The best part of Valentine’s Day is undoubtedly the chocolate, so I was excited when Stonyfield asked their bloggers to make a dessert that paired yogurt with Divine chocolate. Yogurt’s a great addition in brownies to replace some fat and keep them moist. Like the chocolate, these brownies will melt in your mouth. 

My local grocery store only had Divine’s white chocolate in stock. White chocolate can be difficult to bake with because cheaper brands melt of burn but the chocolate chunks came out smooth and full of flavor. Spreading the jam in a layer in the middle instead of mixing it into the batter adds a little bit in every bite. 

Divine White Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 8 x 8 pan):

• 1 1/3 cup all-purpose or gluten-free flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 5.3oz Stonyfield vanilla greek yogurt
• 1 3.5oz Divine White Chocolate bar, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam
• 2 Tablespoons water

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and sugar.
3. Beat in the eggs, Stonyfield yogurt, oil, and 2 Tablespoons of jam.
4. Add in the chopped chocolate and mix. 
5. Pour half of the batter in a greased 8 x 8 pan.
6. Mix the remaining raspberry jam with 2 Tablespoons of water. Spread the jam over the top of the brownie batter covering all parts.
7. Add the rest of the batter layered on top of the jam. 
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean. Let these cool completely before cutting in.

Summer is good for many things like kickball, cookouts, and beach days. It hasn’t been great for posting new recipes. 7 weeks later and I finally have something new to share–a new recipe on Life By Dailyburn all about a peaches and cream that’s actually good for you!

Instead of cream this recipe uses 2% Greek yogurt with fresh chopped mint and honey for a creamy topping. The yogurt is so good I’d recommend making a double-batch and finding different ways to use (and maybe a mojito with any extra mint you have). Enjoy it knowing 2 peaches have just 150 calories and you’ll be looking good for the next Summer party. 

Head over to the full recipe and check it out!

One of the best parts about living in NYC is that there are now vending machines where you can get cupcakes. It’s dangerously convenient for anyone. They have 1 gluten-free option, a red velvet with cream cheese frosting, that’s completely delicious. That being said, who can live with just one flavor?

When my birthday rolled around a few weekends ago I made these cupcakes a few days early to bring into work–just a premade vanilla cake mix, coconut milk instead of whole milk, and shredded coconut and lemon zest added in. 

The frosting I made was from scratch but came out just as easy and delicious. Using vanilla extract and lemon zest gives it an extra layer of flavor that you’ll want to lick off the bowl. 

This frosting works well with any number of lighter-flavored cupcakes. You can try it on cupcakes with vanilla, coconut, berries, or even white chocolate.

Easy Lemon Buttercream

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes enough for 18 cupcakes):

• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons whole milk or half & half
• 1 teaspoon finely zested lemon

Method:

1. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Make sure to use an extra fine zester with the lemons to avoid chunks in the frosting. 
2. Beat with an electric beater until mixed and the frosting’s smooth and silky. If the powdered sugar stops mixing in, add milk by the teaspoon until it reaches the right consistency.
3. Frost using a frosting spreader or a pastry bag. If you’re using a pastry bag, add an extra teaspoon of milk before beating to make the frosting smoother and easier to squeeze out. 

Valentine’s Day usually marks the last good dessert you can eat and not feel guilty about during the holiday season before you have to wait another 8 months for Thanksgiving to roll around. You might as well make it a really good one.

Last year I got to go to Stonyfield‘s launch party for Petite Creme and sample all the flavors served along champagne, puff pastries, and fine wine. There’s definitely something special about Petite Creme. It’s creamy and elegant in a way most yogurts aren’t. Making a faux “mousse” for this parfait with it is definitely a kitchen cheat no one will mind. 

Using the vanilla bean flavor here (my personal favorite) makes the strawberry and Nutella a little more complex in my opinion. Make sure to use a flavorful strawberry jam for the best results. I made this into two servings and it was almost too rich to finish. It’s definitely a hefty dessert, so if you’re looking for something lighter try splitting this between 4 shot glasses and having taster desserts.

Strawberry Hazelnut Creme Parfaits

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 large servings or 4 tasters):

• 2 5.2oz vanilla bean Petite Creme
• 1/4 cup Nutella 
• 1/4 cup strawberry jam
• 2 Tablespoons chopped hazelnuts

Method:

1. In one bowl, mix together 1 container of vanilla petite creme and 2 Tablespoons Nutella.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together 1 container of vanilla petite creme and 2 Tablespoons strawberry jam.
3. Divide the Nutella mousse between 2 to 4 small parfait glasses. Shake gently so that the top is level.
4. Gently melt the remaining Nutella in a microwave until it’s liquid. Pour the liquid Nutella over the Nutella mousse and spread out gently with a spoon in an even layer.
5. Mix the remaining strawberry jam with enough water (about 2 teaspoons) to make it fluid. Pour gently over the Nutella in the parfaits and spread out lightly with a spoon.
6. Add 1/2 Tablespoon of chopped hazelnuts on top of each parfait.
7. Scoop the strawberry mousse gently into the parfait glasses and shake lightly to make level.
8. Refrigerate the parfaits for 10-15 minutes to cool slightly.
9. Remove from the refrigerator and garnish with any remaining chopped hazelnuts.

The best part about being gluten-free in this decade is the endless supply of new products available(not to mention whole restaurant menus and online websites). Chex just came out with two new products to add to that list: Honey Nut Granola and Mixed Berry Granola, made with gluten-free oats and clusters of Chex cereal.

I got to try both and the honey nut was definitely my favorite–just the right amount of sweetness to go with any flavored yogurt and chunks of almonds and real Chex baked together. After eating half the bag, I made these cookies with the rest to make the granola more portable. These snackers are the perfect fix for an afternoon snack or along with breakfast.

I used almond butter for these because it goes perfectly with the almond slivers in the granola but you could also use peanut butter or even sunflower seed butter.

Almond Butter Granola Snackers

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 18 Snackers):

• 3/4 cup almond butter
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup Honey Nut Chex granola

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the almond butter, honey, sugar, egg, salt, and baking powder until well mixed.
3. Add in the granola and fold it in completely.
4. Roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and flatten slightly between the palms of your hands. Put each round of dough on a non-stick baking surface.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven when the outside starts to turn brown and is slightly firm to the touch.
6. Let cool slightly before moving. Store in an air-tight container.