A Sweet Treat that Won’t Break the Calorie Bank

• December 28th, 2010
• Posted in Nutrition, Recipes
• 2 Comments

As a kid, I wasn’t like other girls my age. Instead of a collecting Barbie’s, I collected trolls (I had the best gosh darn troll collection ever); instead of playing jump rope down the block, I collected roly-polys; and instead of falling in love with the art of baking, I fell in love with creating “unique” chocolaty creations. Perhaps the only chocolaty creation that exists in my sweet tooth repertoire today is the Mint Cracker. It’s simple, but oh so good. 1 Graham cracker square + 1 large marshmallow + 1 Andes mint.

It may not be gourmet--but it's good & easy on the waist!

Yes, I know what you’re thinking—it’s a s’more for goodness sake! My sister was telling me that I’m absolutely ridiculous for posting this, and then, she tried it. And luck be a lady—she liked it—better than a s’more!

I do fully realize that this is a s’more cousin. In fact, I came up with the Mint Cracker one evening when I really wanted a s’more, but didn’t have all the s’more necessitates—well, chocolate and extra graham crackers. So, I simply replaced the chocolate with an Andes mint and didn’t top the cracker because I needed enough to go around for the bunch. Today, this sweet treat satisfies my chocolate craving and is way easier on the waistline than other warm ooey-gooey chocolaty treats.

For example, the traditional, beloved chocolate lava cake ranges from 330 calories to 880 calories, depending on where you go; chocolate bread pudding hits about 300 calories; traditional s’mores are about 150 calories (not bad); and one serving of the average chocolate cake has 235 calories. That being said, I like sweet treats, but not ones that blow my healthy eating day—so this lil’ Mint Cracker hits the chocolaty spot without breaking the bank. It’s only 80 calories!

Ingredients

• One Graham Cracker square (whole-grain ones preferred)
• One Large Marshmallow
• One Andes Mint

Directions

• Place marshmallow on graham cracker square and try to flatten
• Place Andes mint on top of the graham cracker
• Microwave for 5 seconds and readjust mint on top of marshmallow (marshmallow will start to inflate and the mint will fall off, so put it back on)
• Microwave again for 5 seconds

P.S. This is a really technical recipe…I know

Note: You may also place a bunch of Mint Crackers on a baking sheet and bake at 350ºF until the mints start to melt (only a few minutes, watch carefully)

Extra note: these are best immediately after they’re made

Nutrition Facts per 1 Mint Cracker square: 80 calories, 2 grams fat, 14 grams of carbohydrate, 1 gram of protein, 1 gram fiber

What’s your sweet treat fix?