From low fat recipes, to recipes designed for diabetics, Elaine Magee RD, MPH shares recipes and advice to create healthy meals that are guaranteed to please.
Making cookies for your sweethearts? Why not whip up a cookie that includes their favorite add-ins? The basic cookie dough recipe is included below with the directions for making one variation — Coconut Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies. But you can replace the chocolate chips with anything you want, like white chocolate chips, peanut butter M&Ms, or mint chocolate chips, and the nuts and coconut with other fun add-ins, such as dried cranberries or blueberries, miniature marshmallows, or toffee bits.
One of my favorite combinations is dried cranberries or blueberries, white chocolate or butterscotch chips, and toffee bits.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup less fat margarine or whipped butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, higher omega-3 egg if available
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla paste or vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup flaked or shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300-degrees for convection oven or 350-degrees for regular ovens. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or coat mini muffin pans with canola cooking spray.
Beat whipped butter or margarine with brown sugar in large mixing bowl until well blended. Add egg and vanilla, beating until well blended.
Combine whole wheat flour, white flour, baking powder and salt in separate bowl then gradually beat this mixture into butter mixture.
Stir in chocolate chips, coconut and pecans with a spoon or spatula. Drop dough onto prepared cookie sheet or mini muffin pans using a cookie scoop.
Bake about 9 minutes or until starting to lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.
Yield: Makes about 2 dozen.
Per cookie as written: 110 calories, 2 g protein, 13 g carbohydrate, 5.5 g fat, 2.7 g saturated fat, 2 g monounsaturated fat, 1 g polyunsaturated fat, 12 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 75 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 45 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids = 0.2 gram, Omega-6 fatty acids = 0.7 gram