"Healthy" Cookie recipes?

[granolagirl97]

I'm wondering if anyone has experimented with substituting healthier ingredients in cookie or other treat recipes and had success. Tonight I made chocolate chip cookies using whole wheat flour, rice syrup in place of brown sugar and sucanat in place of white sugar. My family had no complaints! A success for me! But, there was still vegetable shortening in it... any suggestions for replacing that? I don't think carob chips will fly with my group, but I'd like to use organic chips next time.

This is the first time I've tried an alternative sweet treat that has actually worked for my dd's and dh. I really don't make a lot of treats at my house in the first place, so I think when I do, they expect the "real deal." Most of the other things I have tried (and it really hasn't been a lot - I've seen recipes that have LOOKED like they would be good, but because of my past experiences - i.e. I'M the only one eating it - I haven't tried 'em - time being limited and all) have been noticably different to my family and then they won't eat them. So, I'd like things I could serve to my friends who already think I eat weird and they'll love it and I'll say, "Oh, guess how I made THAT?!" (My own little fantasy here).

As I said, I'm not a big dessert maker and I guess that if I do make my children dessert, I'd like it to be of the same caliber as the rest of my cooking. Not that everyone doesn't deserve indulgence now and then, but for every day kinds of things, I'd like to offer something at least healthiER if it can't be healthy.

So, cookie recipes anyone? I'd really like a peanut butter one. And, as I said earlier, a shortening replacement.

Thanks!!!

[BrooklynDoula]

unsweeened applesauce works well instead of a fat - make cakier cookies, but very tasty still

[homesteader]

granolagirl: i bought some coconut oil to make some "belly butter" when i was preg. and the jar says it can be substituted for shortening in baking. i can't say whether it's better or not but it does work, i've tried it. also, my mom uses applesauce like megan suggested.

as for recipies, you might find someone with Diet for a Small Planet(or maybe you have it). there is a recipe for "choke full chocoate chip cookies". my things are still packed from a recent move or i'd get it for you myself. as i recall it has reg. sugar in it...haven't made it in a couple of years so i'm really not sure, but i was just thinking of it yesterday as a matter of fact. it is really good though & it has sunflower seeds & chopped peanuts in it. yummy! good luck

[lilyka]

I always sub butter for shortening. Still not what you would call healthy but at least it is not partially hydrogenated crap. Also when I want to be a little healthy I just go for oatmeal raisin. If you subsitue the brown sugar even better.

[cathe]

I wouldn't recommend coconut oil in baking, it is very high in saturated fat. You can use butter instead of shortening or also canola or vegetable oil - you may need to adjust the dry ingredients slightly to make up for the extra liquid.

Here's a healthy chocolate cookie recipe that I have been working on for my next book:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup canola, safflower, or grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat, barley, or brown rice flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate or carob chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Oil 1 or 2 large baking sheets. Beat or whisk maple syrup, oil, and vanilla together. Stir flour, baking powder and salt together in separate bowl. Add flour mixture to syrup mixture. Mix until well-blended. Stir in walnuts and chips.
Drop by heaping tablespoons unto prepared baking sheet leaving about 2 inches between each mound. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, or until bottoms are golden brown. Transfer to rack to cool.

Yield: About 2 dozen

Variation: Espresso-Chocolate Chip Cookies (These have a wonderful coffee taste)

Beat 2 tablespoons instant caffeine-free coffee substitute, like Inka or Cafix with oil and sweetener. Continue as directed.

[cathe]

oh yeah, and try my raisin bars made without sugar, eggs, or shortening at www.simplynaturalbooks.com/recip.html

[joyful]

Cathe -

For the chocolate chip cookie recipe, do you add eggs? If so, how many? It sounds like a delicious recipe!

[tessamami]

I have a recipe for banana cookies

that is delish! I'll post it, soon. It's basically butter, bananas and sesame seeds and they are wonderful!

