Healthy Cookies for Valentine's Day?

Healthy Turkish Cookies 

(An adaptation of an original Turkish Cookie)

 This weekend I woke up wanting to make a treat for my sweetheart's Valentines Day gift.  Many of you know I grew up being the family baker and my fun was making something each week for the family to enjoy.  I have greatly curtailed my baking so Jeffrey and I can look like our jobs but I still think it is important to have an occasional treat.

I wanted to come up with a cookie that was low in sugar compared to other cookies, tasty and made with real whole foods.

A tasty Turkish cookie I had made in the past was too high in sugar and carbohydrates so I came up with this variation.  It has less than a third of the sugar of the original recipe, with the flour solely coming from wheat and buckwheat to make it healthier and less inflammatory to the body.  I added the dark chocolate and almonds to give it some texture and crunch, adding phytochemicals and healthy fat. 

You can add the sugar/cinnamon combination for some dusting but it is tasty without it.  They are not too sweet but give you a little bite in the mouth, excellent paired with a cup of tea or coffee.

These cookies can be kept in the freezer for when you need a little indulgence.  Take out one or two and know you won’t be breaking your health bank.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1.25 cups whole wheat flour

.75 cups buckwheat flour

¾ teaspoon of baking soda

¼ teaspoon of salt

2 sticks of butter

2 teaspoons of ground cardamom

2 tablespoons of instant powdered espresso

½ cup of 100% organic cane sugar

½ cup of light brown sugar

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

2 tablespoons of 1% milk

1 large egg

1.5 cups of dark chocolate (greater than 70%), chopped

½ cup of chopped raw or dry roasted almonds

Optional:

1 tablespoon of sugar

½ tablespoon of ground cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or liner.

Sift together flours, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together butter, sugars, cardamom, and powdered espresso till smooth with an electric mixer.  Add vanilla extract, egg and milk and beat till smooth.  Slowly add dry ingredients and mix well.  Add dark chocolate and almonds.  Chill dough for 15-30 minutes.

Spoon about 1 inch cookies into balls on baking sheet and slightly press to flatten.  Dust with sugar/cinnamon mixture if desired.

Bake for 10 minutes and cool before removing from baking sheets.  Once cooled, can be stored in airtight container or frozen till needed.  Makes about 52 cookies.

                                      

Nutrition Facts:

Per Cookie:

Calories                   94

Protein                     1.2 grams

Carbohydrates      10 grams

Fat                             5 grams

Fiber                         1 gram

Sodium                    47 mg.