Pillsbury Ready-to-Bake Holiday Cookie Review

We know cookies are an indulgence -- especially premade ones! However, it is the holidays, and most of us are pressed for time but don't want to be deprived of indulging or baking for guests or little ones.

Pillsbury's ready-to-bake holiday cookies were created to make baking hassle free yet still festive. They are available in several different holiday-themed shapes, including reindeer, snowmen and Christmas trees. Since Pillsbury has done all the mixing, measuring, and even decorating and slicing, all you need to do is open the package, place the precut cookies on a baking sheet, pop 'em in the oven and voila! Christmas cookies -- without the mess! Is this time saver Too Good to Be Food?

What's in It?
Bleached, enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid); sugar; partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (soybean, cottonseed); water; eggs; baking powder; salt; red 40; artificial flavor; yellow 6; yellow 5; blue 1; and sodium benzoate.

The first ingredient is bleached, enriched flour. Bleaching requires a two-step process wherein wheat flour is first bleached white by adding chemicals and stripping away the grains' naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. Next, it is enriched with B vitamins (niacin, thiamin, riboflavin and folic acid) that were stripped away in the first step of the process and also fortified with iron. Making a mess in the kitchen using real whole-wheat flour is sounding really good.

Sugar is next. No surprise here, since we are talking cookies.

Uh-oh, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is up! This is another way to simply say trans fat -- remember those bad guys that raise our cholesterol and risk of heart disease? Yuck, we don't want these in our holiday celebration!

Water is next along with eggs, baking powder and salt. Yeah! These are all-natural ingredients that provide structure, tenderness and leavening. The salt also helps flavor and preserve.

The next set of ingredients consists of artificial coloring and flavors. These are a definite no-no, since they may cause allergies and may have carcinogenic effects. They may make the snowman colorful, but they come with concern. I'm not a fan of artificial flavors, either, especially since we do not know exactly what they are.

The final ingredient, sodium benzoate, is a common preservative and is a concern only for people who are allergic to it.

Bottom Line:
While these Pillsbury holiday cookies may satisfy cravings for a sweet treat while unwrapping presents by the tree, they don't come without fault, and I don't think Santa would be a fan.

If you want a ready-to-bake cookie dough, try the vanilla sugar cookie dough from Immaculate Baking Co. This dough is made with organic ingredients and has no trans fats, 5 grams less fat and less sugar than the first option. Roll the dough and use holiday cookie cutters for festive designs. If you are super ambitious, decorate with icings made with vegetable dyes for a safer holiday treat.

Happy Holidays to all of you regardless of how you choose to indulge!

Nutrition Info:
[2 cookies]
Calories: 160
Fat: 8 g
Sat Fat: 2 g
Trans Fat: 2.5 g
Cholesterol: 5 mg
Sodium: 120 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 19 g
Fiber: 0 g
Sugar: 9 g
Protein: 1 g

Nationally recognized nutrition expert and published author of "The O2 Diet," Keri Glassman is the founder and president of Keri Glassman, Nutritious Life, a nutrition practice based in New York City. For years, Keri has been a leader in advancing a "whole person" approach to health and wellness. She has dedicated her career to creating services and promoting education through her Nutritious Life brand. You can be friends with Keri on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.