If you've ever made cookies with a toddler, you know it can be tricky. It takes about 15 times longer than it would sans child, and there's the whole "please remember you're standing on a chair and stop stepping off the edge" fiasco. Not that my kid ever needs to hear that. Oh no—she's perfect.
Despite all this, Eva and I decided to make cookies last Tuesday. For a few reasons, this turned out to be a much less stressful process than it usually is, and so I've decided to share the recipe with you all.
We made a recipe from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas (they're called Magic Chocolate Chip Cookies or something like that.) I wanted to try her recipe because it uses applesauce in place of most of the fat and sugar, and I've never had much luck baking with applesauce. I like my cookies chewy, not cakey, and applesauce tends to produce a cakey texture. However, I like to have cookies in the house (I was a baker before I was a Mama, and some habits die hard), and now that there's a kid around, and I'm sort of responsible for her health and stuff, I'd like to add a good "healthy" cookie recipe to my files.
Anyway, Nava described her Magic Cookies as nothing short of heavenly, and I decided they were worth a shot. The final product was...cakey. But since I was sort of expecting that, I wasn't turned off. They do taste good, and they are very light, which is often not the case with applesauce. Best of all, Eva loves them and I don't feel bad letting her have a second cookie because there really isn't much sugar in them.
I'll definitely be making these again—because they're a healthier alternative and they taste good, yes, but also because I think these are THE perfect cookies to make with a toddler. Read on to hear why, and also for the recipe...
Like I said, these cookies are packed full of goodness, and there's room to add even more healthy-type stuff, if you wish. The only flour used is whole wheat pastry flour (check the bulk bins at your grocery store if you're having trouble finding it—and yes, it is worth tracking down pastry flour: texture-wise it makes all the difference), and I don't need to tell you about the benefits of using whole wheat flour instead of white. There's very little sugar in these guys—only 1/2 cup in the whole recipe—plus, applesauce and 2 measly tablespoons of oil take the place of any butter or shortening. Sounding good, right?
Ok, here are the toddlericious parts:
1. The dough comes together so easily, there is no need to use a mixer. That means you can do your measuring/dumping/stirring on a low surface instead of way up on the counter. Plus, you can use a very wide-mouthed bowl, increasing the chance that your kid will get most of the flour in the bowl when they dump it in.
2. There are no eggs in this recipe. So when your kid reaches in and steals chocolate chips out of the dough, there is absolutely no way they're going to end up with salmonella. At least not from eggs.
3. The dough is easy to stir so your kid can do most of the mixing. Which, let's face it, is way more fun than standing there while Mom or Dad does the stirring.
4. It seems to be an easily adaptable recipe, so you can mix in chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, oatmeal, granola...pretty much anything you'd like. Eva and I made chocolate chip-almond by adding in chopped, roasted almonds and a dash of almond extract.
Here you go! Enjoy! Let me know how they turn out.
"Healthy" Chocolate Chip Cookies
As printed in The Vegetarian Family by Nava Atlas
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar (she suggests natural sugar, but I used granulated)
2 T ground flax seed, optional
1 cup applesauce
2 T safflower oil (I used canola, you can use your favorite)
1-2 cups chocolate chips, as many or as few as you like
Any additional add-ins (nuts, raisins, etc.)
Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly oil two baking sheets. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and flax (if using) in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Make a well in the center and pour in applesauce and oil. Stir until completely mixed, adding a bit more applesauce if needed to make a smooth and slightly stiff batter. Stir in chocolate chips and any other add-ins. Drop onto prepared cookie sheets in slightly rounded tablespoons. Bake 10-14 minutes, until the bottoms are just lightly browned. Let stand for 1-2 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool. (I usually don't use a rack to cool cookies, but I HIGHLY recommend it with this recipe. These cookies are so moist, if the bottoms don't get some air they will stick together when you store them. In fact, you may want to store these uncovered because they get a bit sticky when covered.) Devour them once cool, if you can wait that long.
A quick note about flax seed: It's optional in this recipe, but you really should use it. Not only is it tasty (kind of nutty), it adds some major omega-3's to your diet. And who couldn't use more of those? If you're not familiar with flax seeds, you can buy them pre-ground (but store the package in the freezer because ground seeds can spoil quickly) or in seed form. The seeds will last a lot longer and can be stored right on your cupboard shelf...just measure out how many you need and grind them in a coffee grinder. Simple! I add ground flax seed to almost everything I bake, and I often sprinkle it on my family's oatmeal (or even on a salad!)