Would Amanda Eat It?

Ah, the holidays.  You are faced with homemade and store-bought treats aplenty, goodies brought home from friends and family, and the occasional late-night slip into Santa’s cookie tray.  It happens.

But what about when your loyal, trusted Trader Joe’s throws a major curveball of deliciousness?

Enter Cookies N’ Cream Cookie Butter, the latest in a series of amazing butters by Mr. Joe (other varieties include original, cocoa swirl, and crunchy).  At first glance, you might think – “well, of course Amanda won’t eat this one” – but read on for my full assessment:

The good:

• it’s low sodium – only 95mg per TWO tablespoons (caveat: the original version of cookie butter has NO sodium)
• there are two different kinds of nuts in here – heart-healthy almonds and hazelnuts
• dammit, it’s tasty as hell

The bad:

• it’s a sugar bomb.  But you knew that was coming.  17g per 2TB makes it even worse than eating actual frosting from a can (don’t believe me?  Here’s a frosting label for comparison.)
• the first ingredient is sugar.  ‘Nuff said.  There’s more sugar than any other ingredient in this product.
• there are 3.5 grams of saturated fat in a serving, which is about 20% of what you should get in an entire day.  Not great.

The verdict:

• Ok, obviously I can’t get behind a product that is literally worse for you than eating processed frosting out of a can.  Let’s be real.  But what I can say is that as a sugar substitute in holiday baking (such as these Cookies & Cream Rice Krispie treats), it’s a nice “sometimes” treat when you really want to throw caution to the wind and indulge.

The alternative:

• Worry not, butter lovers!  You can always make your own cookie butter at home, if it’s the cookie thing you’re seeking, and if it’s more the butter, check out this amazing list of homemade nut butter recipes (yes, even some with chocolate!).  Anytime you can decrease the number of ingredients and preservatives in a food simply by making it yourself, you are taking a step toward better health that starts in your own home.

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