Christmas in Poland isn’t official until someone makes chrusciki. These powdered sugar crullers are actually pretty easy to make but if you don’t have a rolling pin it’s not going to happen because the key is to roll the dough paper thin. Chrusciki are the only things I deep fry because there is no other way to make this light-as-a-cloud cookie – I guess that’s why they also call them angel wings. So I’m sharing my recipe for these Polish Christmas cookies but it turns out they are not just Polish. Here is what they’re called in other countries:
Belarus – хрушчы (chruščy) or фаворкі (favorki) Croatia – krostole Denmark – klejner France – bugnes Germany – raderkuchen Hungary – csöröge Italy – bugie, cenci, chiacchiere, crostoli, frappe, galani, sfrappole Lithuania – žagarėliai Malta – xkunvat Romania – minciunele, regionally: cirighele, scovergi Russia – хворост (khvorost) Sweden – klenäter Ukraine – вергуни (verhuny)
Merry Christmas to all you cooks out there and thank you for all your comments and notes. I do appreciate the feedback. I hope you’ll try this show-stopping, delicious holiday cookie. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
My less-butter, less-sugar Christmas cookies just got even healthier. I decided to try making them with extra-light olive oil and they turned out great. This time I rolled the dough and cut out the holiday shapes but I will say that a cookie press is a great invention! But when you cut them out, it’s a lot more fun decorating. I like my candy canes the best. This recipe is exactly the same as the one already posted but I used extra-light olive oil instead of canola oil.
There’s no reason to use all butter in these holiday cookies. I bake all my cookies with either half the butter or with some recipes, no butter at all. With these healthier sugar cookies, there’s plenty of butter taste and half the saturated fat. I like to bake them until the edges brown just a little. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
I’m sharing one of my prized recipes just in time for Thanksgiving. This is one people will talk about long after it’s gone and they’ll probably ask for the recipe. My lightened pumpkin cheesecake is made using all reduced fat ingredients so it’s a healthier dessert, perfect after you’ve stuffed yourself senseless with turkey. This lighter cheesecake won’t weigh you down and the recipe is fairly simple but you will need a springform pan.
The crust is just graham crackers sprinkled on the bottom so there’s no heavy butter-laden crust. And the secret to this light and airy cake is to beat the egg whites separately and fold them in at the end. I get the best results using Daisy Brand light sour cream and Philadelphia brand 1/3 less fat cream cheese. I tried neufchatel but didn’t like the result, and I would never use Knudsen reduced fat sour cream for anything!
So if you try this amazing holiday dessert, make sure you have all your ingredients at room temperature and leave enough time to let it cool for at least two hours on the counter and then refrigerate for at least two hours as well. This is my Thanksgiving gift to all you cooks who will soon be stuffing turkeys and faces! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
I just posted my 100th recipe and there are still so many more to come. But no one has ever asked me what MY favorite is. So what is my favorite recipe of all one hundred? Up until yesterday, I might have had to think about my answer because if I didn’t love something, I wouldn’t be making it, right? But last night, it became clear. It’s my delicious, yummy, creamy rice pudding.
As comfort foods go, especially when you feel stressed out, rice pudding is hard to beat. It’s creamy, sweet, and when served warm… it could help avoid some expensive psychotherapy! My low fat version is made with the only rice you should ever use for pudding – Arborio. So last night after dinner, I ran out of those peanut butter cookies so I made some rice pudding. It only takes 30 minutes so as soon as it was done, I transferred it to my orange bowl, planning to have a small serving and keep the rest for tomorrow. I failed.
I started by skimming spoonfuls off the top (it was still pretty warm – actually, it may have still been cooking) and before I knew it, there was hardly any left. I transferred it to a smaller container to refrigerate, tasting as I went along. I went to cover the container and realized there wasn’t even one serving left. I decided it wouldn’t be fair to the next person (me) who’d be eating it.
So I ate the whole thing. It’s not something I’m proud of but I feel I need to share. Keeping it a secret was causing me stress and stress makes us crave comfort foods, and well… it’s a vicious cycle, my friends. So I’ve cleared my conscience, just like I cleared out that orange bowl.
The next time you’re craving some comfort, click here for the recipe.
Wow! I love this incredibly easy recipe. It’s so simple. One bowl. No mixer. No shaping. And no cleanup if you use parchment paper. There is no butter and no flour is this simple cookie recipe. And my version has less sugar than most. Wait ’til you try one – the taste is out of this world!
