Dear Missy,
I love your books! I have two of them and my 18 month old twins enjoy the food. We especially like the quick fixes for pancake and cake mixes. What about store-bought pre-made cookie mixes? I need a quick fix for Betty Crocker sugar cookies. Sugar cookies are a favorite cookie of my kids and my husband (me too for that matter), so I would love to healthify them. Thanks in advance! –Lisa L.
Dear Lisa,
I'm so glad my recipes are working for your family. I can't tell you how rewarding that is : )
I don't presently have a quick fix for specific mixes. Sorry about that!! But here's my recipe for "Light Sugar Cookies" out of my To The Rescue book.
And have you checked out my latest book, Sneaky Fitness!? It completes the healthy kid equation : )
Enjoy in good health!
Missy
LIGHT SUGAR COOKIES
The regular sugar cookies in the “Holiday and Celebrations” chapter are already slimmed down, but, surprisingly, I was able to remove even more butter adding extra White Bean Puree. In side-by-side testing against the original, kids barely noticed any difference. This recipe features __ less fat and sugar than the basic TSC sugar cookie above and __ less fat and sugar than traditional sugar cookies. A big plus, any way you look at it.
Makes about 4 dozen cookies (approximately 3” size)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups Flour Blend (see Make-Ahead Recipe #_, page _)
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
¾ cup White Bean Puree (see Make-Ahead Recipe #_, page _)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
Remove butter from refrigerator to let soften.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in White Bean Puree, vanilla, and egg. Slowly add the Flour Blend and salt, a little at a time, and mix on low speed just until all the flour is incorporated. Remove dough from bowl and shape into a ball. Wrap in parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper.
When ready to bake the cookies, remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface (or between 2 sheets of parchment paper) to about one-eighth inch thick. Cut out the dough using shaped cookie cutters. Place cookies on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar (omit sugar is you are planning to decorate the cookies). Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool before decorating.
Store cookies in airtight container at room temperature.
