This week I am starting the cleaning of rooms that are finished in the house.  Making sure to get the last bit of paint and dust off the floors and doing a final check of where touch ups may be needed.  Tony is finishing up any of the other projects in the house.  When we get to the final room, which has been left for staging stuff so far, that means we will be done within about a week or so.  We can see the finish line now.

This week I decided to make some cookies.  Something a little more transportable.  I am starting off with a recipe for Salty-Sweet Butterscotch Cookies from Better Homes and Gardens.  One thing I notice about some cookie recipes is the serving is really small.  Who the heck eats a cookie that is really small.  I don’t because it’s really hard to portion control when you are not satisfied.  This recipe uses just one teaspoon of batter per cookie.  That’s one small cookie.  I’m going to make a bigger cookie instead. 

Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I replaced the butter with unsweetened applesauce to lower the calories and saturated fat.
• I replace the sugar with their sweetener equivalent to reduce the calories and carbs.
• I replaced the flour with coconut and almond flour to lower the carbs.
• I replaced the salted cashews with unsalted to lower the sodium.
• I lowered the amount of salt by half to reduce the sodium.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Salty-Sweet Butterscotch Cookies

Makes 24 Cookies

• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup granulated sweetener
• 1 cup packed brown sugar substitute
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1.5 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• ¾ cup coarsely chopped unsalted salted dry roasted cashews
• ⅔ cup butterscotch-flavor pieces

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix unsweetened applesauce, granulated sweetener, brown sugar substitute, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in as much of the flours as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Stir in cashews and butterscotch pieces.
2. Drop dough by rounded 2 teaspoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool. Makes about 24 cookies.