Sate that sweet tooth!

Written by Amy Shapiro   
I have a definite sweet tooth, which often leads me to search for a treat after dinner or late at night. As a dietitian, I try to stay away from heavy, overly processed, artificially sweetened items, but when you remove all those things, taste often goes out the window, too! Recently, though, I found the perfect guilt-free dessert packaged as mini cookies.

Goji Gourmet is a small company based in NYC (all the cookies are still handmade by founder Allison Jagtiani) that produces bite-sized cookies in four very interesting flavors: Almond Oat, Cherry Cacao, Ginger Walnut, and Orange Mint Chip. The good news is, not only are these cookies mostly organic and filled with antioxidant-rich goji berries (goji berries also provide vitamins A, C, and B-complex, iron, beta-carotene, selenium, germanium, and 18 amino acids), they taste great, too! Right now my favorite flavor is the Almond Oat (salty and sweet) but the Orange Mint is surprisingly delicious and filled with dark chocolate chips, which quell even my strongest chocolate craving.

Oh, one other thing: Each soft, chewy, two-cookie serving has just 50 calories, 2 grams of heart healthy fat, and 3 grams of sugar (Oreos have 15 per serving). They’re still pretty new to the market, so right now they’re only sold in three stores in NYC and two in Iowa (where Allison grew up). But you can order them online at gojigourmet.com. Since they don’t use preservatives, you can bet your cookies will arrive made-to-order and super fresh (take that Nabisco!). Go ahead and indulge: At $3.25 per package these decadent treats are not only easy on your waistline, they’re easy on your wallet, too!

—Amy Shapiro, RD, CD/N