Healthy (well...healthiER anyway) Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

If you're looking for a way to make your holiday baking a little better for you, you've come to the right place! This is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I found it when searching for a healthier version to use during a nutrition workshop I was teaching. I love them so much that these are the only chocolate chip cookies I bake anymore.

The recipe uses canola oil for part of the butter, and ground up oatmeal for part of the flour. Also, I figure dark chocolate is always a "health food." tee hee!

They are officially called "Bev's Chocolate Chip Cookies" and I got the recipe originally from EatingWell.com

Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (my favorite kind to use is the Hershey's Special Dark)
Also, it's not on the original recipe, but I put in about 1/2 cup ground flax seed when I make them for a little extra omega 3 and fiber.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.

Grind oats in a blender or food processor. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in flour, baking soda and salt.

Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla; beat until smooth and creamy.

With the mixer running, add the dry ingredients, beating on low speed until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop the dough by heaping teaspoonfuls, at least 1 inch apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until firm around the edges and golden on top, about 15 minutes. Cool the cookies for 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Nutrition:
Per cookie: 99 calories; 5 g fat (2 g sat, 2 g mono); 11 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 64 mg sodium; 55 mg potassium.

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1/3 starch, 1/3 other carbohydrate, 1 fat

I love them. Sometimes I bake them for "supper" and eat half the dough raw. I know that's bad for me, and raw eggs can give me salmonella. I also firmly believe that it's worth the risk.