Measured in Pinches: Experiments in Molecular Gastronomy

As it nears the end of January, I find myself still clinging to the bits of the previous year. Anyone who knows me or who’s read this blog for awhile knows I have trouble with change, trouble letting things go…I can cling to my shoes, so filled with holes they are more swiss cheese than anything else; I can keep my jacket, so devoid of stuffing it is no longer warm; but even I cannot stop the sun from setting or the passage of time it brings.

I’m sure some part of me believes, wholly and naively, that if I refuse to buy a new calendar, refuse to stop drinking pumpkin coffee or eating pumpkin cookies, time will have stopped and it will be November again. Maybe, if I try hard enough, time will even rewind and it will be last January or better, five Januarys ago.

What a curious thing it is that, on one hand, I always pray for time to go faster: I want it to be over with, I want to be different from what I am now, I want my life to change…but, on the other hand, I’m always willing it to go backward. I suppose there’s an absolute value sign around my desire.

I’m not even particularly fond of pumpkin: its dull orange color, its rotten egg smell, its bland taste that does anything but compliment its creamy texture. But still, despite my lack of love for this vegetable, I used it to make cookies. Such is the strength of my hold on the past.

In their defense, though, these cookies (which are yet ANOTHER version of the low-calorie cookies I did awhile back) could hold their own in both flavor and texture. The cardamom flavor is just strong enough to flatter the creaminess of the bland pumpkin. The orange yogurt dip adds a little punch to the depth of the cardamom, resulting in a dessert with an tangy introduction and a slowly fading comfort. All while maintaing a low-calorie level.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies
makes 10-12 cookies

1/4 c. mashed Fiber One Original Bran (mash it till it has the consistency of flour)
1/8 c. (2T.) wheat bran (or germ, if you prefer)
1/4 t. baking SODA
1/4 t. baking POWDER
a couple pinches cardamom
1/4 c. canned pumpkin
1/8 c. egg or egg substitute
1/2 capful vanilla extract
2 T. light butter, melted
3 T. sugar substitute/sugar (the sugar doesn’t really play a part in the texture here so feel free to use sugar substitute packets)
1 t. equivalent brown sugar (I used Splenda Brown Sugar blend for baking)

→Preheat the oven to 350*F.

In a bowl, mix the butter with the sugars. Add the pumpkin, vanilla and egg (the wet). Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

In another bowl, mix the fiber one, wheat bran/germ, cardamom, baking soda and baking powder (the dry).

Add the wet to the dry and mix well. My dough was VERY thick so I added a little water as well, which is why it made more cookies.

Drop by spoonfuls on cookie sheet sprayed well with nonstick spray and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Unlike the chocolate ones, you can watch these ones for doneness. When the edges are lightly browned, take them out.

These were delicious without the dip, but my first reaction was still hmmmm….missing something. I had read somewhere that pumpkin tastes good with orange so I grabbed the sugar-free orange marmalade out of the fridge and tried it with that. Unfortunately, the texture of the marmalade felt like slime on the cookie, completely negating the chewy goodness with a subtle crunch. Yogurt to the rescue!

Orange Yogurt Dip
makes a small bowl full

Yogurt (greek would be best due to its thickness)
(Sugar-free) orange marmalade
Sugar or sugar substitute, optional
Orange zest, for serving

→Mix the yogurt so it’s smooth. Stir in marmalade. Add sweetener if desired.

Dip cookies in yogurt dip while watching It’s a Wonderful Life and pretending tomorrow is Christmas all over again.

Personal Favorites, Recipes, Weight Watchers Core-Friendly Baking, breakfast, cookies, Dessert, food, healthy, sauces/dips, vegetarian

Low Calorie Vegan Cookies: Chocolate Lemon

3 Comments Posted by Mekkie on January 17, 2011

This site has moved. Please click on the following link to read this post:

http://measuredinpinches.com/low-calorie-vegan-cookies-chocolate-lemon-2/

Personal Favorites, Recipes, Weight Watchers Core-Friendly Baking, breakfast, cookies, Dessert, food, fruit, healthy, vegan, vegetarian

Low-Calorie Cookies #2: White Chocolate Strawberry

4 Comments Posted by Mekkie on January 11, 2011

This site has moved. This post can now be found here:

http://www.measuredinpinches.com/2011/01/11/white-chocolate-strawberry-pudding-cookies/

Thank you.

Personal Favorites, Recipes, Weight Watchers Core-Friendly Baking, breakfast, cookies, Dessert, food, fruit, healthy, vegetarian

Low-Calorie Chocolate Chip Cookies (plus variations)

8 Comments Posted by Mekkie on January 2, 2011

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Personal Favorites, Recipes Baking, cookies, Dessert, food, healthy, peanut butter, vegetarian

Chocolate Whoopie Pie

2 Comments Posted by Mekkie on December 29, 2010

edamame cookies and cream cheese frosting

chocolate + healthy...it's like magic!

Good news: after watching me spend a painstaking amount of time photographing these (Michigan winters do not make for good photography), my friend/sous chef/taste tester that happened to be over at the time decided they were quite delectable. (She did agree with me on the point that they were more like cookie-shaped cakes, but was adamant about them being delicious).

Bad news: I forgot how I made them. I know the only ingredients were edamame, peanut butter, low calorie “butter” spread, eggbeaters, calorie-free maple syrup, splenda, cocoa and baking powder. I just can’t remember the proportions. Ah well, I suppose I’ll just have to be more careful next time.