So Hard...

[Veronica]

I've been cutting back my sugar intake since last Thursday. Once I started really looking at what I ate and drank during the course of the day, it became clear that I was on sugar overload. I'm not talking about the sugars that are naturally occurring in milk products and fruit. I'm talking about the handful of chocolate chips I would have... the IBC root beer... the 2 or 3 16 oz glasses of lemonade.

I've lost three real pounds since Thursday. It was actually a bit more after my run on Sunday... but those don't count.

What's so hard...

I just made chocolate chip cookies. Each of us normally eats one a day. I've been foregoing mine since last week. Although I included it in my non-negotiables with my trainer. I know when I go back to work, I'll be looking forward to that cookie at lunch.

Homemade cookies make the whole house smell so good... they taste heavenly, still warm from the oven and the chocolate is still a little oozy. I've had my one...There are 37 sitting on my counter - while actually 11 are still ion the oven.

MUST




NOT


EAT


ANOTHER


COOKIE!




V.

[firenze11]

Ooooh I know what you mean. Chocolate chip cookies are soooo delicious and tempting and the smell, oh the smell! It sounds like you're doing really well though and have balanced plan by allowing some non-negotiables. Three pounds is awesome!

Your sugar thread really got me thinking about my sugar intake, too. I definitely need to be more mindful of what I'm eating (especially processed stuff and sugar) and I'm pretty sure I'd lose the weight that's been hanging around.

Oh great now I really want a chocolate chip cookie!

[GLC1968]

OMG, you are a machine!

There is NO WAY I could bake chocolate chip cookies (or pretty much any cookies, for that matter) and not eat them. I think that eating only one is even worse since now you know how delicious they are!!

When I'm watching my intake, baking is the first thing I give up. I have no control around baked goods. None.

[five one]

Whoo boy, can I relate to your dilemma!

Every year I ride in at least one fund raiser. One of my incentives is to offer a batch of three dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies every other month for a year in exchange for a $500 donation. The good news is, it works. I always get at least a couple takers. The bad news is, I bake a lot of cookies. There are always leftovers after the donor's packages are packed up.

Fortunately, DH is a naturally slim guy who can eat up what's left. I, on the other hand, gain weight sniffing the aroma of baking cookies. Resisting those warm right-from-the-oven cookies is fairly futile for me, so I admire your ability to limit yourself to one a day .

FWIW, I have tinkered with the basic Toll House recipe to lower the fat content. You really need to have a stand mixer or a food processor that you can pulse for this to work. Use just 1/2 c. Crisco (no trans fats) in place of 1 c. butter or margarine. I use the Toll House brand mini-sized chips. For some reason they work better than the full-sized ones because the dough is heavier. The trade off is in taste if you prefer the better chocolate brands like Ghirardelli or Guittard. They also get stale more quickly, but freeze well.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

If I made chocolate chip cookies half of them wouldn't even make it to the oven!

How can you make those and smell them and not EAT them handfuls at a time!?!

[Veronica]

How can you make those and smell them and not EAT them handfuls at a time!?!

Probably using the same "muscle" that gets me through a double century.

V.

[bmccasland]

Where, where???

Veronica - your good friends here at TE will help you eat them!!!

When I have the baking need, I wind up bringing stuff to work, and the local scanvengers make it go away. Often goodies don't even last to lunch.

That said I have a Calfoutis sitting the the refrig at home (a French cherry tart/baked pancake thing). I cut a small piece off for a snack when I get home.
Not quite the same as cherry pie, or chocolate chip cookies, but yummy none-the-less.

[letsride89]

i'll take a cookie...

[lph]

I'm in awe! If I'm trying to cut down on eating slop I can only have really healthy stuff in the house. There's a limit to how many raisins, unsalted nuts, or rye cookies I can stomach.

[Pax]

It appears that not knowing how to bake ANYTHING actually has an upside.

[OakLeaf]

Use just 1/2 c. Crisco (no trans fats) in place of 1 c. butter or margarine.

Ummm.

They've revised the formula and the portion size so that the labels can read "zero grams trans fat per serving." That is NOT the same as trans fat free! All Crisco shortening contains fully and partially hydrogenated oils, which is the definition of trans fats. Plus, it's full of scary preservatives.

If you don't like to use animal fats, you can use coconut or palm oil. The key to baking is using a shortening that is solid at room temperature.

But back to topic - I'm with the others, I rarely bake, but when I do, watch out I have much more of a tooth for starchy sweets than for super sweet things like fruit or candy. Even when I have candy, I lean toward the starchy ones like gummy bears or caramel creams.

[five one]

Ummm.

They've revised the formula and the portion size so that the labels can read "zero grams trans fat per serving." That is NOT the same as trans fat free! All Crisco shortening contains fully and partially hydrogenated oils, which is the definition of trans fats. Plus, it's full of scary preservatives.

Well, fine. Thanks for the clarification. At least I'm using just half the fat of the regular Toll House recipe. I think I can live with the occasional chocolate chip cookie and not worry about killing myself with Crisco.

[Smilie]

Has anyone tried to replace 1/2 the amount of oil/butter/crisco with the same amount of applesauce? I do that all the time with cakes and breads, but I don't think I have ever tried it with 'crisp' cookies. I have a die for soft oatmeal/raisin/chocolate chip cookie that I replace half the butter with applesauce and you cannot tell the difference.

Just wondered if it would work in other kinds of crunchy cookies.

[Aggie_Ama]

When I'm watching my intake, baking is the first thing I give up. I have no control around baked goods. None.

Me either! When I am trying not to eat my baked goods the only thing I can make is German Chocolate cake. DH loves it, I do not but a whole cake is too much for just him.

[smilingcat]

My partner, in her grade school years, was told "have a cookie, it'll make you feel better". Good ol mom!

so here it is. Rejects. came out really dry was asked. forget anything? no. butter? no. orange juice? no. eggs? no... This batch is smaller than what I'm used to making. I was also out of my premixed flour/powder/salt mixture so I had to make a small batch.

So if I had used the right amount of butter, OJ, and eggs, why did the cookie come out so dry instead of moist, soft and chewy. It browned at lower temperature and in shorter amount of time...

It took some time but I realized it had twice the baking powder. oops And this was for a small order to be delivered TODAY!! Oh I did make it in time. barely.

This batch will be disposed of at my regular day job. Full of engineers. Mikey loves everything!

We tried it. Not going to sell this batch. The taste is off, color is wrong and texture is all very wrong.

Smilingcat