Thanksgiving Update

Well, I did it.  Everything I set out to do to be clean and careful on Turkey Day worked out.  I ran 5 miles on my treadmill this morning and after eating an apple, walked into Thanksgiving with a 500 calorie deficit.  That helps!  I ate my two crackers of crab dip and did all the things at dinner I said I would.  My dessert cookies turned out to be delicious.

My sister hosted T-giving and was gracious about the fact that I BYOB (brought my own slice of whole grain bread).  Also, my dessert cookies were determined to be good tasting by not just me but my husband, mom, sister and niece.  And so, I survived!  And it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be.  It really, REALLY helped to have a plan in place beforehand.  I'm not sure if I would've walked in with no plan that I would have made such good decisions.  I would've been overwhelmed with the smells and feelings of holiday celebration.  Crisis averted!

So, now, about these dessert cookies.  The recipe comes from the November 2010 issue of Oxygen magazine:

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 20 cookies (not 24 like the recipe says)

1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well  (I couldn't find unsalted almond butter so I went to the health food store and churned some up in their machine, actually I sent my husband to do it which could be a blog post in itself)

3/4 cup Sucanat (a derivate of sugar, it stands for sugar cane natural, grainy texture by itself but great for cooking)

1 large egg

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

3 oz. dark chocolate (70% cocoa or greater), broken into small pieces


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Stir together first five ingredients until blended.  Stir in chocolate.  Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

* I should note the cookies will be extremely soft and mooshy at this point.  They harden up once they cool, so it doesn't mean they are not done if they are squishy.

Let cool on baking sheets for five minutes (10 is better).  Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes.

110 calories, 8 g fat, 1.5 g sat fat, 10 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 2 g protein, 55 mg sodium, 10 mg cholesterol

What makes these cookies good is that they are clean.  There is not one ingredient that will spike your blood sugar out of control and they are filling because they have protein in them.  Also they are gluten free for those of you who are sensitive. 

The magazine makes a special note to say researchers have found that the dark chocolate's antioxidants may bind with the protein in milk, so think twice about drinking milk while eating dark chocolate if you are eating it for the antioxidant benefits.

They taste enough like a "real" chocolate chip cookie to pass as a dessert you could share with others.  My family seemed to enjoy them and noticed that they were very filling for a dessert item.

I would definitely make these again.