Cookie Monster

I have been going through a baking phase recently. Probably because it is winter, and I feel the need to eat and eat and eat to store up fat reserves during the lean months. In any case, I have been making loads of cookies. For me, cookies are the perfect snack - delicious, compact, easy to carry in your hand or eat on the go, fairly mess-free. I have been trying to expand beyond the basic chocolate chip and wanted to do something more than the simple break-and-bake (my usual way of "baking").

I started with the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, with the recipe from the back of the box. Those were awesome! They brought back childhood memories, because those are my mom's favorite kind of cookies and her go-to recipe. Next, I went with a white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookie in anticipation of my sister-in-law's visit - she doesn't like chocolate. The recipe I used (in the link) calls for cranberries, but I omitted those, and they were still yummy! My husband complained that they were too crispy (that I over-baked them) but I like a crispy cookie.

Next, I did two in one day. An almond cookie and a chocolate pinwheel cookie. My favorite was the almond cookie, but the girls LOVED the pinwheel cookie, mostly because of their fun appearance. I was very pleased with how well they turned out. Today I tried out a recipe for chocolate sandwich cookies. While these were not difficult to make, they were definitely labor-intensive with a very low yield. My husband was making fun of me for putting so much effort into them. The cookies are not that sweet, but if you want additional sweetness, you can add it by choosing a sweeter filling.

Obviously, none of these cookies are healthy ... but that is not the point. As long as you exercise regularly, and generally make nutritious and healthy choices in your diet, there is no reason that you cannot indulge on occasion. Just don't overdo it! Another great thing about making cookies is that they are easy to share!

Today's workout:
45 min. run w/ hill sprints (6.00 mi)
50 min. yoga class
60 min. yoga @home