Writing by Ear

Kudos to Prevention magazine (March 2009) for this gem of a recipe.

Last night, after feasting on mac & cheese from a box (Mike was away; I was splurging), I was scrounging through the plastic bin that holds my chocolate for baking (as you know, one doesn’t typically do this unless one is up to no good, and ironically, the Tupperware bin was intended for holding celery and other produce) and found a half-full bag of chocolate chips. (Notice I said half full? That takes some effort when you’re talking about chocolate chips.) I was ready to stop there and nestle (Nestlé?) on the couch to watch THE VERY LAST “VERY SPECIAL” ER EVER, when I remembered seeing a recipe for “healthy” chocolate chip cookies in a Prevention magazine I had lying around.

Big appeal: No mixer needed. No butter needed. Less than ½ bag of chips needed (meaning I could just eat what was left) — no big mess or big deal. I had all the ingredients, and I had a half-hour before THE VERY LAST “VERY SPECIAL” ER EVER, so I plunged in.

It was well worth it, though I was skeptical, especially in the last step before chilling the dough when I couldn’t get the chocolate chips to actually blend into the very stiff dough. They sort of clattered around the bowl and collected at the bottom. But I kept on (what else do you do at that point?). As I was forming the chilled dough on the cookie sheet later, I just poked the unmixed chips in — kind of like planting morning glory seeds. (The dough itself was delicious, so if you didn’t actually feel like baking the cookies at that point, you’d be OK too. Don’t say I said to do that though — uncooked egg whites and all.)

I used a bit less of each kind of sugar called for. And wasn’t paying attention and used quick oats instead of old-fashioned. But the results were still great. Don’t be put off it only makes 16 cookies — these are big! Like mall cookies (which they were created to emulate in healthier form).

Try them this weekend and let me know if you like them. We sure do.

Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies

Work Time: 15 minutes   ::    Total Time: 45 Minutes   ::    Servings: 16

• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large egg whites
• 1-1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (4 oz)

1. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in egg whites and vanilla until smooth. Stir in dry ingredients until blended. Fold in oats and then chocolate.
2. Cover and chill dough at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Shape dough into 16 balls (scant 1/4-cup each) with hands, using a little pressure. Place 8 balls on each prepared sheet. With fingers, press each into a patty about 3″ in diameter, allowing about 2″ between patties for spreading.
4. Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until desired brownness (do not overbake), switching position of sheets halfway through. Let cool a few minutes before moving to rack to cool completely.

Nutritional info per cookie (4″ diameter): 218 cal, 3 g pro, 32 g carb, 2 g fiber, 10 g fat, 2 g sat fat, 0 mg chol, 162 mg sodium.

16% fewer calories, 50% more fiber, 67% less sat fat than a 2-ounce mall cookie

I am still convinced that a good, simple,
homemade cookie is preferable to all the
store-bought cookies one can find.
~ James Beard