Cape Cod Soft Molasses Cookies

If you love soft, chewy and spicy cookies, these are the ones for you.  And the secret to that "spice" - ground pepper.

Yield:  approximately 33 cookies
Preparation Time: 15 to 25 minutes
Baking Time: 8 to 10 minutes

3/4 cup (12 Tblspn) butter
1 cup granulated sugar [used 1/2 cup Splenda Blend per conversion chart]
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 large egg
1/3 cup molasses
2-1/4 cup All-Purpose flour
1/3 cup traditional or quick rolled oats
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, finely diced
1 tsp grated fresh ginger, or to taste
heaping 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground allspice or ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground black pepper, optional
1 tsp espresso powder, optional; for depth of flavor and added color
1/3 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar or coarse white sparkling sugar, for coating

1.  Preheat oven 350ºF.  Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, and baking soda until well combined.

3.  Beat in the egg, and then the molasses, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to blend in any sticky residue.

4.  Add the flour, oats, crystallized ginger, fresh ginger, spices, and espresso powder.  Mix just until thoroughly combined.

5.  Scoop the sticky dough into 1-1/2" balls; a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here.

6.  Roll the balls in sugar (either granulated or coarse), if desired.  This is easily done by sprinkling the sugar into a 8" cake pan, and dropping the stick dough into the pan.  Shake the pan to coat the dough balls with sugar.

7.  Space the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2" between them.

8.  Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes.  The centers will look soft and puffy; that's OK.  Cookies baked for 8 minutes will be VERY soft; bake them for 10 minutes, they'll be firmer.

9.  Remove them from the oven, and cool right on the pan; or transfer to a rack to cool.  To maintain soft texture, store at room temperature once cookies are completely cool.


After running a Nutritional analysis, here are the Nutrition Facts:
Calories - 82                               Sodium - 133mg
Calories from Fat - 37                 Total Carbs - 10.3g
Total Fat - 4.1g                               Sugar - 3.6g
    Saturated Fat - 2.5g                  Protein - 1.1g
Cholesterol - 15mg

Source:  King Arthur Flour - http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/cape-cod-soft-molasses-cookies-recipe

Review/Suggestions:

• Ok, you know me, adjust recipe to make diabetic-friendly.  So first switch - used Splenda Blend and per the conversion chart only needed 1/2 cup.
• Used Allspice and omitted the pepper.  [Due to a friend's food allergy].  Will try this recipe again using the pepper to see how it changes the flavor.
• Definitely used the espresso powder.
• Definitely skipped Step 6 - I know it would add to the flavor, but don't need to add to the blood sugar.
• Used my tablespoon cookie scoop and another small spoon to get the batter out of the scoop and onto the baking sheet.
• Baked them for 9 minutes - went with semi-soft slightly firm.

Ginger-Orange Biscotti

Per the recipe, authentic biscotti are low in fat and easy to make (which these were).  To achieve the characteristic crisp texture, they are "twice-cooked," first as a log, then again as slices.  And as with any biscotti, these fragrant spiced ones are great dipped in a steaming cup of coffee or tea.

Makes approx: 54 biscotti
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 35-45 minutes

3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar or 1/2 cup Splenda Sugar Blenda for baking [used the Splenda]
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 tsp freshly grated orange zest
1 Tblspn fresh orange juice

1.  Preheat oven 325ºF.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2.  Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar (or Splenda), cornmeal, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.  Whisk eggs, egg whites, orange zest and orange juice in a large bowl until blended.  Stir in the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until just combined.

3.  Divide the dough in half.  With dampened hands, form each piece into a 14 x 1-1/2 inch log.  Place the logs side by side on the prepared baking sheet.

4.  Bake until firm, 20 to 25 minutes.  Cool on the pan on a wire rack.  Reduce oven temperature to 300º.

5.  Slice the logs on the diagonal into cookies 1/2 inch thick.  Arrange, cut-side down, on 2 ungreased baking sheets.  Bake until golden brown and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes.  (Rotate the baking sheets if necessary to ensure even browning.)  Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack to cool.

Exchanges: 1/2 other carb
Calories - 28                           Sodium - 35mg
Total Fat - 0g                          Total Carbs - 7g  [Total Carbs - 5g w/Splenda]
   Saturated Fat - 0g                    Dietary Fiber  - 0g
   Monounsat Fat - 0g              Protein - 1g
Cholesterol - 8mg

Source:  The EatingWell Diabetes Cookbook by Joyce Hendley and the Editors of EatingWell

Review/Suggestions:

• Well, me in my not uncommon style of skipping sections within a recipe, completely missed the part where after the first baking you're suppose to cool them, reduce the heat and THEN do the second baking.  Well, after the 25 minutes was up, took them out, proceeded to cut them and back into the oven at the same temp.  Oh yeah, brilliance.  It wasn't until I was checking the recipe toward the end of the second baking I found my "oops."
• Quite honestly, these turned out great even with my "oops."  I do wonder though if cutting after the logs had cooled would have resulted in more crumbs and possible breaks, which I had neither of.
• So now you know, at least with this recipe it is very forgiving of baker's oops.
• As for shaping the logs, this dough is not stiff at all which explains why you have to wet your hands first before shaping.  I kept trying to get the two logs to only be 1-1/2 inches in width to no avail.  They just kept wanting to spread out.  So as soon as I could get them to stay at about 2" in width, I quickly put the sheet into the oven.
• They do spread out while baking, so make sure that you allow enough room between the two.

