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Healthy Cookies?

post #1 of 11
1/11/08 at 5:47am
Thread Starter 
Any sugestions for low/no-sugar cookies with a low glycemic index?

Paula Deen (!) had one that looks kind of interesting that I may want to try, but have some questions about it. The ingredients are:

1 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
1 1/3 cups baking sugar replacement (Splenda, Xylitol)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

When I see a recipe that calls for peanut butter, I assume it's for some commercial stuff, like Jiff or whatever, which is made with sugar and hydrogonated oils, and probably a fair amount of salt. I grind my own peanut butter at the machines in stores like Whole Foods. These peanuts contain no sugar, salt, added oil - in fact, it's kinda dry, no oil separation at all.

So, when a recipe calls for peanut butter, should I assume it's the described commercial product? How might a recipe - like Paula Deen's - be adjusted when using the Whole Foods type of peanut butter.

shel
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post #2 of 11
1/11/08 at 2:51pm
My guess is that you may have to up the sweetener to compensate for the lack of sugar in your peanut butter. You might have to increase the moisture content as well, maybe an extra egg white?
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post #3 of 11
1/14/08 at 6:44am
Shel,

You are going to have to try the recipe the way it is and with your peanut butter to "check" for differences

you can half the recipe so there isn't too much waste. Then make the changes accrordingly.

I assume that the posted recipe has the nutrition label posted on the bottom? maybe shoot her an email?
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post #4 of 11
1/14/08 at 7:20am
Thread Starter 
No "nutrition label" from the Paula Deen recipe. I suppose you're right - time for some experiments in the kitchen. This peanut butter thing has been on my mind for a while. There are so many variations of peanut butter on the market, to just say "add peanut butter" in a recipe without offering some idea of what kind could, in some instances, change the intended results. I don't know. Perhaps I'll post another, more general question, about peanut butter before starting the adventure in kitchen science, just to possibly get a little more information. Thanks for jumping in.

shel
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post #5 of 11
1/20/08 at 11:04pm
Hi shel!

Here are a couple of links. I can't add URL attachments yet so you need to add the "www" to these.

.recipesource.com/desserts/cookies/17/rec1755.html

.countrylines.com/recipes/?r=sugarless-cookies1

vegetarian.about.com/od/desertrecipes/r/pbbananacookies.htm
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post #6 of 11
1/21/08 at 9:24am
this page has all low sugar cookies,

healthychoicerecipes.com/healthycookierecipes.html


I have made a few of them, i would recommend the spelt oatmeal banana cookies


p.s. there is still 1/2 cup of brown sugar in the recipe. hopefully thats good enough for you. :)

CHEERS, Jose
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post #7 of 11
1/22/08 at 12:02pm
Hi Shel, I think you and I got into quite a peanut butter discussion awhile back which started with a recipe for peanut butter/egg/sugar/vanilla cookies so sure don't want to rehash that. :eek: I think that when you see peanut butter in a recipe you would safely be able to assume that it's the commercially prepared type (Jiff, Peter Pan, whatever). While grinding your own nuts may give you a fresher (and perhaps healthier) product, I doubt its become the most popular and/or commonly used product.

I noticed that in PD's cookie recipe, it calls for 1 1/3 C sugar replacement product. I've used Splenda in some recipes and recall it being an equal amount switch, so Paula's cookies are presumably sweeter than those I've made which call for 1 C of sugar. Having said that, because there is no sugar added to your freshly ground peanut butter, the additional 1/3 C may be necessary. I've not used fresh ground PB baking, but you're right that it's a bit dryer so you probably need a bit more liquid - - perhaps using an extra lg egg or two medium size eggs (as opposed to a "large" egg) would compensate?
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post #8 of 11
1/22/08 at 12:06pm
I have seen natural and fresh ground peanut butter at the Deli counters of the supermarkets if that helps anyone.
Food may bring us together, but a CAKE makes it a PARTY!!
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post #9 of 11
1/26/08 at 7:14am
Oat cookies are healthy and delicious
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post #10 of 11
3/13/08 at 12:40pm
Hi Shel, I love baking healthy versions of cookies, as for using natural PB I'd say the same as the other posters, experiment and use your instincts, if it looks like it needs more moisture add some vanilla or an extra egg, if it's looking to wet toss in a little whole wheat flour.

These are my favorite go to healthy chocolate chip cookies. I can't post URL's yet so just add in the dots in, it's an http site so no www needed

stephchows (dot) blogspot (dot) com/2008/03/poose-cookies-best-healthy-chocolate.html


hope you like them!

Steph
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post #11 of 11
3/1/09 at 6:15pm

Peanut Butter

My local health food store grinds its own peanut butter....it's so good!
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