Recipe Rehab: Peanut Butter Cookies

Cold weather often entices me to bake. Warming up the kitchen with the heat of the oven and filling my house with the sweet aroma of homemade cookies is the perfect way to wait out the winter weather. Peanut butter cookies are always a favorite in my house and when they are around it's hard to resist the temptation to eat only one!

High in both sugar and fat, indulging in a few too many of these treats can add inches to your waistline. Furthermore, a recent report by the American Heart Association links the consumption of excess sugar to increased rates of obesity and heart disease. With the average American eating nearly 22 teaspoons of sugar per day, this is more than double the new recommendation of no more than nine teaspoons per day.

Now, sweet treats don't have to contain a lot of sugar to satisfy even the sweetest tooth. My rehab of peanut butter cookies adds fruit and fiber while reducing sugars. I will lighten them up by using mashed banana and Splenda instead of traditional amounts of sugars and oils and I will increase the fiber with wheat germ and whole wheat flour. Additionally, I will use natural peanut butter to avoid the added sugars and hydrogenated oils of the most popular peanut butter brands.

These cookies make a filling snack with the healthy combination of fruits, fiber, and protein and with only 52 calories per cookie; you can go ahead and eat two at a time!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Smart Balance 50 percent butter blend
• 1/4 cup mashed banana (about 1/2 banana)
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/2 cup Splenda brown sugar blend
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons non-fat milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup white flour
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease two baking sheets.

2. Cream together butter, banana, peanut butter and sugar. Gradually add the egg, milk and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, wheat germ, soda, and salt. Add to the sugar mixture.

4. Using a teaspoon shape the batter into balls. Place on the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes until the bottom starts to brown.

Makes: About three dozen cookies.

Nutrition Content (per cookie):52 calories, 3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 5 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein, 79 mg sodium

For other another warming treat try my rehab of Carrot Cake Cookie Sandwiches!

Readers, I would love to hear from you! Please send me your most favorite fattening recipes that need a RECIPE REHAB! Everything from your mom's meatloaf to your kid's favorite dessert -- let me lighten it up.

Celebrity dietitian and motivational life coach Tanya Zuckerbrot, author of www.ffactordiet.com and founder of www.skinnyandthecity.com, has helped thousands of people lose weight and keep it off with her program. Her philosophy? Tanya believes you should never sacrifice taste, even when you're eating healthy foods. Have a recipe in need of rehab? Send us your recipe!