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I don’t understand it, but I’m going to embrace it! I have finally made proper chocolate chip cookies, a feat I have been unable to do since getting married.
It was like a curse – no matter what troubleshooting I did or how I fidgeted with the recipe on the chocolate chip bag, my mom’s perfect cookie recipe, or the method I used, I always ended up with cookies described this way:
- flat
- thin
- floppy
- spread out
- crispy on the edges (not in a good way)
I just couldn’t do it.
Then I printed a coupon for whole wheat flour and with it came this recipe. I finally got around to making them, changing the fats to healthy fats, and the results were amazing. Not only is this the perfect melt in your mouth, buttery soft chocolate chip cookie, but it’s 100% whole wheat too. I didn’t even have to use white whole wheat. My hunch? It’s the coconut oil.
Recipe: Healthy Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
optional: add chopped walnuts (Mmmm!)
1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat sugars, butter, oil, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Beat in flour, baking soda and salt until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
2. On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until very light golden brown (centers will be soft). Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.
Ta da! How beautiful are these?
I served them at my real food Pampered Chef party, and they went over great. I honestly don’t know if you’d guess that they were “healthy” if you didn’t know.
Find more Healthy Holiday Eats and Sweets at Keeper of the Home today.
I have to give a Healthy Dessert shout out to GNOWFGLINS’ Peppermint Pattie Coconut Bark and Almond Joy Bark, both of which I made today. You should have seen my in-laws eyes pop after I told them there was nothing unhealthy about this candy they were savouring. Seriously good stuff!
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these look tasty to me (minus the nuts as I’m allergic).
SnoWhite´s last blog ..Truffles
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I’ve cooked with whole grains for a long time but some of the concepts I’m learning from Nourishing Traditions are new, as is learning to apply them. One question I have is about soaking grains. I notice that you do that for some recipes but not for others, like this one. Are there some guidelines you can give me regarding this?
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Katie Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 3:32 am
Leigh,
I’m pretty new to NT too, only about a year in. Some recipes lend themselves to soaking, but cookies don’t work – there’s no liquid in the recipe in which to soak! To make NT cookies, you’d have to use sprouted flour (either storebought or soaked, sprouted, then dehydrated and ground whole grains). Sometimes I might just skip the soaking or not put it in the recipe, especially if it was posted early on in KS before I was mentioning soaking to my readers, who definitely aren’t all NT practicers.
I’m also not entirely convinced that soaking grains is 100% necessary. I’m in the midst of a lot of research on that right now, with a post or two to come (hopefully) soon.
Does that answer your question about soaking? Thanks for the comment, and let me know if there’s anything else I can clear up fo ryou.
Katie
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Leigh Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 8:37 am
Katie, yes, thank you. Actually it relieves me a bit because I haven’t figured out how to do NT “strictly” and don’t want to give up some of our family traditions when it comes to food, especially at Christmas!
I truly appreciate all the research and writing you do. They are a gift to the rest of us.
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Sourdough Sue Reply:
June 13th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
There are several ways to reduce the phytic acid(undesirable) in grains…Soak them,sprout them, use wild yeast (as in sourdough starter in your recipe) or to a lesser degree once your recipe is made, toast it (as in breads) If none of those are possible, just enjoy those cookies anyway! No one’s life is perfection! (But those cookies may improve your less than perfect afternoon!
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Katie Reply:
June 14th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Welcome aboard, Sue! Love your name. Have you seen my soaking grains series?
Katie
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I am a little nerdy (at best) and find myself wanting to see every recipe you’ve made before so I could see what I thought the problem might be…it’s a curse of mine.
Thanks for linking to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays!
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 3:34 am
Amy,
Katie
We women love to give advice, don’t we? I’m a “fixer” too. Honestly – grab a package of chocolate chips in a grocery store and read the back. That was my recipe, often with a 1/2 cup of wheat germ or whole wheat flour subbed in for 1/2 cup of white flour. I tried chilling the dough, which often helped, but still not perfect. It was crazy!
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Thank you for the recipe!
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Yay! A healthy cookie recipe! I wonder if you could use Sucanat or Rapadura in place of the sugar?
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Katie Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 3:35 am
Stephanie,
Katie
I have been told those sub in for most everything just great, but I haven’t dabbled much in expensive sweeteners.
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Keeper of the Home : Healthy Holiday Eats and Sweets Carnival // Dec 8, 2009 at 8:22 pm
[...] 100% Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies @ Kitchen Stewardship [...]
The cookies look great. I will try them. Thanks for sharing. Doylene
Doylene Brents´s last blog ..The Simple Woman’s Daybook
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Well now you’ve done it…. now instead of going to bed like I should be doing I have to make a kitchen run to make sure I have the right ingredients to try your recipe.
Earth Friendly Goodies´s last blog ..No More Headaches with Natura Zero-VOC Paint
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Katie Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 3:43 am
EFG – LOL! These darn computers! Always keeping us out of our beds!
Katie
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Katie – Those look like seriously awesome cookies!
I’m tickled that you enjoyed the coconut bark recipes! Thanks for linking to them.
Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS´s last blog ..Details About the Gallery of Christmas Cookies ~ Next Monday!
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 3:44 am
Wardeh,
Katie
Girl, you would not believe how many people I have emailed about the coconut bark. Oh. My. Yummy.
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Healthy Holiday Treats from Kitchen Stewardship « Catholic Mommy Brain // Dec 16, 2009 at 3:33 pm
[...] 100% Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies – A healthy upgrade example – just a little twist on the classic cookie, but the BEST I’ve ever made. Coconut oil is the only “weird” ingredient, but I bet melted butter would still make a yummy result. http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/12/08/healthy-holiday-desserts-100-whole-wheat-chocolate-chip... [...]
Just made these and they are sooo yummy!! They get a two thumbs up from our house to yours
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Wow! I just made these & they are THE best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made! Yum! Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
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Katie Reply:
May 22nd, 2010 at 6:55 am
My son and I were going to make these yesterday but didn’t get around to it…now I’m totally drooling!
Katie
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