The last few months have been a whole reducation process for me as far as nutrition is concerned. But sometimes, it's just so easy to fall off the wagon!My problem food right now? I say right now because I haven't eaten these for years. Cookies, straight from the oven. I'm lucky I haven't gone overboard with them, but I admit I have been eating small amounts pretty regularly.
A lovely workmate Kath had a pre-school fundraiser for her son, and this time it was Billy G's Gourmet Cookie Dough. I was happy to oblige and buy a tub of dough because Mark often eats cookies late at night before bed (because he is super-skinny and he can!) and this cookie dough is absolutely delicious raw or cooked, it is such a treat to eat!
Now I am tiring of it all and am beginning to get cranky with myself - so I'm seeing this in terms of a challenge. Will I be able to create a more healthful version of cookie dough that I can freeze and enjoy alongside Mark when he gets the munchies?
I'm thinking of wholemeal and coconut flour, a mix of brown sugar, perhaps honey, and splenda. Dark chocolate, and maybe some nuts? I'll also try and use a reduced fat butter blend, and organic eggs of course. I know I'd much prefer to stick to whole food organic type products, but I also want to keep the numbers down, so a bit of compromise is required.
So fingers crossed, the experiment starts here!
I found this excellent website with general cookie baking tips:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/healthy_cookie_recipes
I also found this website with some healthy cookie recipes so I'm going to give one a try, after adapting it to meet my needs:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/healthy_cookie_recipes
The recipe I have adapted follows:
INGREDIENTS
* 3/4 cup weight watchers rolled oats
* 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
* 1/2 cup coconut flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup reduced fat spread, softened (I use Devondale light 50% less fat)
* 1/4 cup lite olive oil
* 1/3 cup splenda
* 1/3 cup brown sugar
* 1 large egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 40g dark chocolate, chopped (I use Lindt excellence, 70% cocoa)
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Cover a tray with glad bake.
2. Grind oats in a blender or food processor. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Melt butter gently in the microwave. Add oil, splenda, brown sugar, egg and vanilla; stir until smooth and creamy. Stirring, add the dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in chocolate.
3. Drop the dough by heaping teaspoonfuls, at least 1 inch apart, onto the prepared tray, press down. Bake cookies for about 10-15 minutes. Cool the cookies for 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
NUMBERS Per cookie (approx):
3 g fat
8 g carbohydrates
1 g protein
So how did it go? Well! I could go on and on, but I'm really pleased with my adapted recipe. The wholemeal flour fills me up much faster and I don't seem to keep craving and craving cookies! They don't spread much, so I'll be playing around a little with the recipe, but it's good to know what I'm eating, and they are at least 30% better for me all-round nutrition wise compared to the lovely Billy Gs Cookies.
Overall, if you are watching what you eat and you are craving something, I say go ahead and cook it - then try to make it better! Once you put the effort in, work out the numbers and enjoy your snack, you will probably lose your craving and find respect for more healthful food options (after just a few more cookies!)
