Once upon a time, cookies were evil. Laden with refined flour, excessive amounts of sugar, hydrogenated fat, and Frankensteinian preservatives, there was really nothing redeeming about them. The Bad Cookie was Public Enemy Number One. Well-meaning super-innovators looking to be heroes have long tried to rehabilitate the Bad Cookie. First there was the valiant attempt to eliminate fat from the Bad Cookie, but sugar only gained ground. Then there was the stealth mission to bring down sugar, but then mutant fake sugar tried to take over. After that, refined flours were slated as the real scoundrels. Before long, pandemonium struck and many citizens spiraled into a vortex of fad diets, deceptive claims, and the false hope of The Next Big Promise. Meanwhile, a handful of true superheroes left the fray for the comfort of their own kitchens, experimenting with ways to embrace the Bad Cookie for what it was, all the while coaxing it toward a better version of its old self. As it turns out, healthy cookie recipes that include alternative fats, whole grains, low sugar or natural sugar alternatives, plus protein and fiber in the form of whole and pureed fruits and nuts, paved the way for the Bad Cookie to become the Pretty Healthy Cookie. Some even became good enough for breakfast.

Like the Bad Cookie, the Pretty Healthy Cookie has the ability to go anywhere. But this new super-cookie can also conceal uber-healthy things inside, freeze or thaw on command, be whipped up in a flash, and keep kids begging for more. Here to save the day are six secret ingredients that make up my favorite Bad-Cookie-Turned-Pretty-Good recipes—all from bakers of the superhero variety.

1. Spinach