Apricot Glazed Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 c. Egg Beaters
4 oz. Mott's Cinnamon Applesauce cup
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbs. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. sugar-free Apricot Preserves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized bowl, combine the egg beaters, bananas, applesauce and vanilla. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry without over mixing. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spray a bread loaf pan with non stick cooking spray and pour in the batter, spreading evenly. Melt the apricot preserves in a small bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds. Drizzle over the top of the batter. Bake for 50-55 minutes until the inside of the bread is firm. Remove the loaf from the pan and let cool on a wire rack. Cut into eight thick slices. (8 servings, 4 WW points per slice)

Apricot-Amaretto Chews

My great Aunt Jean passed about a year and a half ago, and she was like my grandma. She always had these cookies in her cookie jar at home. When she passed away, these were actually the last kind of cookies that were left in her cookie jar. I wish I could have bottled the smell of her house, which always smelled like fresh baked cookies. But when I make these Apricot-Amaretto Chews cookies, it comes pretty close to that smell. This recipe is out of a recipe book that I put together after she passed.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 c. butter

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 Tbs. amaretto 

2 1/2 c. rolled oats

1 c. chopped dried apricots

1/2 c. finely chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the eggs and amaretto and beat well. Add the flour and baking soda to the wet mixture and mix well. Stir in the oats, apricots and nuts. Drop by rounded tsp. on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool one minute on the pan, then remove and cool completely on wire racks. Drizzle with a glaze (made of 2 cups powdered sugar and 2-3 Tbs. amaretto), and then I top them with a slice of dried apricot. Let the frosting cool all of the way so that it hardens, before trying to stack them or place in an air-tight container. 

Apricot Biscuit Tartlets

 Ingredients:
1 (10.2oz) container Pillsbury Flaky Biscuits
Brown Sugar
4 fresh Apricots or smaller fruit

Frosting ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
4 Tbs. butter, at room temperature
4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking sheet with non stick cooking spray. Take the biscuits out of the package. Cut each one into four pieces. Roll into a ball, and flatten with your fingers into a disk shape (will look like a small pizza crust). Place on your baking sheet 1 inch apart. Sprinkle each biscuit with brown sugar. Thinly slice your apricots or whatever fruit you decide to use. Fan out on top of the biscuit. Bake for 13-15 minutes until the bottom of the biscuit is golden brown.

Combine all of the frosting ingredients in an electric mixer and mix until everything is well combined. Pipe or drizzle some of the frosting on top of the mini tarts after they have cooled to room temperature.

Thumbprint Cookies

3/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 c. flour
Apricot preserves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolk, mix well. Stir in the flour by hand. On a lightly floured surface, knead the cookie dough by hand for 2-3 minutes. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place two inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Using your pinky, make an indent in the cookie and fill with the apricot preserves. Bake for 12 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

Smoked Turkey Taquitos

Ingredients:

1/2 c. shredded smoked turkey

1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

4 Tbs. apricot preserves

2 (6 inch) tortilla shells

Heat a skillet on medium low heat. Spray with non stick cooking spray. Place the tortilla shells on a flat surface. Spread 2 Tbs. of the apricot preserves on each tortilla shell. Top with 1/4 c. smoked turkey on each shell, and then 1/8 of the Parmesan cheese on top of that. Start at one end and roll up. Place the seam side down on the hot pan. Leave there for about 45 seconds. When that part is slightly brown, flip over to the other side. When that side is brown, flip again onto an uncooked side, and then repeat once more so that there are four golden brown sides of the tortilla shell. Serve warm!

Apricot-Chip Angel Food Cookies

Ingredients:

1 box angel food cake mix

3/4 c. sugar-free apricot preserves (or whatever jam or jelly you like)

1/4 c. mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a mixer, add the cake mix and preserves just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spray a cookie sheet with non stick spray. Roll the cookie dough into 1 inch balls and place about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 11 minutes. Let cool 1 minute on the sheet and then place onto a wire rack to cool the rest of the way. Make sure you place wax paper between the layers if you put them in a container so they don't stick! They are soft, chewy and sweet!

Apricot Chicken Parmesan Crostini

French bread loaf

Apricot preserves

Rotisserie chicken, shredded

Parmesan (brick)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Preheat oven to Broil. Slice the french bread into 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices. Place on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Broil for about 1 minute or until golden brown. Take out of oven and let cool. Spread the apricot preserve on top of the French bread. Top with the shredded chicken. Take a vegetable peeler and peel pieces of the Parmesan cheese on top of the crostini. Serve cold or warm.