Holiday treats can pack flavor without the calories

’Tis the season of treats, and soon there will be plenty of temptation everywhere you go.

If you’re planning to treat your family or bake up bar cookies for others, why not lighten the calorie load just a bit?

Cranberry Streusel Bars and Lemon Cheesecake Bars with Gingersnap Crust sound decadent, and they’re beautiful enough for your holiday cookie plates. Plus, they both have been stripped of extra fat and calories, without sacrificing a bit of tart temptation.

The America’s Test Kitchen “Healthy Family Cookbook” provided the perfect starting place for the Cranberry-Oat Streusel Bars. The bars contain just five tablespoons of butter in the entire pan, while most similar recipes contain up to two sticks of butter.

The cookbook includes variations for filling the bars with raspberries, blueberries and apricots, but seasonal cranberries seemed a better fit for the holiday. (Not to mention the added bonus of extra antioxidants.)

I found the basic proportions for a cranberry filling in a Fine Cooking magazine recipe for shortbread bars and incorporated a few suggestions from readers, including a reduction in the amount of sugar in the recipe. The finished filling retains the signature tart flavor of the cranberry, with just a hint of orange. When I make them again, I might try throwing in a few extra holiday spices into the filling (nutmeg? cloves? cardamom?). Or, perhaps I’ll substitute water for the orange juice and scrape a vanilla bean into the simmering filling instead of orange zest. The bars can be easily adapted for vegan guests by substituting margarine or coconut oil for the butter.

The Lemon Cheesecake Bars with Gingersnap Crust were among the holiday baking recipes in the current issue of Cooking Light magazine. My kids love ginger cookies with lemon icing, so I knew the flavors would be welcomed at home.

The tri-color bars look very elegant yet don’t take a lot of fussy precision to prepare. The top layer of lemon curd comes together quickly on the stove while the cheesecake is baking. It spreads easily on the bars while they are still warm from the oven.

The cookie crust is primarily made from gingersnaps found in stores this time of year. There is also a bit of grated fresh ginger. I used the Gourmet Garden ginger paste in a squeeze tube found in the produce section of many supermarkets since I had it on hand, but gingerroot is inexpensive and easily grated at home.

The recipe calls for fat-free cream cheese, but I didn’t find any at the grocery store. I substituted 1/3-less-fat-cream cheese instead.

Because the crusts of these bars are lower in fat, they can have a tendency to stick to the pan. Use heavy-duty aluminum foil to make a sling in the bottom of the pan for easy removal of the finished bars. To make a sling, fold two long sheets of foil so that they are as wide as the baking pan. Lay the foil sheets in the pan, perpendicular to one another, with extra foil hanging over the edges of the pan. Push the foil into the corners and up the side, trying to smooth out any wrinkles in the foil. Coat the sides and bottom of the lined pan with vegetable oil spray before adding the batter or crust. Once the bars have baked and cooled, use the foil sling to lift and transfer them to a cutting board. The foil should peel away easily, or use a paring knife to scrape it off the bars.

These are not the sturdy bar cookies that can be boxed and shipped to faraway places. The cheesecake bars must be stored in the refrigerator. Instead, hand-deliver these treats as you catch up with family and friends during the holiday season.

Cranberry Streusel Bars

Do not use instant oats in the recipe. Old-fashioned rolled oats have the best texture and flavor, however, quick oats can be substituted.

For the crust:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped coarse

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled

For the filling:

12-ounce bag fresh or frozen cranberries, picked over, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup orange juice

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons orange zest

For the topping:

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the crust, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with a foil sling and coat with vegetable oil spray.

Process the flour, sugar, pecans, salt and baking powder in a food processor until combined, about five pulses. Sprinkle butter over the top and pulse until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal, about eight pulses.

Sprinkle the crumbs into the prepared pan and use a metal spatula to press them into an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Bake until the crust is fragrant and beginning to brown, 20 to 34 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the crust cool slightly.

For the filling and topping,

In a medium saucepan, bring the cranberries, sugar, juices and zest to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium high and continue to boil until the liquid is reduced to a thick syrup, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool 5 to 10 minutes – the syrup will continue to thicken as the mixture cools.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the oats, sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt, then add the melted butter and toss gently with a fork.

Spread the cranberry mixture evenly over the crust, then sprinkle with the oat mixture. Bake the bars until the filling is bubbling and the topping is deep golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

Let the bars cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil, cut into 16 squares and serve.

Approximate nutrition per serving: 150 calories, 5 grams fat (2.5 grams saturated), 1 gram protein, 25 grams carbohydrate, 10 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 100 milligrams sodium.

Lemon Cheesecake Bars with Gingersnap Crust

From Deb Wise, Cooking Light, December 2014

For the crust:

25 gingersnaps (about 6 1/2 ounces)

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger

Baking spray with flour

For the filling:

8 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened

4 ounces fat-free cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1/4 cup light sour cream

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the topping:

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare crust, place cookies and 2 teaspoons cornstarch in a food processor; process until finely ground. Add 2 tablespoons butter and ginger; process until moist crumbs form. Press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch square metal baking pan coated with baking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 14 minutes or until set. Cool on a rack.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

To prepare filling, place cream cheeses in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add ½ cup sugar, vanilla, baking powder and salt; beat at low speed until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream, ½ teaspoon rind, and 1 tablespoon juice; beat until combined. Pour cheese mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until almost set in the center. Remove pan from oven; place on a wire rack.

To prepare topping, combine 1/3 cup sugar, ½ teaspoon rind, 1/3 cup juice, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, and yolks in a small saucepan, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Place pan over medium-low heat; cook 5 minutes or until mixture bubbles and thickens, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove pan from heat; add 1 teaspoon butter, stirring until butter melts. Spread topping over warm cheesecake. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Yield: 16 bars

Approximate nutrition per bar: 170 calories, 7.6 grams fat (3.9 grams saturated), 4 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrate, 63 milligrams cholesterol, no dietary fiber, 212 milligrams sodium.