Same but Different

Both of these cookies are made from the same peanut butter cookie recipe. But they are very different.

The one on the right contains brown sugar and peanut butter and chocolate chips. It’s chewy if you underbake it just a little, but is crunchy if you bake it longer. 

The one on the right contains xylitol and almond butter. No chocolate chips. It is flexible and chewy, even when overbaked (which I did).

Both taste quite good. To be honest, I’d prefer the regular cookie, but the other one has had some positive reviews around here, too.

Lately I’ve been cutting out sugar, so I thought I’d adjust my usual favorite PB cookie recipe so that I could eat it. Xylitol is not an actual sugar, it’s a sugar alcohol, manufactured by extracting xylan from birch wood or corn cobs, I’ve found out. Of course, there are differing views on whether it’s any better or worse for you than sugar. I tend to trust sugar more, only because it’s been around forever. BUT, xylitol, a natural occurring sweetener found in some fruits, corn, endive, and mushrooms, does not spike your blood sugar (which is why my naturopath suggested it) , so I’m trying it out. I’m pretty leery of it, though.  It looks like sugar and almost tastes like sugar, so that’s a bonus. But, whoa, is it expensive. I think the best idea is to just cut way back and maybe even cut out sugar altogether, but that’s tough!

I’ve been doing pretty well until yesterday. For some reason, I craved carrot cake! I used 100% whole wheat flour and did substitute xylitol for half the sugar. I’ve had about 3 pieces in the last 2 days. Bad me. At least there were vegetables in it! 

And today one of my students, who just lives up the street, came by with a piece of home made lemon pie he had baked for his Foods course. What could I do? I couldn’t decline. I know I could have shared, and I’m planning to, but the leftover piece just keeps getting smaller and smaller, for some reason.

I’m so weak, so very weak. But tomorrow is another day!

 

How about you? Do you cut out sugar? What do you use instead? Which do you think is the least of all evils?