no flour, no butter, no sugar cookies!

To say I have a sweet tooth would be an understatement. In reality all my teeth are sweet. I plan my meals around desserts. I have never ordered appetizers in restaurants because I always save room and money for desserts. But I take no responsibility for this affliction. A 1907 issue of The Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene states that the “mortality from diabetes amongst Hindus generally is but little higher than amongst other races in other parts of the world, but amongst educated Bengalis it is certainly very high in Calcutta” (318). I cannot confirm the scientific validity of this research, but, despite its date of publication, it sounds pretty accurate to me. So yeah, being a Bengali I have been predisposed to this condition. 

In Calcutta, every street, every alley has at least one sweet shop selling delectable sweetened cottage cheese and kheer cakes and syrupy curd cheese dumplings in earthen pots for literally a few cents a piece. So Bengalis have never learned to think about how much sugar they have already consumed before gulping the next sandesh. The only time a Bengali stops eating sweets is when he/she is nauseated, or asleep, or in a medically induced coma.  

So you can guess that things get really difficult for me when I try to eat healthy. Every six months I go on a low glycemic index diet for 1 month, which means that I don’t (try not to) eat anything with high sugar content: sugar, honey, artificial sweetener, potatoes, white rice, peas, carrots, fruits, juices, etc. And every time it is a struggle. I can survive all day on healthy grains and veggies, but I cannot fall asleep without eating something sweet. And in my experience, eating a slice of chocolate cake or a cup of ice cream before bed can ruin a whole day’s of hard work. So, after a lot of kitchen testing and taste testing with my friends I have found the perfect recipe to satisfy my Bengali strength sugar cravings before bed. These no flour, no butter, no sugar cookies are perfect for anyone on a low sugar diet. Actually, everyone loves these whether or not on a diet. It has just three ingredients and takes less than 25 minutes to prep and bake. Give them a try!