Non-fat/Low-fat/Healthy Baking

My friend Jennifer just posted about a recipe for non-fat, high-fiber chocolate chip cookies. She asked me what my thoughts were. Here they are.

As I'm immersing myself more and more into the French culture, I really have to say they've got it figured out food-wise. Fresh vegetables, good meat, but not a lot, moderation in everything, the whole bit. Talking with my instructor, who is from Provence, I realize that things are sweeter over here. We add a lot more sugar to our foods. If I'm going to have a pastry, I'm not going to have it because it's also good for me. I'm going to have it because it is going to be delicious. Which is why, as Aaron puts it, I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to dessert. I don't want things to just be sweet. I want the full flavor of something. Don't get me wrong - I love sugar. But I'm trying harder to make my meals better balanced so that when I indulge, regularly, in something I don't have to make that healthy too.

I'd rather teach my kids about good food choices than make treats healthy. Although, in the summer time, our treats are healthy. We go to the farmer's market and we each get a pint of strawberries or raspberries and eat them on the way back to the car. Heaven! I'd like to do some u-pick adventures with them. And they're learning in Opa's garden about all the good things they can grow. We'll grow some carrots at home this year. If I can get them excited about the tasty, healthy things there are, we won't worry so much about the chocolate chip cookies.

And homemade is always better than store-bought. And butter is good for you. And if you add a little malt powder, it takes a basic chocolate chip cookie to a whole new level.