An afternoon of baking and crafting cookies creates the perfect holiday setting. A plate of delicately decorated cookies makes a heartwarming gift. I realize that a cookie is…well, a cookie. But we can still make small shifts in our recipes that provide a nutritional boost. Read on for ingredients with hidden benefits.
White whole wheat flour
Add fiber to your cookies by replacing half of your all-purpose flour with white whole wheat flour. It’s earns 3 Guiding Stars and has a mild taste. The color of your cookie may be a bit different, but the taste and texture won’t be impacted. And just ¼ cup of white whole wheat flour adds 3 grams of beneficial fiber to your recipe.
Almond flour
Add heart-healthy fat to your recipe by replacing a quarter of your all-purpose flour with almond flour. It earns 3 Guiding Stars, and just an 1/8 cup offers about five grams of “good” fat. Bonus? All that additional fat makes for a tender, soft cookie.
Date paste
Here at Guiding Stars, we love using date paste to sweeten recipes. A natural, versatile, natural sweetener, date paste can be used in a variety of recipes. Try it in these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Fruit purees
As with date paste, fruit purees sweeten a recipe without added sugar. But that’s not all! Try using fruit purees in place of up to half the butter in your recipe. The result? Tasty cookies with fewer calories and less saturated fat. Bonus tip: ¼ cup of applesauce in place of an egg. This allows for egg-free baking although you may end up with a “cakier” cookie.
They may not be cookies…
…but these Guiding Stars earning White Bean Blondies will look great on your holiday table. They’re full of heart-healthy fat and fiber from ingredients like walnuts and cannellini beans! Likewise, you should also try these Guiding Stars recipes for Sweet Potato and Zucchini brownies. Boosted with fiber and protein, and free of added sugar, they’re sure to be a hit.