     *After a few hours, I did notice that the biscotti really weren't light and crispy throughout.  So I did put them back in the oven @ 300ºF for 15-20 minutes.  Definitely made a difference.  Light and crisp throughout.

Quick& Easy: Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are those days when you just want a chocolate chip cookie - today was one of those days.

Makes 36 cookies
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 to 12 minutes

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed [used Splenda brown sugar]
2/3 cup Splenda granular
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour [used half all-purpose and half white whole wheat flour]
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips [used Ghirardelli bittersweet chips]

1.  Preheat oven 305ºF.

2.  Blend butter, brown sugar, Splenda and vanilla in medium bowl.  Stir until creamy.

3.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing and scraping sides of bowl after each addition.  Add flour, baking soda and salt; blend.  Stir in chocolate chips.

4.  Place level tablespoons of cookie dough on ungreased baking sheet.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool on wire cooling rack.

Exchanges:  1 starch  /  1 fat
Calories - 100                        Sodium - 95mg
   Calories from Fat - 45        Total Carbs - 12g  w/net carbs - 12g
Total Fat - 5g                             Dietary Fiber - 0.0g
   Saturated Fat - 3g                    Sugar - 6g
Cholesterol - 20mg                 Protein - 1g

By making the ingredient adjustments, the Nutrition Facts are as follows:


Calories - 86                        Sodium - 82mg
   Calories from Fat - 46     Total Carbs - 8.4g   w/net carbs -8.4g
Total Fat - 5.1g                         Dietary Fiber - 0.0g
   Saturated Fat - 3.2g               Sugar - 4.3g
Cholesterol - 20mg              Protein - 1.3g

Source: Splenda by Publications International. Ltd.

Review/Suggestions:

• Even with making the ingredient adjustments, the taste was still "chocolate chip cookie!"

Quick & Easy: Rise-and-Shine Cookies

Who can argue with cookies for breakfast especially when they're high in fiber, low in fat and oh so tasty?!

Serves - 15-20  /  Serving - 2 cookies
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time:  10 minutes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar [used Splenda brown sugar - did not firmly pack]
Egg substitute equivalent to 1 egg
3 Tblspn vegetable oil
1-1/4 cups quick-cooking or regular rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ

1.  Preheat oven 350ºF.

2.  In a small bowl, stir together flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Set side.

3.  In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, egg substitute, and vegetable oil.  Stir until well combined.  Stir in flour mixture, oats, and wheat germ.

4.  Drop dough by tablespoons about 1 inch apart on a baking sheet.  Flatten slightly to a 2-inch diameter with your hand or the bottom of a glass.  Bake 10 minutes or until light brown.  Cool on wire racks.  Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for one week or in the freezer for several weeks.

Exchange - [information not listed]
Calories - 116                         Sodium - 74mg
    Calories from Fat - 32       Total Carbs - 18g  w/net carbs - 16.8g
Total Fat - 4g                             Dietary Fiber - 1.2g
   Saturated Fat - 1g                    Sugar - 6.4g
   Polyunsat Fat - 2g                 Protein - 3g
   Monounsat Fat - 1g
Cholesterol - 0g

Source: American Heart Association Quick & Easy Cookbook by the American Heart Association

Review/Suggestions:

• I will definitely go with 1/4 cup Splenda brown sugar next time.  They are very sweet.  Since you only need to use half the amount of Splenda to regular sugar, the nutritional analysis that I ran with the 1/4 cup Splenda resulted in only had good points about the recipe (very high in manganese and high in selenium).
• Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.  You can keep using the same sheets to bake all the cookies and then just throw away.  Best part, no cookie sheets to wash.
• At first I tried using a glass to flatten the dough, but kept having to peel them off the glass, so I ended up using my palm.
• Either way, if you have a picky eater - they will never be able to tell that you used whole wheat flour or wheat germ in the recipe.

Quick & Easy: Peanut Butter Cookies

Who can argue with only five ingredients?

Serving - 30  /  Serving Size - 1 cookie
Preparation Time - 5 minutes  /  Cooking Time - 12-14 minutes

1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar [used Splenda brown sugar mix]
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup chopped peanuts [didn't use]

1.  Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2.  In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter, sugar, egg and baking soda until well combined.  Stir in the peanuts.

3.  Place dough by teaspoonfuls on a nonstick baking sheet and press down with a fork to form ridges.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned.

Exchanges: 1/2 carb / 1 fat
Calories - 76                              Sodium - 57mg
   California from Fat - 45       Total carb - 6g  w/ net carb - 5g
Total Fat - 5g                              Dietary Fiber - 1g
   Saturated Fat - 1g                     Sugar - 4g
Cholesterol - 7mg                      Protein - 2g

Source: Holly Clegg's Trim & Terrific Diabetic Cooking

Review/Suggestions:

• Because of using extra crunchy peanut butter, I omitted the 1/4 cup chopped peanuts.
• Lining the cookie sheets with parchment paper makes clean up quick & easy as well.
• The book recommends using a lightly floured fork to keep it from sticking to the cookie when making the ridges.