White Chocolate & Pecan Cookies

Here's something you don't like to see on a dessert recipe blog: I had my annual health check-up at work this morning, and the results were discouraging. Let's start with the hardest news to break, my BMI and waist circumference: My BMI classification is pre-obese. What an ugly way to say that I am worth 45 cows in a native tribal village! Also, my waist is 1.5 inches larger than what the ideal size is for women. I would have been attractive in the 1880s, or the Roman era, or even in the time of Marilyn Monroe... 

All jokes aside, my cholesterol, blood pressure, and sugar levels are all within perfect health range, so I can continue to eat as I have been eating. I just now need to mix in a little exercise to burn off all the fat. I am now going to make it my mission to play fun sports and do fun, physical activities, which does not involve slugging it away at the gym, walking to nowhere on a treadmill for an hour.

But don't you worry, despite the fact that I am medically overweight and that our kitchen has been dismantled (part of the renovation process), I do have a few recipes up my sleeve that I have yet to share with you beautiful people. I may have to start searching for healthier recipes to share as well...

White Chocolate & Pecan Cookies
Recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

• 227g unsalted butter, softened
• 200g soft brown sugar
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 300g all-purpose flour
• 100g self-raising flour
• 100g white chocolate chips
• 100g pecans, shelled and chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180C, line baking tins with parchment paper and set aside. Sift the flours in a medium bowl
2. Beat the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and mix in the vanilla
4. Combine the flour with the butter mixture and mix until just incorporated
5. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans
6. The recipe in the book calls for wrapping the batter in cling wrap and popping it in the fridge for an hour or something like that. Fine and dandy if you have the time. I just dropped teaspoon-sized balls on the paper and baked for 10-12 minutes. Cool the cookies on the pans for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack where they should cool completely

Easy peasy, right? But it's a LOT of sugar. Even before I got my check-up results back, I already felt that this recipe is a bit sweet, so feel free to play around with it and put in less sugar if you like. I'm definitely going to have less sugar and chocolate the next time I do this. You can substitute the chocolate chips and pecans with whatever nuts or other types of chocolate you have on hand.

These are really yummy though, I'm thinking of making a big batch and giving them to friends... for Christmas, which is a good 6 months away...

xx Nabs