Wholewheat Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gina has come up with a mama-friendly chocolate chip cookie recipe… that’s healthy (ish). Yum!

People typically think because I bake for a living my kids must be straight up, hard-core sugar junkies whose teeth have cavities that mimic swiss cheese. However, I have tried my best to seal and conceal my desserts and limit their sweets exposure to healthier options. Hey I’m all for a piece of cake now and then (ok, more like weekly), and I don’t mind if the kiddos have a couple bites too, but afternoon snacks and play date treats should be a bit more Mommy-sanity-friendly.

Actually, the concept for this recipe can be easily swapped into almost any cookie recipe. I’ve simply swapped out the all-purpose flour for whole wheat. Although this swap can result in a heavier texture cookie, that’s not always a bad thing! I substitute whole wheat in almost all my chocolate chip cookies and no one can even tell the difference (even my kids who can scrutinize a bowl of pasta with veggie sauce better than any CIA agent).

For the sugar, I simply omitted about 35% of the original amount. Again, this can be done with almost any recipe! I wouldn’t omit more than that however because then you may offset the ratio to other ingredients which might result in bricks coming out of the oven. So start off reducing gradually and see how it goes.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies with Reduced Sugar

Ingredients

• 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• ¾ cup cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Sprinkles, optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two cookie sheets with baking paper and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand up mixer (or using a hand mixer) beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after mixing. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sifted cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to combine.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl after mixing. Fold in the chocolate chips. Do not over mix.

5. Using a cookie scoop, place mounds of cookie dough about two inches apart on the cookie sheets. Gently flatten the tops of the cookies with the bottom of a measuring cup (as they won’t spread much on their own) and dust the tops with sprinkles. Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until the middle of the cookie is set.

6. Remove trays from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Keep stored in an air-tight container for up to one week. Storing the cookies in the refrigerator will help keep them fresher longer.

and now eat- lots of them – because they’re healthy.