I Want Something Snacky!

Have you ever heard a child whine, "I want something snacky!"? Heck, most of us have whined that on occasion. I know I have!

We all need (or want) something a little snacky to eat, including while waiting for a main holiday meal, or even for dessert. Here are six recipes that fit the bill. Enjoy!

Note: For my readers who are celebrating Hanukkah, Happy Hanukkah. And for those celebrating Christmas, Merry Christmas. Peace and hope for us all!

Also, I might be posting one more holiday recipe post either this afternoon or tomorrow, then heading back to our regular schedule Monday morning.

EGG NOG

This came from the December 2004 issue of Runner's World. Makes 6 servings. Calories: 200 per cup.

1/2 C egg substitute

2 Tbs sugar

1 13-ounce can evaporated fat-free milk

1/2 C fat-free half-and-half

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp rum flavoring

fat-free whipped topping

Whip together egg substitute and sugar; add evaporated milk, half-and-half, and flavorings. Mix well with whisk and chill for at least 3 hours. Pour into glasses & top with whipped topping & dusting of nutmeg or cinnamon. Makes 6 servings.

PUMPKIN PIE

This also came from the December 2004 issue of Runner’s World. Makes 8 servings. Calories: 110 per slice.

1 ready-made piecrust

1 10-ounce can mashed pumpkin

1/4 C egg substitute

1 can evaporated fat-free milk

1/3 C brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp ginger and nutmeg

Mix ingredients in large bowl using wire whisk. Pour into unbaked piecrust in nine-inch pie pan. Bake at 421 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. Let cool.

APPLE CINNAMON ROLLS

Years ago, there was a show on (I think) The Food Network called Breaking Bread with Father Dominic. It's no longer on TV, but you can find his cookbooks and info here and here. YIELD: 24 rolls

Dough

5 to 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 envelopes FLEISCHMANN’S RapidRise Yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter or margarine

3 large eggs

Apple Filling

2 large cooking apples, chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Cinnamon-Sugar Topping

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

In large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, & salt. Heat water, milk, & butter until very warm (120 to 130 degrees). Gradually add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs & 1 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Roll each portion into 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Spread Apple Filling evenly over dough. Beginning at long end of each, roll up tightly as for jelly roll. Pinch seams to seal. Cut each roll into 12 equal pieces. Place, cut sides up, in greased 9-inch round pans. Cover, let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with Cinnamon-Sugar Topping. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Remove from pans; serve warm.

Apple Filling: Combine chopped apples, flour, sugar, & butter in medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low; cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly until thick. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. Cool completely.

Cinnamon-Sugar Topping: Combine sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir until well-blended.

EGGNOG CAKE

My daughter sent this to me in an email years ago. I'm not sure where she had found it. Very yummy! Serves 12.

1 18.25-ounce pudding added yellow cake mix, and oil and eggs called for on package

1 teaspoon nutmeg

EggNog, substituted for water (according to package directions)

EggNog Glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to recommended temperature on cake mix package. Spray sides & bottom with vegetable cooking spray, or grease with butter or margarine. Combine dry cake mix with required oil, eggs & nutmeg, Omit water adding the same amount of EggNog in its place. Mix & bake according to package instructions. Cool. Top with EggNog Glaze.

EggNog Glaze

2 Cups powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons margarine or butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 teaspoons EggNog

In medium bowl combine all ingredients, adding enough EggNog for desired consistency. Makes 1 1/2 Cups.

EGGNOG CHOCOLATE CHIP COFFEE CAKE

This also came from Breaking Bread with Father Dominic. YIELD: 1 coffee cake.

Dough:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 envelopes FLEISCHMANN’S RapidRise Yeast

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup eggnog

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 large eggs

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

Chocolate Nut Topping:

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

1 cup chopped pecans

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, & salt. Heat eggnog, water & butter until very warm (120 to 130 degrees). Gradually add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs & 1 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in chocolate morsels and remaining flour to make a soft batter. Transfer batter from bowl to greased 9-inch tube pan. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Uncover dough; sprinkle evenly with Chocolate Nut Topping. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.

Chocolate Nut Topping:

In medium bowl, cut butter into flour until crumbly. Stir in sugar, cinnamon, chocolate morsels and pecans.

COCONUT CLOUD CAKE

I’m really not sure where this came from. The only hint is that it was in a folder titled “Recipes from Facebook, etc.”

Ingredients

For the Cake

1 cup sifted cake flour

1 1/2 cups superfine sugar

14 large egg whites (1 3/4 cups), room temperature

1 tablespoon warm water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Seven-Minute Frosting

3 large egg whites

1 1/4 cups sugar

5 tablespoons cold water

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Topping

3 to 4 cups flaked coconut

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. With a fine sieve, sift together flour and 3/4 cups sugar four times.

In the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed, beat together egg whites and water until foamy. Add salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla; beat until soft peaks form. Increase speed to medium-high and sprinkle in remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until stiff but not dry.

Transfer to a large bowl. In six additions, sift dry ingredients over meringue, folding in quickly but gently.

Pour batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan with removable bottom. Smooth top with an offset spatula. Run a knife through batter to release air bubbles. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and springy to touch.

Invert pan on its legs or over the neck of a glass bottle, and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Make the frosting: In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine egg whites, sugar, water, and cream of tartar. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Attach the bowl to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the mixture on high speed until glossy and voluminous, about 7 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.

Carefully run a long offset spatula or knife around the inner and outer perimeter of the cake pan to release cake.

Place on a plate, bottom side up. Using a long serrated knife, carefully slice off 1 1/2 inches from the top of the cake, being sure not to break the layer. Set aside. Cut out a 1-inch-wide, 1-inch-deep channel halfway between the center and edge of cake. Spread icing into channel and over entire layer. Sprinkle with coconut.

Gently place reserved layer on top and ice with remaining frosting. Sprinkle with coconut and serve immediately.

HERSHEY BAR PIE

My daughter sent this to me several years ago. I'm not sure where she got it, but I have a sneaking suspicion it came from Hershey's.

6 Hershey bars, with or without almonds

20 large marshmallows

1/2 C milk

1 graham cracker crust*

8 oz. tub Cool Whip

Melt bars with marshmallows in microwave, stirring often until all melted. Take out of micro & mix in half the cool whip. Pour in pie shell. Chill for 3 hours. If too soft, eat frozen. Top with cool whip.

*My daughter added the note, “I like the chocolate crust.” Also, for melting, she added, “I used a double boiler.”