Cookies You CAN Eat

Have you ever met a person who didn’t like cookies? I haven’t. But, I often feel guilty about the calories I’ve consumed while eating those scrumptious treats. We all know that cookies can be fattening. I try to eat just one but that works about as well as it does with the potato chips. So, this just means that we need to get creative with our cookie baking in order to make them healthier. Here are some ideas to make your next batch of cookies, ones you can get away with eating without feeling guilty.

First, let’s start with the ingredients. Avoid using prepared cookie dough in the store. It is loaded with preservatives even if the cookies are sugar free. Making homemade cookies gives us an advantage in this aspect because we don’t need to preserve our dough or the finished cookie. They will probably be eaten long before they pass their freshness date so only fresh ingredients should be used.

When making cookies, the basic dough is usually the same for most recipes. You need flour, eggs, and sugar. Cholesterol watchers can mix in egg substitute instead of regular eggs. Splenda is now formulated for use in baking even though it is a sugar substitute and can be used in our homemade healthy cookies. Be prepared though, the cookies may taste differently and require more or less baking time when using these substitutions so be sure to keep this in mind when using them.

Now, it’s time for some fun. You get to add the special ingredients to the cookies. You know, the yummy ingredients that make the cookies taste oh so good. For chocolate chip cookies, instead of using regular chocolate chips, add a few of the mini chocolate chips. You use less chocolate even though it looks like more. There will be just enough sweetness in every bite to keep you satisfied, but not enough to expand your hips and waist.

Fiber is a nutrient that helps us to stay regular. Certain fibers latch on to fats in the digestive system and flush them right out of the body. The more fiber you eat the more fat it can potentially flush out of your system. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

Fiber comes in many forms. Whole grains provide fiber so to add this healthy ingredient to your cookies, include some wheat germ, quinoa, oat bran, or whole oats to your cookie mixture. You can also add a bit of nutmeg or cinnamon to bring a somewhat spicy flavor to cookies.

Another tasty ingredient that goes well in cookies is dried fruit. Dried fruit not only gives you the goodness of fruit to your cookies, but it also can add color to them. We traditionally see raisins in cookies, but it’s time to shake things up. How about dried dates, apricot pieces, or cranberries? Give it your best shot. Experiment and see what inventive cookies you and your family members can come up with.

Remember, you don’t have to put all of these ingredients in one cookie. You can make several batches of tasty, healthy cookies, so try a new taste every day and see how many you can come up with.