Lowfat CHOCOLATE No Bake Cookies...

uh...what?

Did I just read 'Low fat,' 'chocolate,' AND 'cookies' in the same sentence????

This has GOT to be some sort of trick....

I'm going to click on the recipe and a picture of a giant carrot is going to pop up mocking me.

Alright... I'm gonna do it... I'm going to look at it....

Oh my god.... it's a REAL recipe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For those who don't know, I like to cook. I've never actually taken a class or anything, but apparently years of watching my Italian mother in the kitchen wore off on me. Ever since I moved out on my own I have been experimenting with recipes. Most times when I find a recipe, I end up improving it and making it my own. Rarely do I make something that doesn't end up tasting good!

Recently I've been on a hunt for healthy recipes that taste good, or can be MADE to taste good with some garlic or spices. Since I've been on high blood pressure medication for quite some time now, I rarely cook with salt. I don't even miss it!

ANYWAY... back to my healthy recipes. So, when I'm bored or just feel like procrastinating (which is a lot since I'm an unemployed grad student lol) I get online and search for healthy recipes. Every time I find something I like, I copy it, paste it into a word document, and throw it into a folder labeled: healthy recipes (creative, I know). Lately I've been on the search for a snack that I can make to pump me up before going to the gym. I've quickly been reminded how food can affect my workout. The hard way. Unfortunately, I hate working out after eating and working out without eat eating doesn't work either. As a compromise to myself, I will wait at least an hour after eating before going to the gym, and if it is over two hours I'll eat some fruit or a quick veggie snack before I go in.

As much as the potassium, and vitamins, and blah, blah, blah that fruit and veggies give you, it's not enough.

Enter No Bake Cookies. Scanning the recipe I realized I had everything on hand to make these bad boys. Fat free milk, diet margarine, oats, cocoa powder, peanut butter, vanilla, and... oh crap. Sugar. A lot.

Sugar is my nemesis. Some sugar is good, this was not the good kind. Weighing the pros and cons, I decided that the other ingredients outweighed the sugar, and as long as I don't scarf down the whole pile of cookies at once, whatever I eat prior to working out will be burned up once I get moving.

For those interested, here is the recipe:

No Bake Cookies Low Fat Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar (booooooooooooooooo!)
1/2 cup skim milk
1/3 cup cocoa (I used trader joe's)
1/2 cup diet margarine
1/2 cups peanut butter (I used trader joe's natural organic)
3 cups quick oats
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Mix ingredients, except peanut butter, oats and vanilla in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat for one to two minutes just until smooth.


Remove from heat; add peanut butter, oats and vanilla.

Drop by teaspoons on wax paper (I used foil since I was out of wax paper).

Let cool.

Pretty simple AND they tasted yummy.

Even with the high sugar content, the no bakes have provided me with an extra boost of energy while working out. Looking for alternatives, I did find another no bake recipe that makes some substitutes for the sugar that does not involve splenda! Once I'm able to find those special ingredients, I will be sure to write a comparison review.

Yum. Low fat... maybe compared to regular no bakes!!!

Just need to make sure I don't eat every darn one...