Description
Merry Christmas! My mom found a recipe for Pecan Cream Cheese Cookies, and requested that I adapted them to make them healthy. By swapping from white flour to oat flour, I've increased the fiber and micronutrients while also making it gluten free. These cookies are sugar free too, opting for granulated monk fruit instead of white sugar. Finally, I've gone with lower fat cream cheese instead of standard full fat. The result is a delicious and soft shortbread cookie filled with bits of chopped nuts. These cookies are packed with healthy fats, are lower in carbs, and are very simple to put together, all for a fraction of the calories compared to the original recipe!
Time
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Rest Time:
1 hour
Cook Time:
16 minutes
Total Time:
1 hours
36 minutes
Cost
Total Cost:
Cost per Serving:
$0.38
Ingredients
Serving(s)
- 1 1/2 cup, divided Pecans
- 8 oz Cream cheese, 1/3 less fat
- 1 cup Granulated monk fruit
- 1 1/2 tbsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 cup Oat flour
Instructions
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- Leave your block of cream cheese on the counter for 1 hour to soften before starting with the recipe
- Preheat your oven to 350F, and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper
- Using a food processor, pulse 1 cup (128 g) pecans a few times, until roughly chopped, and set aside. With the remaining 1/2 cup (64 g), blend until you have a fine crumb. The former (roughly chopped pecans) will be folded into the cookie dough, whereas the latter (pecan meal) will be used for rolling prior to baking
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat your softened cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes
- Add in the sweetener, vanilla, and salt. Beat for an additional 2 minutes, until fully combined and airy
- Switch to a silicone spatula, and mix in the oat flour until fully incorporated and you have a slightly sticky dough
- Fold in the roughly chopped pecans, leaving the pecan meal off to the side for now
- Scoop your dough into 24 cookies, about 2 tbsp (31 g) in size. Lightly roll in the pecan meal, and add to the cookie sheet. Flatten down to about 1/4" thick. Lightly wetting your hands or using gloves helps to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands
- Bake at 350F for about 16 minutes, or until the middle is just set and the cookies are lightly browned on the edges. Let cool totally on the sheet
- Store cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze indefinitely
Notes
- The step 5 combo of low fat cream cheese, granulated monk fruit, vanilla, and salt makes the best healthy cream cheese frosting
- The original recipe talks about how people tend to eat lots of sweets between Halloween and New Year's, and that healthier desserts with nuts are a great way to still have nutrition in your sweets. Sounds great, right?
Except the original recipe has over 1 cup of added sugar and over 2 cups of refined white flour. I don't think anyone would be referring to their brownies as healthy just because they added some walnuts to them
My version on the other hand fixes that, removing any refined sugar and flour. Below is the nutrition facts per cookie comparing the 2 recipes
| Nutrient | My Recipe | Original Recipe |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 106 | 169 |
| Protein | 2.5 g | 2.3 g |
| Fat | 8.0 g | 8.6 g |
| Net Carbs | 5.5 g | 20.1 g |
| Fiber | 1.5 g | 1.1 g |
| Added Sugar | 0.0 g | 10.4 g |
| Sugar Alcohol | 8.3 g | 0.0 g |
Nutrition Facts
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Total Fat: 8.0g (10 %)
Saturated Fat: 1.5g (8 %)
Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.0g
Monounsaturated Fat: 3.9g
Cholesterol: 5mg (2 %)
Sodium: 124mg (5 %)
Total Carbohydrate: 15.3g (6 %)
Fiber: 1.5g (5 %)
Net Carbs: 5.5g
Total Sugar: 0.9g
Sugar Alcohol: 8.3g
Protein: 2.5g (5 %)
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Vitamin B12: 0.09mcg (4 %)
Vitamin D: 0.03mcg (0 %)
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Calcium: 23mg (2 %)
Iron: 0.58mg (3 %)
Magnesium: 31mg (7 %)
Potassium: 85mg (2 %)
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