It’s that time of year with parties and cookies and treats galore! I shared a picture on Instagram of the crazy amount of cookies that ended up at my neighbor’s cookie exchange over the weekend, and one commenter asked how I handle parties this time of year. So here’s the answer: I often eat at least a little before I go so I don’t show up too hungry. And then I follow the same advice I give my girls all the time…
At Holiday Parties: Eat a lot of what you know is good and only a little of what you know is bad (or aren’t sure about).
Avoiding highly processed food doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the fun because, let’s face it, it is fun to sample all the goods at a cookie party! But when I say sample, I mean SAMPLE. I probably only ate half-inch sized pieces of two thirds of the cookies there. The hostess also had bags available for taking cookies home, and I carefully selected about 8 or 10 cookies (avoiding any that obviously had artificial dyes or didn’t look homemade). And when I got home, I cut more half-inch sized pieces for my girls to try. It was fun for all! And while sugar is not a regular part of our diets we do think it’s okay in TRUE moderation. As a family, we usually indulge in about one sugary treat a week so last weekend’s cookie party was a fun way to do that!
The cookies I took to my neighbor’s cookie exchange were one of my all-time favorites – Snickerdoodles! I even used half whole-wheat flour to make them a little better, and I honestly don’t even think you could tell, because the outcome was deeelicious. Like melt in your mouth good. So I hope this recipe and the advice above helps with any holiday parties you have coming up. Enjoy! :)
Whole-Wheat Snickerdoodles (50% whole-wheat)
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks butter (softened (but not melted))
- 1 1/4 cups sugar (+ 3 tablespoons, divided)
- 2 eggs
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and eggs together using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk or beaters. Slowly add in the flour mixture until it’s thoroughly mixed.
- Use a 1 or 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop to form balls from the dough. Alternatively, you could roll the dough between your hands to create balls.
- Mix together the 3 tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl and roll each dough ball around until evenly coated. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10 to 12 minutes.
This recipe is the only one I use. My family loves these cookies.
So the first batch I made, spread out to cover the entire surface of the cookie sheets I was using. I made my next batch much smaller balls and I got 40 cookies per batch. Way more than the 18 predicted on the website. Word of advice to those making these: make sure you leave PLENTY of space in between cookies! All that said, they are indeed delicious.