Hello Cookie Lovers,

Hoping that all is doing well. As I am putting the finishing touch to this issue of Smart Cookies, it is raining very hard. I’ve noticed that it had been raining quite a lot this past couple of months in my area.

For cookie lovers like ourselves, the second next best thing to do in this kind of weather is, of course, baking, especially cookies. The key to delicious, better-quality homemade cookies is using good ingredients. And the key to successfully packing cookies for lunch is choosing the right kind.

Here are a few quick and easy recipes for homemade cookies that can withstand a trip to school or office:

Butterscotch Cookies

Carrot Cookies

Cream Cheese Cookies

Fruitcake Cookies

Orange Cranberry Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches

Snickerdoodles



Just a few reminders:

  • Use room temperature ingredients to make sure that they really bind together.

  • When creaming in a firmer ingredient such as cream cheese, give it a head start in the mixer to bring it to a consistency similar to the butter.

  • A fine-mesh sieve or strainer works just as well as a sifter.

  • A slow, gentle rise in temperature is the best way to melt chocolate.

  • Air can freely circulate around top and bottom of homemade cookies that are on wire racks, thus preserving a nice crisp bottom.

  • A good-quality nonstick cookie sheet rarely needs oil or spray, in most cases. In fact, using oil or spray may cause the reverse effect, i.e., scorching.

Mysterious Cookies, Not Necessarily Homemade

“I haven’t put the weight back and I look at everything I put in my mouth now,” A self-proclaimed smart dieter said. That person is probably also a cookie lover because his/her diet plan involves eating 6 diet cookies and a lean protein dinner every day. (S)He is happy with this weight management program because (s)he is definitely losing weight.

Naturally, these cookies were very intriguing to me. I decided to research for information about their exact ingredients. My motive was to answer a simple question, “Will these cookies have any long-term negative effect on consumers’ health?”

As you probably guess, I didn’t get very far. The exact recipe is a securely-guarded secret, so to speak. Dieters admitted that they have no idea what’s in those cookies. They eat the cookies anyway because they see that their weight is heading downward.

Cookie lovers are smart people who want to know exactly what they eat every day. We don’t forget the forest just because we see a few tall, slim trees. We are not so vain to subconsciously contradict ourselves.

Please use your common sense, and keep on baking.

Until next time ……..


Published date: September 23rd, 2011

Copyright 2011 by Trinh Lieu. All right reserved