions for turning everyday snacks into warm morsels.

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Delilicious: Cheese, Onion, and Olive Toasts

LilSugar — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:00:16 -0800

If your kids get a case of the midnight munchies tonight, steer clear of sugar treats and curb their hunger with a more nutritious snack. Now matter how picky a tot is, they usually have a taste for toast and cheese. So whip up this incredibly easy, warm appetizer that takes a matter of minutes and uses a handful of ingredients. Simply mix shredded cheddar cheese with a sprinkle of finely sliced green onion, and then sprinkle in some diced black olives. Spread the mix on baguette slices and pop it in a 350°F oven until the cheese bubbles. Let them cool for a few minutes before serving to those with tired eyes and growling bellies. For parents and those with more adventurous pint-sized palates, substitute the cheddar cheese with Monterey jack and add some diced green chilies.

Delilicious: Countdown to Christmas Pasta

LilSugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0800

Red and green scream Christmas so deck your children's dinner plates out in the festive colors for an edible holiday countdown. After a long day at the mall or out building snowmen, this flavorful pasta dish requires just a handful of ingredients and it's easy on the budget (more money for gifts!) and simple enough to enlist your lil elves in the preparations.

Simmer a sauté pan of San Marzano tomato sauce and pour it over numerical pasta, then top with grated Parmesan cheese. Mix mealtime with pleasure by asking your tots to find the numbers of days until Santa comes in their pasta! If you don't celebrate Christmas, you can pour the same sauce over any number of seasonal shaped pastas or just skip the game portion.

To get this kid-friendly recipe, read more.

Countdown to Christmas Pasta
original recipe

Ingredients

olive oil
5 cloves of garlic
16 ounce can of San Marzano crushed tomatoes
8 leafs of basil, chiffonade
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Coat the bottom of a sauce pan with olive oil and saute five crushed cloves of garlic until it is golden brown. Then add the entire can of San Marzano tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes. Finally, add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle in the chiffonade basil and serve over pasta.

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Tiny Prints and Rachael Ray Team Up For Tasty Cards

babysugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:00:09 -0700

It amazes me that Rachael Ray isn't a mother because her 30-minute-meals are often lifesavers for over tasked mommies. Embarking on a new frontier, the talented kitchen cook has teamed up with the omnipresent Tiny Prints to create a line of "yum-o" holiday and food inspired announcements.

Holidays mean spending time with family, friends and what else? Food! Snowflakes made out of spoons and forks adorn photo greeting cards and are accompanied with phrases like, "Peace. Love. Food." Or, forgo the photos for wreath and snowman adorned folded cards that have a special treat inside - a printed recipe! Tell your friends how much you care about them with a recipe for Ladybug Pizzas or Spinach and Artichoke Hummus Dip.

Feel good purchasing the "yum-o!" cards as a portion of the proceeds will support yum-o!'s mission to empower kids to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking.

* Free shipping on all orders over $99 with the code HOLIDAYSHIP!

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