Cookies!

Many people, when learning that they, or a loved one, are diabetic, think that that all treats are off-limits.

But with moderation (and a little common sense), treats are permissible. This includes cookies.

Here are six yummy cookie recipes to try your hand at, including Almost Shortbread Cookies and Peanut Butter and Banana Cookies. Enjoy!

HAZELNUT MACAROONS

Recipe Yield: Servings: 30 Cookies (1 per serving)

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/hazelnut-macaroons

Source: 1,001 Recipes For People with Diabetes

Book Title: 1,001 Recipes For People with Diabetes

Ingredients

4 egg whites

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup canned sweetened coconut

1/4 cup hazelnuts or pecans, finely chopped

Directions

Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt to soft peaks in medium bowl. Beat in sugar gradually, beating to stiff, shiny peaks. Fold in coconut; fold in hazelnuts.

Drop mixture by tablespoons onto parchment-or aluminum foil-lined cookie sheets. Bake at 300 degrees until cookies begin to brown and feel crisp when touched, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 44; Fat: 1.4 g; Sodium: 25.6 mg; Protein: 0.7 g; Carbohydrates: 8 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 Bread/Starch, 1/2 Fat

PEANUT BUTTER AND BANANA COOKIES

Yield: 2 dozen cookies. Serving size: 1 cookie.

This is from Diabetes Self Management, and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1/2 cup mashed ripe banana

1/2 cup no-sugar-added natural peanut butter

1/4 cup frozen unsweetened apple juice concentrate, thawed

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped salted peanuts

Whole salted peanuts (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease cookie sheets or lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.

Beat butter in large bowl until creamy. Add banana and peanut butter; beat until smooth. Blend in apple juice concentrate, egg, and vanilla. Beat in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in chopped peanuts.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets; top each with 1 whole peanut, if desired.

Bake 8 minutes or until set. Cool completely on wire racks. Store in tightly covered container.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving: Calories: 100 calories, Carbohydrates: 9 g, Protein: 3 g, Fat: 6 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 14 mg, Sodium: 88 mg, Fiber: 1 g

Exchanges per serving: 1/2 Bread/Starch, 1 1/2 Fat.

MERINGUE COOKIES

Recipe Yield: Yield: 3-1/2 dozen cookies (14 Servings)

Source: The New Family Cookbook For People with Diabetes; photo by Tamara Manning

Book Title: The New Family Cookbook For People with Diabetes

To view this online, go to https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/meringue-cookies

Ingredients

2 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup finely chopped pecans or almonds

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or non-stick oven liner film.

Put the egg whites and lemon juice in a chilled bowl. Beat with an electric mixer to a soft foam. Slowly beat in the sugar, mixing well after each addition. Continue beating at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Add the vanilla and salt. Gently fold in the nuts.

Drop the batter by heaping teaspoons onto the cookie sheets.Shape with the back of a spoon onto 1-inch circles. Bake until set and firm, about 1 hour. Turn off the oven but leave the cookies there until the oven is completely cool. Remove the cookies from the oven and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 46; Fat: 2 g; Sodium: 18 mg; Protein: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 7 g; Sugars: 6 g

Diabetic Exchanges: Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 Other Carbohydrate

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Recipe Yield: Yield: 24 cookies. Serving size: 2 cookies.

Source: Splenda

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipe/peanut-butter-cookies.

Ingredients

1/4 cup margarine, softened

1 cup creamy style peanut butter

1/4 cup egg substitute

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup Splenda Granular

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, beat margarine and peanut butter with an electric mixer until creamy, approximately 1 minute.

Add egg substitute, honey and vanilla extract. Beat on high speed for approximately 1 1/2 minutes.

Add Splenda and beat on medium speed until well blended, approximately 30 seconds.

In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture, beating on low speed until well blended, about 1 1/2 minutes. Mixture may be crumbly.

Roll level teaspoons of dough into balls and drop onto a lined sheet pan, about 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball with a fork, pressing a crisscross pattern into each cookie. Bake 7-9 minutes or until light brown around the edges. Cool on wire rack.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 140; Fat: 11 g; Sodium: 110 mg; Protein: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 9 g

Diabetic Exchanges: Starch 1/2; Fat 2

ALMOST SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Recipe Yield: Yield: 2 dozen cookies (24 servings)

Source: The New Family Cookbook For People with Diabetes; photo by Tamara Manning

Book Title: The New Family Cookbook For People with Diabetes

To view this online, go to https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipe/almost-shortbread-cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup corn or canola oil

1 large egg

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a cookie sheet with non-stick pan spray.

Combine all the ingredients and 1/4 cup water in a large bowl to form a soft dough. Refrigerate the dough 1 hour to chill. Roll or pat out 1/4 inch thick on a floured board.

Cut 2-inch rounds and place them 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are a light golden brown. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 90; Fat: 5 g; Sodium: 26 mg; Cholesterol: 9 mg; Protein: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 9 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 Starch, 1 Fat

GINGER SPICE BISCOTTI

Makes 40 biscotti

Source: AICR

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/433.shtml

Ingredients

Canola oil spray

1-1/4 cups unbleached, all purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

4 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

1/3 cup canola oil

1/4 cup unsweetened apple butter or applesauce

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup dried cranberries or other chopped dried fruit

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a large cookie sheet with oil spray. Set aside.

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. Use a food processor or hand mix eggs with oil and apple butter until blended. Blend in the sugar. Add half of the dry mixture and blend until smooth. Add remaining dry (The dough will be soft and sticky but easy to handle.) Transfer dough to a large bowl. Fold in the dried fruit.

Place one-half of the dough at each end of the cookie sheet. With damp hands, form each piece of dough into a log 3 inches wide and about 3/4-inch high. Place logs about 4 inches apart. (Logs will spread during baking.) Bake 25-30 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. (Leave heat on.)

With a serrated knife, cut each log into 1/2-inch cookies cut on the diagonal. Bake 10 minutes. Turn each cookie over and bake 10 more minutes. Turn off heat and leave biscotti in the oven 10 minutes. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 63; Protein: 1 g; Fat: 2 g; Sodium: 38 mg; Carbohydrates: 10 g; Exchanges: 1 Bread/Starch. 1/2 Fat