An Early Taste Of Summer

I love raspberries simply served with a little yogurt for an after dinner treat; over granola at breakfast time (and even with porridge); mixed with other soft berry fruits in a summer pudding; but I have never cooked them into a biscuit/cookie mixture before. However, today I had some less than perfect but more than edible specimens in my refrigerator and decided I would give this recipe a whirl. It was a great success and will be repeated with variations – I might try strawberries or blackberries instead of raspberries and might throw in a few oats or chopped nuts – but for now, here it is at its simplest. A crunchy and moreish cookie at just 85 calories. Enjoy!

RASPBERRY COOKIES

Ingredients

METRIC/US

100 g/4 oz low-fat spread

5 tbsp Splenda granulated sweetener

11/2 tsp vanilla extract

125 g plain flour/generous 1 cup all-purpose flour

50 g self-raising flour/1/2 cup all-purpose flour sifted with 1/2 tsp baking powder

150 g/5 oz raspberries

Method

1.  Preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F/gas mark 6. Line 2 baking trays with parchment or a non-stick liner.

2.  Cream the low-fat spread with the Splenda and vanilla.

3.  Add the flours and mix with a fork pressing until the mixture begins to bind together. Add the raspberries and mix a little more to bind. Use your hands to then squeeze the dough together.

4.  Divide and roll the mixture into 12 balls and place them on the prepared baking trays. Press flat with a fork or spatula and bake for 15 minutes.

5.  Allow to cool on a wire rack to serve warm or allow to go cold to serve.

MAKES: 12

WLS PORTION: 1

V suitable for vegetarians

CALORIES PER COOKIE: 85

PROTEIN: 1.9g

CARBOHYDRATE: 11.9g

FAT: 3.2g

Image courtesy of Splenda www.splenda.co.uk