In the pursuit of health and happiness, I can always make a little room for decadence. When I'm feeling indulgent, I often bake. With a house full of active teenagers and their friends, whatever I create is sure to last less than 24 hours. Thus, I have little opportunity to even consider overindulging.
Today, I pulled out a classic bar cookie recipe has been in my recipe card index for over 25 years: Pecan Coconut Slices. I've had the recipe for so long I don't remember the original source. Out of curiosity, I compared the recipe in my card file to one in the current Joy of Cooking. What I found hearkens to the results of Brian Wansink's research reviewing the caloric content of similar recipes in different editions of the famous cookbook. The proportion and amount of ingredients differ slightly, but the difference in yield is remarkable. And it has to do with choice of pans and size of cookies. I spread the dough and topping thinly in a jelly roll (11"x17") baking pan to yield 54 dainty morsels with 90 calories a piece, whereas JOC suggests using a 9"x9" pan with a yield of 12 whopper cookies containing 400 calories each. Sometimes, it's all about portion.
