Chocolate-Fudge Cookie Bites

Hi, my name is Deanna and I'm a sugaraholic.

Hi Deanna.

Yes, it's true. What? You didn't guess by the fact that I started a BLOG ABOUT BAKING that I have a serious sweet tooth? Well, I do. Baking makes me happy. Trying new sugar-coated sweets makes me happy. Filling up on cake instead of steamed broccoli makes me happy. But you know what doesn't make me happy? The fact that I woke up one day and none of my pants fit. Winter is fast approaching and I had to go out and buy new pants. I hadn't really noticed this gradual expansion of my middle because it didn't just happen all of a sudden like that horrible Freshman 15 I experienced years back. It was slow, one day at a time, or maybe I should say one cupcake at a time.

Do you remember this post? The one were I announced my engagement? I'm pretty sure that gaining weight is the last thing I want to be doing, if I plan on walking down the isle in a white dress. So, to all my fellow sugar lovers, I'm happy to announce that I've decided to join Weight Watchers (WW) in order to gain some control over my sweet tooth. WW is wonderful for those of us who still want to indulge. Before, if I baked cupcakes, I'd eat at least two of them and probably after dim sum for lunch and pizza for dinner. Now, I can still have a cupcake, but I better eat healthy for the rest of the day in order to have enough points left over for that oh-so-mouth-watering reward. I started almost a month ago and am happy to report that I've been doing pretty well. I definitely recommend WW for anyone looking to make a life-style change with healthier eating habits. The accountability factor is what works best for me. The fact that I have to go to a meeting every week and own up to my decisions, keeps me on track.

So what does all this mean for Occasional Sugar? Pretty much nothing. I'll continue to bake but I'll be making healthier choices with some of my recipes. Trying out some of the desserts on the WW.com and delving more deeply into my favorite magazine, Cooking Light. The recipe I'm going to share with you today came from the WW website. Each cookie is worth 1 point. They were pretty tasty. They substitute apple sauce for the majority of the fat which I've heard about before but have never tried. I couldn't tell the difference really. I'm sure they would have tasted better with more butter but these were still moist and delicious. Chocolaty. Best right out of the oven. They were received well by my softball team and they were super easy to bake.

Chocolate-Fudge

Cookie Bites

from weightwatchers.com

1 spray cooking spray, or more if needed

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 cup margarine, softened

3/4 cup sugar

4 oz unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp table salt

2 Tbsp powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat two nonstick cookie sheets with cooking spray.

Place cocoa, margarine and sugar in a medium bowl; beat with an electric mixer. Add applesauce and vanilla; beat to blend. In another small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into cocoa batter with a wooden spoon.

Shape batter into 48 marble-sized balls. Arrange balls 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. Bake until set, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cookies to stand for 1 minute. Remove to wire rack and cool; sprinkle with powdered sugar. Makes about 50 cookies.