Edited to add recipe:

1/2 cup oil
(I have substituted softened butter for this - the way to go IMHO)
2 medium bananas
(overly ripe not necessary, ripe, not "just ripe")
1/2 cup sugar
(we use succanat)
1 1/2 cup flour
(we used barley flour - it was good)
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 tsp baking soda

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2) Peel and mash bananas.
3) In large bowl, beat oil (or butter) banans, and sugar.
4) Mix flour with sunflower seeds and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed.
5) Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 10-15 minutes, until edges are golden brown.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies.

[cathe]

no eggs - I deleted the comment about the eggs. That was from another recipe. Sorry.

[granolagirl97]

Mmmmmm....

Looking forward to trying all of these!... at some point. I've still got my cookies left from the day I posted. If I made more cookies now, my family wouldn't know where they were! But it's so nice to have some healthy alternatives to keep trying. Looking forward to that banana cookie recipe too! Thanks so much!

[Liz]

removed recipe due to copyright

[Swedishfish]

Cathe,

I just had to let you know that your cookie recipe Rocks!

Thank you so much for sharing it.


Cheryl

[chicklet]

Ener-G makes a powdered egg replacer, it works pretty well in cookie recipes, Excellent for making french toast (no-one would EVER Know).

Spectrum makes a non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening, i"ve had good results with it.

I'm definantly going to try Cathe's recipie. We have dairy sensitivities so a good CC Cookie is hard to find!!

[cathe]

Thanks Swedishfish. Glad you liked them.

As I continue on the treats section of my next book, I came up with this one. These taste so good I just want to share them - anybody want to do a taste test . . . .

Peanut Butter/Oatmeal/Raisin Cookies

(Flaky and delicious – wheat and egg free with dairy-free option)

½ cup butter or non-hydrogenated margarine or shortening
¾ cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
½ cup maple syrup or honey
1 cup barley flour (or whole wheat)
1 ½ cups rolled oats
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325°. Oil large baking sheet. Beat together butter or margarine, peanut butter, and sweetener until smooth and creamy. In separate bow, combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and raisins. Add dry ingredients to peanut butter mixture and stir to create stiff dough.

Spoon heaping tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet. Flatten each mound with fork. Bake 13 to 16 minutes or until edges are golden.

Yield:About 3 dozen

Variation: Use chocolate or carob chips instead of raisins

[Cinder]

Originally posted by chicklet

Spectrum makes a non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening, i"ve had good results with it.

That's what I use...

[DreamWeaver]

How do you come up with your recipes??

T
I have a question for Cathe and you other creative mums who come up with your very own recipes, esp baking related- just HOW do you do it? I cld change, or adapt a recipe from time to time, adding, leaving out ingreds, or subbing, but to do it from scratch, WOW!! how do you do it? Do I need to attend some chemistry lesson or smth?? :
Sometimes when we stumble upon some really "you-cld-swallow-your-tongue" dishes /desserts, we sit there trying to guess the ingreds or how it *could* have been made, but that's only so far I've gone.... sorry, off-topic....

[cathe]

To create my recipes, I use all the ways mentioned above. Sometimes, I taste a dish at a restaurant or somewhere and then go home and try to make my own. Many times, I find a recipe in a traditional cookbook and then change it around to use whole grain flour, unrefined sugar, etc. Many times just start completely from scratch, using other recipes as a base for how much baking powder and soda per amount of flour etc.

[MamaMonica]

When I make chocolate chip bar cookies, I substitute 1/4 cup canola oil for the shortening and it works. Applesauce substitutes for the fat very well in muffins.

To create new recipes, I also have an idea of the correct ratio of soda or baking powder or yeast to flour from existing recipes and experiment from there.

I make my cookies as I go along- throwing in oatmeal, maple syrup- whatever substiutes I have around. Molasses is tricky because of the strong taste- you like it or you don't.

I always add more nuts than they say- chocolate chips and walnuts are my favorite combo, and the walnuts are great for your health.

[chicklet]

Cathe- made both your recipes today and they were delicious!!
I added cinnamon to both because I love it in CC cookies and anything oatmeal.

Thanks a bunch!!

[tessamami]

Has anyone tried my banana cookies?

I'm feeling just a little left out, here.

They are terrific and simple (simpler than my annotation).

Try 'em! Anybody?