Holiday Countdown

There are 22 days until Christmas, but who is counting?  Is it me, or did the holidays just sneak up on us this year?  It sure feels like this past year has flown by, and when I think about last Christmas I realize how much our life has changed in a year.  Dylan was two months old last Christmas, and obviously had no clue what was going on.  This year he still has no idea about Christmas or the holidays, but he loves tearing paper so I am assuming that he will love unwrapping his gifts and playing with all of the empty boxes from his gifts.  And I know for sure he will love sampling all of the holiday cookies!

Cookies have always been a huge part of my family's holiday traditions and over the last few years I have tried to keep up that tradition my making a couple of batches of at least 4-5 different types of cookies to give as gifts or bring to holiday parties.  Unfortunately most of the cookies never make it out of the house...meaning I eat them all myself.  So this year, in an attempt to prevent me from acquiring gestational diabetes and to provide healthier cookies for Dylan (and my husband), I have found these low sugar, low sodium recipes for tasty holiday treats.

Applesauce Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup(s) flour
• 1 teaspoon(s) cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/2 cup(s) your favorite nuts
• 1 cup(s) quick oats (not instant oatmeal)
• 1 cup(s) applesauce
• 2  eggs
• 1/2 cup(s) vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix the dry ingredients in the largest bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in the other bowl. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Blend them well.
3. Spoon the dough for these drop cookies onto the greased cookie sheets.
4. Bake the dough for 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Allow the cookies to cool before eating them.

Source: http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/applesauce-cookies-recipes-sugar-free

Brown Sugar Crackles

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 3 baking sheets with cooking spray.
2. Stir together all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat together brown sugar, butter, oil, eggs and vanilla in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until smooth, making sure no lumps of brown sugar remain, about 1 minute. Stir in the dry ingredients until completely blended. (The dough will be stiff.)
3. Divide the dough in half and press each half into a flat disk. Roll out one of the disks on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out cookies with a 2-inch round cookie cutter, placing the cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough. Press the scraps together and cut out additional cookies. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until they are puffed in the middle and browned around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Let stand for about 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition:

Per cookie: 77 calories; 2 g fat (1 g sat, 1 g mono); 11 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 0 g fiber; 89 mg sodium; 15 mg potassium.

Source:  http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/brown_sugar_crackles.html