I found this article on Everyday Health.com where they have lots of good ideas! Control Your High Cholesterol: COOKIES!!!As the holidays quickly approach, I know my downfall will be cookies!!! I love all kind of cookies and there are some holiday favorites that I may just have to pass on if I’m going to maintain my plan for eating for a healthy heart. But fear not, my fellow heart-healthy eaters ... I have options!! Last year we made a simple holiday treat that were the hit of our neighborhood ... in fact, some of the local kids have already asked me if I had any yet! Ah, no ... but soon. Obviously I’m going to have to make more than I did last year! Holiday Pretzels Ingredients: pretzel rodschocolate chips, white chocolate chips, whatever you like
variety of sprinkles
Now, granted chocolate chips aren’t exactly heart healthy, but it’s better than those calorie intense options and you don’t really use very much ... so I will continue ...
Melt the chocolate chips in a double-boiler.Using a spoon, coat about 1/3 of the pretzel rod with chocolate - allow the excess chocolate to drip a few secondsRoll the chocolate portion in sprinkles of your choice ... we particularly like to use the peppermint sprinkles.Place on parchment paper to set.When completely cooled, place in a rectangular cookie tin, laying a piece of waxed or parchment paper between the layers.
Now, how about your beloved gingerbread men? Some recipes can provide a whopping “oh-oh” to those of us watching our fat and cholesterol. I found a recipe that cuts the fat, not the flavor. These gingerbread men use half the butter normally used in most gingerbread cookie recipes. Applesauce helps the cookies retain their moisture and gives them a soft texture while making them more heart-healthy. Cook Time: 10 minutes / Total Time: 10 minutes
Gingerbread Men
Ingredients:
¼ cup butter, softened¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar½ cup unsweetened applesauce1 egg (or egg replacer)
⅓ cup dark molasses3 cups all-purpose flour1 tsp baking soda2 tsp ground ginger1 tsp ground cinnamon½ tsp. allspice¼ tsp. ground cloves
Preparation: In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar and applesauce until smooth.Add egg and molasses and mix well.In another large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and spices.
Add to sugar and molasses mixture, stirring well.
Divide dough in two; cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Roll out dough to 1/4 or 1/8-inch thickness.
Cut gingerbread men with a cookie cutter.
Add candies or raisins to decorate.
Place 1-2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake 10-12 minutes.
Add frosting or more decorations when cool.
Makes 30 cookies. Per serving: Calories 94, Calories from Fat 16, Fat 1.8g (sat 1g), Cholesterol 11mg, Sodium 48mg, Carbohydrate 18g, Fiber 0.4g, Protein 1.5g Want an even better one, nutritionally speaking? Try this site.
variety of sprinkles
Now, granted chocolate chips aren’t exactly heart healthy, but it’s better than those calorie intense options and you don’t really use very much ... so I will continue ...
Melt the chocolate chips in a double-boiler.Using a spoon, coat about 1/3 of the pretzel rod with chocolate - allow the excess chocolate to drip a few secondsRoll the chocolate portion in sprinkles of your choice ... we particularly like to use the peppermint sprinkles.Place on parchment paper to set.When completely cooled, place in a rectangular cookie tin, laying a piece of waxed or parchment paper between the layers.
Now, how about your beloved gingerbread men? Some recipes can provide a whopping “oh-oh” to those of us watching our fat and cholesterol. I found a recipe that cuts the fat, not the flavor. These gingerbread men use half the butter normally used in most gingerbread cookie recipes. Applesauce helps the cookies retain their moisture and gives them a soft texture while making them more heart-healthy. Cook Time: 10 minutes / Total Time: 10 minutes
Gingerbread Men
Ingredients:
¼ cup butter, softened¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar½ cup unsweetened applesauce1 egg (or egg replacer)
⅓ cup dark molasses3 cups all-purpose flour1 tsp baking soda2 tsp ground ginger1 tsp ground cinnamon½ tsp. allspice¼ tsp. ground cloves
Preparation: In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar and applesauce until smooth.Add egg and molasses and mix well.In another large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and spices.
Add to sugar and molasses mixture, stirring well.
Divide dough in two; cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Roll out dough to 1/4 or 1/8-inch thickness.
Cut gingerbread men with a cookie cutter.
Add candies or raisins to decorate.
Place 1-2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake 10-12 minutes.
Add frosting or more decorations when cool.
Makes 30 cookies. Per serving: Calories 94, Calories from Fat 16, Fat 1.8g (sat 1g), Cholesterol 11mg, Sodium 48mg, Carbohydrate 18g, Fiber 0.4g, Protein 1.5g Want an even better one, nutritionally speaking? Try this site.
