Keeping That New Years Resolution With Healthy Cookies

Happy 2013! Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? I made some – to try and work on my patience, to work out more, and to eat healthier. Diet/exercise resolutions are really common – and tough on someone who loves to bake! So I got to thinking – how can I keep my resolution while still indulging my desire to bake (and eat!)? Well, I decided to go through my recipe book and give some recipes a makeover – and what better recipe to start with than classic Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies?

My goal here was mainly to decrease the calories, while making the recipe healthier, and keeping the classic chocolate chip cookie flavor we all know and love

So here’s the classic recipe I started with:

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
-2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-3/4 cup packed brown sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-2 large eggs
-2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Semi Sweet Chocolate chips

Directions
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

The Makeover Recipe:
Ingredients:
-2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/3 cup vegetable shortening
-3/4 cup apple puree (I made mine in the food processor)
-¼ cup white sugar
-¾ cup brown sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup egg substitute (Egg Beaters)
-1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat shortening, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and apple puree extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add egg substitute and mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto greased baking sheets, flatten each cookie slightly using your fingers or a spoon

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

The yield for both recipes is about 42 cookies, which is what we based the calorie counts on when doing the calculations

Calorie Breakdown:
Original Recipe:
-2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour = 990 calories
-1 teaspoon baking soda = 0 calories
-1 teaspoon salt = 0 calories
-1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened = 1600 calories
-3/4 cup granulated sugar = 540 calories
-3/4 cup packed brown sugar = 540 calories
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract = 0 calories
-2 large eggs = 140 calories
-2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Semi Sweet Chocolate chips = 1610 calories
Calorie total = 5,420 divided by 42 cookies = 130 calories per cookie

Makeover Recipe:
-2 ½ cups whole wheat flour = 950 calories
-1 teaspoon baking soda = 0 calories
-1 teaspoon salt = 0 calories
-1/3 cup vegetable shortening = 605 calories
-3/4 cup apple puree (I made mine in the food processor) = 240 calories
-¾ cup brown sugar = 540 calories
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract = 0 calories
½ cup egg substitute (Egg Beaters) = 60 calories
-1 cup mini chocolate chips = 805 calories
Calorie total = 3200 divided by 42 cookies = 75 calories per cookie

How we made it healthier
-Lower cholesterol – by trading whole eggs for egg substitute and butter for vegetable shortening, we eliminate all cholesterol
-Flour exchange – We used slightly more flour to help them stick together better but also traded the white for whole wheat flour, which is a far healthier option
-Less sugar – using apples in place of sugar and fewer chocolate chips makes this treat less sweet but keeping the brown sugar leaves that sugary taste we expect from the cookies
-Less fat – shortening certainly isn’t fat free, but by using less of it than the butter in the original recipe, we cut out a lot of the fat

So the main goal was fewer calories. And I think we succeeded on that count. An original recipe chocolate chip cookie has about 130 calories per cookie, and our makeover cookies have only 75 calories each! That is a reduction of 55 calories per cookie – which is amazing! A healthier cookie means we can enjoy more without the guilt!

As for taste and texture, its slightly more spongy/cakey and not as dense as the regular cookies. They still taste like the classic chocolate chip cookies we all know and love, and the mini chips give just enough chocolate chip taste and allow for the cookie taste to come through too! Overall, this makeover was a raging success, and I have already eaten 3 (or 4…) cookies, which go perfectly with some cold (skim) milk. Yum!

So give the makeover recipe a try, they are delicious and will help you keep those New Years Resolutions!