Almond and Honey Butter low fat cookies

 I just wanted to share this delicious low fat cookie recipe with you all.  I make these all the time and they are SO good!  You can't even tell that they're healthy- LOL

ALMOND HONEY BUTTER COOKIES

Servings: about 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Prep: 40 mins

Total: 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

1 cup  whole almonds, toasted (see Tip)

1 1/4 cups  whole-wheat pastry flour, (see Note)

1 cup  all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon  baking powder

1/2 teaspoon  salt

2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup  honey, divided

1/3 cup  canola oil

4 tablespoons  unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided

1   large egg

1 teaspoon  vanilla extract

3 tablespoons  toasted sliced almonds, (see Tip) for garnish

Directions

1. Process whole almonds in a food processor or blender until finely ground (you will have about 1 1/4 cups ground). Transfer to a large bowl and add whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt; stir until just combined. Beat 2/3 cup honey, oil and 3 tablespoons butter in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Add egg and vanilla and beat until blended. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; stir to combine. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F . Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

3. Roll tablespoons of dough into 1-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Press the tip of your index finger in the center of each cookie to make an indentation. Bake the cookies, in batches, until set and barely golden on the bottom, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool for 30 minutes.

4. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup honey and 1 tablespoon butter in a small bowl until creamy. Use about 1/4 teaspoon to fill each cookie and top with 2 sliced almonds, if desired.

Tips:
Tip: To toast whole almonds, spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F , stirring once, until fragrant, 7 to 9 minutes. To toast sliced almonds, cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Ingredient note: Look for whole-wheat pastry flour in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets and natural-foods stores.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Store in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 94, Total Fat 5 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 8 mg, Sodium 43 mg, Carbohydrate 12 g, Fiber 1 g, Protein 2 g, Potassium 9 mg. Exchanges: Other Carbohydrate 1,Fat 1.
I originally got this recipe out of an Eating Well cookbook .  Their site has lots of great healthy recipes too.
Enjoy!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Baking some holiday cookies

Yep, it's that time of year again- I've started my holiday baking.  Baking Christmas cookies always reminds me of Gramma.  I remember helping her from the time I could barely reach the table.  I loved helping Gramma do anything, and baking was especially fun.  Plus she always let me lick the bowl! ;)  This will be my first holiday without Gramma, and while I miss her very much, I take comfort in following our traditions.  I can almost feel her in the kitchen with me, telling me to stir the batter just a bit more, and not use quite so much flour.  Today I made several dozen Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.  Some of these will be a gift to my best friend and her family.  They'll be visiting for Thanksgiving and we'll be exchanging our Christmas gifts then, since she won't be back for Christmas.  I like these cookies for several reasons: they're chocolate, they're low fat, and they're easy to make.  Here's the recipe, for anyone who'd like to make these yummy holiday cookies.
 

Chocolate Crinkles

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled

4 large eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup powdered sugar

1. In a large bowl stir granulated sugar, oil, vanilla, and chocolate until well mixed.  Stir in eggs one at a time.  Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt.  Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheet with cooking spray.

3. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls into powdered sugar; roll around to coat.  Shape into balls.  On cookie sheet, place balls about 2" apart.

4. Bake 10-12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched.  Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies

Easy, delicious, and low fat- makes an awesome gift! :-)

-Michelle of CreativeCritters