Cookie monster

When I was a kid, I hated birthday parties because I didn’t want to eat “the bread” — the bread being my name for the spongy part of the cake. To this day, I still don’t like it. Of course, people often assume I don’t like cake because I’m a dietitian and have self-control. But I promise you, I'm not denying myself. I still eat the gooey vanilla icing at parties — that’s the part I like! In fact, my sweet tooth almost always gets the best of me when it comes to one thing: cookies.

Chocolate chip cookies are my one true love. When my dietitian friends offer to make me a batch of "healthy" ones with egg whites or cholesterol-free butter, I pass — it’s just not worth the calories to me. I'd rather eat one real, gooey, chocolate-y cookie with sugar, eggs, butter, and flour than a few of their healthy ones. (Of course, there are substitutes I do like.) I’m so dedicated to chocolate chip cookies, in fact, that they’re the only thing I know how to bake! I usually make two batches about once a month — one to keep for myself and one to send to my boyfriend, who’s my biggest fan. When I mix up a batch, I don't skimp on the semi-sweet chocolate chips, and I definitely lick the batter off the spoon.

Sound irresponsible? I don’t think so, and here’s why: Chocolate chip cookies are a treat for me. I refuse to feel guilty about eating something I love, so I take a few precautions instead. Before baking, I eat a meal so I’m not as tempted to overindulge in the raw cookie batter, which apart from being a hazard to my hips, carries the risk of salmonella. Then, when the cookies come out of the oven, I eat one that night (usually burning the roof of my mouth because I do it too quickly!), then put the rest into Tupperware for another day. Do I feel guilty about it? Nope, that would ruin the experience and just encourage me to eat more.

My words of advice for my fellow cookie lovers? Guilt leaves a bad aftertaste. So when treating yourself to sweets, savor every bite. Think about how delicious it tastes and how much you deserve it for following Skinny tips and eating right the rest of the time! That will be enough to keep you on track.

Comments (4)

Show/Hide comments

Monday March 2, 2009 Jeanna wrote:

... Speaking of substitutes...I used to eat cannolis as a kid all the time. Now as an adult, I thought about the part of the cannoli that I used to eat (the filling). As a quick fix, I mix about 3Tbl of part skim ricotta, 1 packet of splenda and 1 tsp of the mini semi-sweet chips. Sometimes, I even skip the chips and add a sprinkle of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp of honey (just for the flav). You get a low fat, low sugar dessert with some protein that will kill the sweet tooth.

Thursday March 5, 2009 Manoff wrote:

... how can you deny the vanilla cake with chocolate frosting? they make a good batch in torrington ct.

Wednesday March 18, 2009 Rachel wrote:

... I believe I know what you are speaking about Manoff. Is the chef's name Jimmy? I'm more of a fudgsicle gal myself. But to each her own....

Tuesday March 31, 2009 Lauren wrote:

... I like to make cookie dough, put it on the cookie sheet in balls as if you were going to bake it, and then put the cookie sheet in the freezer for a few hours. This freezes the balls of dough (which you should put in a freezer bag once frozen), and then you can take one out and bake it whenever you want a hot fresh cookie. The dough will last a long time, and then you don't have dozens of cookies lying around tempting you.

Add a Comment

Show/Hide comment form

Name

Email

Comment

Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail