For as long as I can remember cookies have been one of my most favourite foods! I’ve tried to expand my cookie horizons but always revert back to my comfortable and always dependable chocolate chip versions! Plain old chocolate chip cookies are just truly my most favourite treat – what can I say.
I believe it’s so important to eat for reasons beyond health, nutrition, and energy. Although eating for proper nutrition and health is important (I am a Registered Dietitian after all), eating is also a very social act, so much fun, and very soulful. Many of my clients avoid fun foods because they have dubbed these as “bad” foods that should remain off-limits. When I challenge my clients to enjoy some form of fun food every single day they often look as though they signed up with the wrong dietitian!
Please hear me out;-) If you continually deprive yourself of your most favourite foods the craving for this food will quickly build (and build and build)…and as soon as you allow yourself the freedom to have these foods you quickly realize the whole box of cookies, chocolates, or bag of chips is demolished! You often wonder why you have no will power after events like this and feel guilty for over indulging. However, when you’ve deprived yourself of your favourite foods for so long it’s difficult to “get your fill” from a small serving. The cycle will only continue…deprive, indulge/binge, feel guilty, promise to “do better next time”, deprive again and so on. This is not a fun relationship to have with your favourite foods!
Instead of restricting your favourite foods try to enjoy them on a daily basis in small quantities. I like to have a few squares of dark chocolate with a glass of wine after dinner every night…this is my soulful time with my favourite food. It’s a perfect way to unwind after a long day! I’ve already professed my love of chocolate chip cookies and made a batch last weekend (recipe below!). I pack them up in two’s and throw them in the freezer which makes for a good portion. If I’m not feeling like chocolate I can pull a pack of cookies out and enjoy them with my wine instead – fabulous!
I challenge you to try this yourself! There are no “bad” foods and I encourage my clients to believe all foods can fit! So tonight please enjoy your favourite treat (with or without wine:-)) in moderation…and try this again tomorrow! It may seem like a strange concept at first but go with it…over time it will be something you look forward to everyday! Enjoy!
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter, or non-hydrogenated margarine, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp corn syrup (I used maple syrup since I didn't have corn syrup on hand)
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate chips in this recipe - yum)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until well
combined. Add the egg, syrup, and vanilla and beat until smooth. - Add the flour, baking soda and salt (mix them together first if
you like) to the butter-sugar mixture and stir by hand until almost combined;
add chocolate chips and stir just until blended. - Drop spoonfuls of dough about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet
that has been sprayed with non-stick
spray. - Bake for 12-15 minutes (although 10 minutes in my oven was perfect), or until pale golden and just set around the edges. Don't overbake if
you want them to be chewy (my first 2 sheets in the oven overbaked at 13 and then 12 minutes...so sad). Transfer to rack to cool.
Notes
Recipe from Julie Van Rosendaal 'One Smart Cookie'
Comments
These cookies are amazing! I like the heavy dose of vanilla.