Sweet & Skinny: 100 Recipes for Enjoying Life's Sweeter Side Without Tipping the Scales - Softcover

Recipe Excerpt: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Serves 4
Per serving : 220 calories , 12 grams fat

My mother used to make individual chocolate cakes for me and my playmates. Each having our own made us feel extra special. Years later, I dusted off her recipe to prepare for old friends, adding a peanut butter center for a sweet-salty twist.

Ingredients
Nonstick pan spray
1⁄3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plain nonfat Greek-style yogurt
1 tablespoon liquid egg substitute
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 egg whites from large eggs
1⁄3 cup sugar
4 teaspoons reduced-fat peanut butter, smooth or chunky, preferably natural style

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the center position. Coat four 4-ounce ramekins or muffin cups with pan spray. If using ramekins, set them on a rimmed baking sheet.

Melt the chocolate, butter, and 1 ½ tablespoons water in a double boiler, or in a microwave oven, until you can stir the mixture smooth. Whisk in the salt, yogurt, egg substitute, and vanilla. In a small bowl, stir together the cocoa powder and flour.

Using a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until they are foamy. (Alternatively, use a handheld electric mixer.) With the mixer running, gradually add the sugar, a few teaspoons at a time. After all of the sugar is in, continue to mix until soft, glossy peaks form, curling over when you lift the beater.

Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg whites until mostly combined. Sift half of the cocoa mixture over the top and fold it in with a spatula. Once it is mostly incorporated, sift the remaining cocoa mixture over the top and fold until it is incorporated.

Spoon 1/4 cup of the batter into each prepared ramekin. Place 1 teaspoon of the peanut butter in the center of each one, and cover the peanut butter with a heaping tablespoon of batter.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake (not the center) comes out clean. Set the ramekins on a wire rack and let them cool for several hours. To serve: Serve the cakes in the ramekins. If you used muffin cups, unmold them before serving.

Store any leftover peanut butter cups, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for up to 24 hours.

Make ahead! The filled but unbaked cakes can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days before baking. Place in the preheated oven directly from the refrigerator and increase the baking time to 20 minutes.

MARISA CHURCHILL began her career as a pastry chef in the San Francisco area after graduating from culinary school in 2000. Her desserts have been widely praised and featured in publications such as Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, and Details. Marisa was among the forty top pastry chefs invited by Food Arts two years in a row for their annual pastry conference. She was a competitor on Bravo’s Top Chef: Season 2 and continues to appear on Food Network Challenge. For more information visit MarisaChurchill.com.