Even the most amateur cook can’t mess this up. Here are the steps: 1) Mix ingredients together in a bowl. 2) Drop on sheet and bake. 3) Done.
I’ve always used natural peanut butter, like Laura Scudder’s or Santa Cruz organic, but always chunky. You can use smooth… but why? With chunky peanut butter, you get some nice peanuty crunch with every bite. When cookies are this easy to make, anyone can make cookies from scratch – in 15 minutes. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Baking without butter is a priority around here because I am not living without cookies. When I’m not having my lemon brownies, doughnuts, marble loaf, or apple bars (all made without butter) there is always a cookie on my dessert plate. I haven’t had a store-bought cookie in decades. Why would I when healthy cookies are so easy to make. We eat a few and I freeze a few, so there are always a variety of cookies in the freezer.
Crispy cookies like this one can be eaten still frozen – talk about crunchy! This healthy cookie can be made with extra light olive oil or canola and it’s 100% whole grain, made with oats and whole wheat pastry flour with crisp rice cereal added for even more crunch. You’ll see I added some mini chocolate chips although you can omit those… but I wouldn’t. 🙂 Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Why do I love my healthy chocolate cupcakes? First off, there are only two tablespoons of butter in all twelve cupcakes. Second, these healthy cupcakes are made with canola oil or you can use extra-light olive oil (both are heart-healthy). You won’t even need eggs for this easy recipe. And I mean easy. It’s another of my one-bowl recipes that I know you’ll make again.
Cupcakes are like having your own personal mini cake. There’s no need to have loads of butter when these dark, chocolate-y, rich-tasting cupcakes are so light, you’ll never feel stuffed after eating one… or two! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
I’m happy to report that my “Easiest Lemon Brownies” is one of the three most popular recipes on this website. The other two are my Pork Loin Dinner (I’m not surprised!) and Fresh Strawberry Cake (have you seen the picture!?). I’m always trying something new and baking is my favorite thing to do so today I tried making my lemon brownies with a different oil and they came out great. The original recipe called for canola oil but this time I used extra light olive oil and they were perfect. So if anyone wants to try it, you can make these brownies using olive oil with no olive taste whatsoever. But make sure it’s “extra light” which is very mild tasting and smelling. I use it in my healthy brownies, too. That’s just part of my news.
Someone asked about making my lemon brownies without the baking soda for a chewy brownie. I did that and it turned out okay but I would call it more dense than chewy. I still prefer the original recipe but they both still have a great lemon flavor. Click here for the original recipe.
Here’s a picture of the one I made today without the baking soda. – Jenny Jones
Whenever I have a taste for something a little sweet, this is it. There’s no butter in my healthy version of an old fashioned marble cake – I use heart-healthy olive oil so there’s no guilt when I eat it. And that’s good because whenever I make it, I can’t stop eating it! It’s light and moist and goes perfectly with a cup of my green tea. I’ve made it without the orange zest when I didn’t have an orange but I can tell you it’s definitely better with the orange (or even tangerine!).
It’s a pretty easy recipe if you’re looking for a healthy dessert. It’s sweet enough for dessert but also perfect for afternoon tea. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
If you know me, you know I am always trying to eliminate butter and it’s not always easy with baking. But my Streusel Coffee Cake just got a Jenny Jones Makeover! For starters, the chocolate chips used to be optional but now I’m calling it a Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake because that one tablespoon of mini chocolate chips needs to be there.
Now here’s the best part: no more butter. Well, there was only a tablespoon of butter in the old recipe so it wasn’t a lot but I always thought you needed butter to make a good streusel topping but not so, my health-seeking friends. I’ve discovered that my transfat-free spread (Canola Harvest) works beautifully in place of the butter so now there is no butter in this delicious healthy coffee cake with a crispy, nutty, chocolatey topping. But you can always stay with the butter if you like. Either way, it’s the best coffee cake I’ve ever had. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Christmas in Poland isn’t official until someone makes chrusciki. These powdered sugar crullers are actually pretty easy to make but if you don’t have a rolling pin it’s not going to happen because the key is to roll the dough paper thin. Chrusciki are the only things I deep fry because there is no other way to make this light-as-a-cloud cookie – I guess that’s why they also call them angel wings. So I’m sharing my recipe for these Polish Christmas cookies but it turns out they are not just Polish. Here is what they’re called in other countries:
