The commitment to eat healthier has been surprisingly easy to keep with the results showing both on the scale and in my energy level. I have never been too much of a sweet tooth, so I was quite surprised to realize that I actually missed a little something sweet once in awhile.
Cookies are a good option for creating a relatively healthy treat since it is easy to determine an appropriate portion and with the recipes lend themselves to modification since they are fairly uncomplicated. My attempts at reducing both the fat and sugar and been quite successful. This particular cookie originated from Cooking Light a number of years ago, however they included frosting and additional nuts on top, both of which I nixed.
I have been experimenting with using stevia in place of at least part of the total sugar in recipes and have liked most of the results so far. Replacing all of the sugar tends to result in an “off” taste, so I am still trying to find the perfect balance. I may not be there yet, but as these cookies prove, I am well on my way.
One of the tricks I have found to a successful cookie with less fat, is to slightly under cook them. The other is to only mix by hand; don’t be tempted to use that shiny KitchenAid for this type of cookie!
Without the frosting, these cookies won’t win any beauty contests, but they will win you over with their soft texture, toasty nuts and perfect mix of fall spices. Try baking a batch for your next cookie exchange and impress your friends with a cookie that is not only delicious but has a fraction of the calories and fat of every other cookie on the plate.
Whole Wheat Maple Walnut Cookies
- 3 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- ¼ freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup stevia – not baking blend
- ½ cup good quality butter, softened at room temperature
- ½ cup regular Egg Beaters
- ¼ cup maple syrup (grade B if you can get it)
- 2 tsps. Vanilla
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped coarsely
Procedure:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg & salt; set aside
- Cream butter and sugar in large bowl with wooden spoon until smooth
- Add Egg Beaters, maple syrup and vanilla to butter/sugar mixture and beat with spoon until well incorporated.
- Add dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredients in 3 additions, stir to incorporate after each addition.
- Stir in walnut pieces until they are evenly distributed
- Use a cookie dough scoop (my favorite) or tablespoon to drop cookie dough balls onto cookie sheet lined with silicone baking sheet or parchment paper 1 -2 inches apart. You should end up with 12 cookies for an average size baking sheet.
- Bake cookies for 8-9 minutes until color changes just slightly. They will still be very soft.
- Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
- Once completely cooled, store in airtight container.
Makes 3 -4 dozen cookies depending on the size of your cookies.
Adapted from Cooking Light.
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