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Lemon teacakes: Dessert without much guilt

By MELISSA D’ARABIAN The Associated Press

I love dessert. I also love being healthy. My four kiddos also love sweets. So over the years, I’ve created some great strategies for getting some dessert in our lives while also honoring our bodies, which frankly do not need as much sugar as our palates seem to crave.
If you (or your family) loves baked goods too, go ahead and preheat that oven and listen in — I’ve got some tips for keeping dessert alive while staying reasonable. First: Make your own.
I have a lot more leeway with homemade treats than for the packaged and processed versions from the store. Not only can I manage what is going in them (so I reduce sugar, skip preservatives and artificial stuff), but making my own baked treats puts a minimum half-hour buffer between me and a pan of brownies, which means we all will eat treats mindfully, instead of grabbing a box of cookies and nibbling my way through them unnoticed while watching an episode of “The Goldbergs.”
Second healthy dessert tip: Cut up small portions of treats and serve them on a tray alongside a healthier “open quantity” option. For instance, I may place a large bowl of clementines or lowfat Greek yogurt on the table next to a plate of homemade banana bread cut into small squares. Diluting the baked goodie with a protein or fiber-filled option is a low-stress way to make dessert healthier for the whole family.
Third tip: invest in a confectioners’ sugar duster and fill it up with organic powdered sugar. Even a tiny dusting of powdered sugar fools our palates into thinking something is sweeter than it is, simply because it’s visible. I can sprinkle a bran muffin with the lightest coating of powdered sugar and my kids think they’ve scored a cupcake.
Finally, a tip just for the adults: Drink espresso with a chunk of dark chocolate or a small finger of homemade cake (like this week’s Early Grey lemon teacakes) for dunking — the deep roasted flavor of espresso coupled with just a little sweet makes a surprisingly satisfying, and sophisticated, dessert.
EARL GREY
LEMON TEACAKES
Start to finish: 40 minutes
¼ cup coconut oil, soft, but not melted (pop in freezer for a few minutes if needed)
1 Tbsp. Earl Grey tea leaves, pounded to a coarse powder (use a small plastic bag and mallet or heavy spoon)
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
¼ cup light agave syrup (or 1/3 cup sugar)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
Confectioners’ sugar for decoration, optional
Preheat oven to 325 F. Line bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray.
In a medium bowl, whip coconut oil, Early Grey leaves, lemon zest and agave syrup using a hand mixer until well-blended and light. Add eggs one at time and mix well with mixer in between. Add vanilla and lemon juice and mix well.
In a small bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then pour in half the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix very briefly. Add second half of the flour and mix just until blended. Do not overmix.
Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until cake springs back after pressing lightly with your finger, about 25-30 minutes. Let cake cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then remove to let cool completely on a rack.
Cut into 14 fingers and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar (optional) and serve.
Servings: 14
Nutrition information per serving: 96 calories; 40 calories from fat; 5 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 31 mg cholesterol; 103 mg sodium; 12 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 2 g protein.
—Food Network star Melissa d’Arabian is an expert on healthy eating on a budget. She is the author of the cookbook “Supermarket Healthy.”
—Online: www.melissadarabian.net

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