There is little tastier in this world than a good holiday cookie, and I dare you to find someone who disagrees with me. Of course, this means you can never have just one, and while a little indulgence is never such a terrible thing, wouldn’t it be nice if you didn’t have to feel AS guilty about eating twelve cookies in a row?
To be fair, you might feel guilty about twelve cookies no matter what. But, with these easy swaps you might feel at least a little less guilty. Maybe.
1. Say goodbye to white flour: If you’re unsure of how well whole wheat flour will go over in cookies, start slowly and mix some in with your white flour. Or try my favorite alternative: oat flour. The great thing about oat flour is you don’t need to buy it, if you have plain oats simply dump a cup or two into a blender or food processor, grind until the oats are very fine and you’re good to go!
2. Bring back applesauce: What’s that? You thought applesauce was just for kids and post-wisdom tooth surgery patients? Think again, because applesauce makes a great substitute for butter. Try replacing just a portion of the butter with applesauce and you will be pleasantly surprised. Just remember, go for the natural applesauce without any added sugar. Otherwise, the substitution is less ideal.
3. Sweeten with Stevia: Natural, zero calories, and next to no carbs. Really, how can you argue with that? A quick word of warning though: stevia is extraordinarily sweet, so be sure to use less than the recipe calls for. Contrary to popular belief there is such a thing as too sweet in your treats.
4. Don’t forget the add-ins: No surprise here, but those chocolate chips or M&Ms scattered throughout the cookie dough can be real nutritional killers. Try replacing them with a healthier alternative, such as nuts, raisins, or dark chocolate chips. If you absolutely cannot live with them, cut down on the amount you add in.
5. As always, be mindful of portion sizes: Here’s the problem with cookies: they all always look so good and you obviously have to try them all. So trade out the big guys for smaller portions, that way you can try one of each without immediately gaining ten pounds.
Anyone else have some good substitution tips? Either way, we hope you enjoy your holiday treats!
Boston area swappers – ring in the new year by swapping cookies for a cause! Be sure to join The Swapaholics, as well as our friends from from Boston Food Swap for Boston’s most epic holiday cookie swap, our Cookie Swap for a Cause event! The Glad to Give campaign is donating $0.10 for every cookie swapped to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, up to $100,000. And be sure to tell us if you use any of the tips above in your recipe!
(Photo by Everyspoon)
Swap.com Mobile is a free iPhone is app that lets you scan items into your HAVE and WANT lists, manage your account, see what you can get for your stuff, and participate in swaps.
