Most people like cookies. However, which is better – homemade or store-bought?

You’ve probably heard that buying cookies, cakes, and other baked treats from the grocery store is not as healthy as making them at home. However, everyone is responsible for the food they eat. While some enjoy ready-made snacks, others trade in these processed treats for homemade options.

This article compares store-bought cookies with their homemade counterparts in terms of ease of preparation, health concerns, and taste. You’ll also learn reasons why homemade cookies are better for you than store-bought cookies.

Are Homemade Cookies Healthier?

Homemade cookies are healthier. It’s no secret that store-bought cookies contain preservatives and unnatural ingredients, which is why most people choose to bake homemade treats.

If made correctly, homemade cookies contain high-quality components, including healthy fats, natural sugar, and real chocolate. On the other hand, store-bought cookies contain fewer calories and sugar content than their handmade equivalents.

Homemade Vs. Store Bought: Differences

A cookie is a small, flat, often sweet baked food made with flour, sugar, or other starches, eggs, and butter or cooking oil.

Many cookies include chocolate chips, nuts, or raisins. Others prefer adding in oats or cornmeal.

Many people often serve cookies with beverages such as milk, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.

The significant differences between homemade and store-bought cookies are as follows:

Preparation 

People make homemade cookies from scratch with love and everything that goes into it. Store brought cookies, on the other hand, are purchased from a store and consumed immediately after buying.

Ingredients

Homemade cookies usually use all-natural ingredients, which makes them preservative-free.

Store-bought cookies, however, have preservatives added to them, which make them unhealthy for consumption. You’ll be surprised at the number of preservatives, salt, and sugar in those store-bought snacks!

Taste

It is a fact that homemade cookies taste better than the store-bought variety. Homemade cookies are made fresh from scratch, so they taste better. You also know the quality of ingredients that are in them.

Why Homemade Cookies Are Better for You

When you bake your cookies, you are more likely to use healthier ingredients and bake them at a lower temperature. Doing so reduces the amount of saturated fat in the end product.

Furthermore, here are six reasons why your homemade cookies are better:

1. You Can Customize Your Cookies To Fit Your Personal Preferences 

When you bake cookies at home, you get to control everything in them. As soon as you start baking your own, you’ll notice how easy it is to substitute healthier ingredients for things like butter and sugar. 

You can adjust the amount of sugar, add more chocolate chips or nuts if you want, or even change the flavor altogether if you feel like it.

Buy a bunch of candy bars or chocolate chips and add them to your cookie dough for a special treat. 

You can also make a big batch of homemade cookies and freeze them to have some on hand whenever you need a snack or a sweet treat.

2. Homemade Cookies Have No Preservatives Or Additives 

When you read through the list, you might have a hard time finding the exact ingredients on the back of the package, but we can guarantee that you will recognize them all when you make your cookies.

Most store-bought cookies do not contain real butter. Instead, they use artificial butter flavors and sweeteners.

3. They Are More Nutritious Than Store-Bought Cookies 

Homemade cookies are far healthier than the store-bought variety. The ingredients that go into homemade cookies are almost always recognizable and pronounceable (mainly if you use healthy ingredients).

You can choose to use healthier ingredients like whole wheat flour and natural peanut butter instead of white sugar, butter, preservatives, etc.

4. Homemade Cookies are Fresher And Taste Better

Store-bought cookies are not always fresh. They might have been shipped and stored for long periods before they reach your mouth. With homemade cookies, they are fresh and delicious. 

5. Homemade Cookies are Less Expensive

It’s cheaper to make your homemade cookies than purchasing them from a bakery outlet, primarily if you use coupons to buy the ingredients.

6. They’re Fun To Make!

Many of us have fond childhood memories of baking with our moms. And still, to this day, we have a deep connection to homemade baked goods. That’s because they’re special and fun to make.

It’s a known fact that you appreciate it more when you make something with your own hands.

