Seriously Healthy Cookies (For Real)
Ever find yourself on social media way too much? Several times over the past few days, I’ve found myself scrolling endlessly through Facebook instead of doing something productive with my time. Like, seriously? I have papers to write, books to read, a never-ending list of shows on Netflix to watch, and I apparently have nothing better to do than see the same two articles and memes shared by people I don’t even know from middle school?
It’s ridiculous.
However, sometimes when I go on those social media binges, I come up with something valuable. Really it’s mostly ugly pictures of people’s cats, but trust me, the good stuff is under there somewhere, and this recipe is one of those things.
Calling this a “recipe” is actually a bit of a stretch though. It’s more like a cute lil #lifehack. Y’all know life hacks as those tips that you pin on Pinterest and then never use, as evidenced by the fact that your life/house/organizational skills are still a wreck and all your stupid charging cables are still tangled and you seriously can never ever ever find your remote. But THIS life hack is different, I tell you, because THIS life hack is so easy and so rewarding.
I’m talking Quest Bar cookies, y’all. Cookies. Made entirely. Out of. A protein bar.
Now don’t get me wrong, I was never under the impression that these babies would taste just like your granny’s best recipe, or even really like the store-bought dough kind of cookie. But how could I pass on the opportunity to make cookies that are really, truly, no joke good for me? If you’re like me, you’re trying to lose some weight before the holidays come around so you can eat whatever you want during the glorious three months when everything turns into pumpkin, cranberry, sugar, chocolate, and turkey. If you lose the weight, then gain it all back again in December, it’s basically like you never even gained weight at all and really everyone wins in that situation. To lose the weight though, you have to avoid a lot of really good but really bad things in your diet. Like cookies.
That’s where these things come in. To make them, pick your favorite flavor of Quest Bar that you think would make a great cookie (I chose double chocolate chunk). Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and break or cut your bar into 6-8 pieces. Soften and flatten the pieces with your hands, smoothing out the edges to make them more rounded.
When the oven is ready, pop them in for 7 minutes, then flip them over and bake them for 2 more minutes. When they’re done, eat them right away while they’re still warm! It helps complete the whole “cookie” illusion. Seriously, when they’re hot, these things are soft, chocolately, and everything you want in a cookie – with way more protein and way less calories.
So there you have it, a recipe for cookies that’ll help you reach your holiday body goals, whether you’re trying to slim down to nab a cutie under the mistletoe or to be able to eat everything in sight with no guilt. You’re welcome.
**Recipe originally found here.