My favorite chocolate chip cookies...anyone want to help make them healthier?

These are really, really good, but I'd like to see about some substitutions to make them a bit healthier and lower calorie, hopefully without using artificial sweeteners.

So far I've used whole wheat flour for 1/3 of the flour and that's come out fine.  I've tried using 2 egg whites which also comes out fine. I need the bourbon and the vanilla for flavoring no matter what.  The sour cream makes them moist and rich, I've used a low fat or non-fat sour cream and one time a vegan sour cream with no ill effects.  Dark chocolate chips work just fine, cutting a few out is fine too.

I've heard of using applesauce for butter or oil, but I'm uncertain as to how it would turn out. 

• 1 stick butter
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp bourbon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 bag chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans

 

Have you tried cutting the butter/oil, sugar & chocolate in half? 1/4 cup maple syrup would work really well, it adds depth to baked goods.

Hey! You could also use firm silken tofu in place of the butter. Silken tofu makes baked goods nice & chewy.

As carleyrapp mentioned, try cutting the butter down and see what happens. I wouldn't recommend subbing applesauce for butter (it works fine for oil) because it completely changes the texture of the cookies.

Similarly, you can usually cut the sugar without any ill effect.

A lot of your calories are probably coming from the pecans, but I just can't stomach the idea of giving up pecans in cookies. Plus, it's good fat!

If the butter is creamed into the sugar then it's going to be hard to substitute and still get the texture you love. 

It wont change the texture if you use oil or blend the maple syrup with the tofu.

Here's my favourite chocolate chip recipe that I lightly adapted from Dreena Burtons Vive le Vegan!:

• 1 cup flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp blackstrap molasses
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup canola
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips

You could cross the two recipes & get on that's less calories & sugar. These are soooo chewey & gooey, they are the best!

 ps I'm going to start putting bourbon in them... that sounds great!

If I were making them and wanted to cut out calories, this is what I'd do:

• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup egg beaters
• 1/4 cup fat free sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp bourbon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup splenda
• 1 1/3 cup Spelt flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 bag carob chips
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

The main thing I do when baking ANYTHING is substituting (no sugar added)applesauce for the oil (or butter, same thing I think) and taking the yolks out of the eggs. If it calls for 3 eggs I break 3 eggs in a glass measuring cup, see how much it is (like 1/3 cup or whatever) then take the yolks out and add more egg whites till it equals the same amount as the eggs WITH the yolk. And finally, I use splenda. Doing these three things cuts out calories and fat substantially and I never notice a difference in taste, or texture, or moistness in anything I make doing these three things.

Anything I bake (and thats rare) I add a scoop of protein powder too.  Usually I use vanilla, but if you're making brownies chocolate might be more appropriate.  Pancakes, biscuits, cookies, you name it!  Sure it increases the calories, but those calories are all protein which are hard to find in too many baked goods.  You're not going to find a good bread with 9g protein in it now are you?

Make them as you always do, but eat a lot fewer.  It's more satisfying than recipe changes that only lower the calorie content slightly but make them taste worse.