Whether it’s the smell of homemade bread or the taste of freshly-baked cookies, there’s something about the baking process that makes them taste better than store-bought food products.

What Should You Do To Make Your Homemade Cookies Healthier?

Everyone loves a delicious homemade cookie. It’s a tasty treat you can eat at any time of the day.

However, if you’re watching your weight or want to make your cookies healthier, is it possible to enjoy these baked goods?

While cookies are delicious, they’re also usually loaded with sugar and fat. If you decide to make homemade cookies, consider these tips to make them healthier without sacrificing any yumminess:

• The most important thing to do is to look at the ingredients list. The ingredients listed are usually in the order of how much sugar content it contains. Put the cookie down if you see sugar or high fructose on that list. Sugar and high fructose corn syrup are what make cookies unhealthy.
• If there isn’t any sugar in your cookie, you can cut out other things. You aren’t just consuming the chocolate chips; you’re also eating flour and sugar. These can be cut out of your diet quickly if you have the right mindset.
• Use high-protein flour or protein powder instead of refined flour.
• Exchange white flour with whole wheat flour, which has more fiber.
• Add some oatmeal for fiber.
• Use fruit instead of chocolate chips for a healthy dose of antioxidants
• Replace white sugar with brown sugar. Brown sugar has fewer calories and less refined sugar, so it’s a healthier choice.
• Replace refined oil with olive oil or canola oil.

Which Store-Bought Cookies Are The Healthiest?

Is it possible to buy the healthiest cookies? If so, what are they? We can’t promise you the “healthiest cookie” because every product is different. However, certain ingredients do make a product healthier than others. Here are some of them:

• The first one is fiber. 

Fiber adds bulk to your diet and keeps your intestines healthy. It also helps you feel full faster, which can help you lose weight. 

When shopping for cookies, look at the nutritional facts label on the package and compare it with other brands. The higher the fiber per serving, the better.

• Avoid cookies with trans fat.
• Avoid cookies with high fructose sugar.

Some healthier store-bought cookies to buy include;

• Simple Mills Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Enjoy Life Cookies
• Vegan and gluten-free options 
• Lenny and Larry’s Cookies
• Oreo Thins
• Kashi Cookies

Why Do Cookies Cause You to Overeat?

Yes, cookies taste great, but there is more to it than that. Highly palatable foods like cookies and other desserts lead to the release of dopamine (the feel-good hormone), which is particularly enticing when feeling stressed or overwhelmed. Over time, this may cause you to seek out that feeling more and more often. Eventually, you don’t get that same reward and need to increase your consumption to get the same level of dopamine.

Allowing this to happen can create addictive-like or compulsive-eating behaviors that become challenging to control.

Conclusion 

Nutrition is an essential part of any diet and can be even more critical for special dietary needs. There are several factors to consider when determining which option, homemade or store-bought cookies, will be better.

In general, store-bought items provide less nutritional value than homemade items, but that isn’t always the case. When you bake at home, you know what ingredients are going into your food, making all the difference exactly.

If you’re looking for a healthier alternative to store-bought cookies, try making your own!

Want to Work Together?

A healthy lifestyle doesn’t only rely on your food choice, whether you prefer processed goods or preparing your meals and snacks at home. It’s a continuous journey built through a series of decisions—all chosen to fit your health goals. Are you struggling to make good decisions? Are you a tired, overwhelmed, or stressed woman who’s beginning to experience negative health issues such as digestive problems, chronic inflammation, aging prematurely, and weight gain? After consistently putting in long hours and juggling too many priorities, are you desperate to make a change? 

It’s easy to neglect personal wellness in exchange for what feels good and that never-ending to-do list. The thought of adding one more thing to your list – wellness – may even tip the scale. Take the guesswork out of the individual steps needed to find balance and optimal health and let the Green Balanced Gal Wellness Program lead the way. You are unique, your food and lifestyle choices should be too, and thankfully, the Green Balanced Gal approach to wellness is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Get started today with the coaching support you need to feel your very best – mind, body, and soul! 

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