Cookies Get An Upgrade

Human ingenuity, it seems, knows no bounds, and often our outstanding capacity to develop new solutions to new challenges is directed towards a desire to—so to speak—have our cake and eat it too. A recent trend in the food industry is of just this type, but is changing up the dessert in question. Researchers, it seems, are on a quest to develop a new and better cookie.

Cookie formulators, as they are called in this article, are serving up new options made with the addition of fiber, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. These next-generation treats are made with whole-grain flour, healthy fats and new alternative sweeteners. One company makes a sandwich cookie, available in a variety of flavors; a three-cookie serving contains as much fiber as a bowl of oatmeal, as much calcium and vitamin D as an eight-ounce glass of milk and as much vitamin C as a cup of blueberries.

Cookies made with almond meal will automatically provide additional protein, vitamin E, and magnesium—as a bonus, the gluten-free ingredient also adds a moist texture and a rich buttery flavor. Also on the menu are snickerdoodles made with 51 percent whole grain, also certified gluten-free.

Probiotic cookies have been introduced that can support the digestive system, and even people with peanut allergies will soon be able to enjoy the nutty flavor of a peanut butter cookie made with an allergen-free peanut alternative. These are just some of the ways cookies are being reshaped to fit into a healthier diet–one featured brand even boasted 100mg of beta-glucans, clinically proven to promote immune function, per 30 gram packet.

Although this may seem at first to take some of the fun away from a traditional indulgence, the fact of the matter is that the one constant is change, and one benefit of changing times should always be the chance to try new things. For those who are looking to have their cookie and eat it too, the future is wide open.