Healthy Cookie Recipes for Any Occasion

Enlarge Image Image Gallery With a few adjustments, cookies like chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, gingersnaps and snickerdoodles become healthy family favorites. Lori Dunn

SIDEBAR:
Baking Substitutions for Cookie Recipes 

As a youngster, my favorite sweet treats were cookies, although not necessarily from healthy cookie recipes. Whether it was Mom’s warm cookies straight from the baking sheet or cookies plucked from my grandmother’s brightly painted cookie jar, I could never get enough of those delectable delights. After school, at break time, with a cup of tea as I read a book, was there ever a time cookies weren’t in order? Although my mom always frowned on cookies right before dinner, I never saw the harm. In fact, I saw no downside to cookies at all until the onset of middle age. As my husband and I entered our 40s, we discovered an unpleasant truth. While our cookie consumption remained the same through our 20s and 30s, our waistlines only grew. What’s a cookie lover to do?

Rather than give up cookies altogether, I decided to decrease the amount of empty calories my recipes contained and increase their nutritional value at the same time. The result is five recipes, inspired by Betty Crocker, that allow my husband and me to continue to indulge in a favorite treat.

The color and texture are different with these cookies, but the taste is as good as ever. My recipes call for whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour. Many people prefer the less gluten content of whole-wheat pastry flour when making cookies, cakes and muffins. I, however, use whole-wheat bread flour for my cookies as well. The choice is up to you.

If your family balks at the differences in color or texture, begin by using half whole-wheat and half all-purpose flour in the recipes. Each time you prepare the recipe, increase the ratio of whole-wheat flour. You’ll have your family asking for 100 percent whole-wheat cookies in no time. These recipes make about two dozen cookies per batch. The recipes easily can be doubled. 

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

A perennial favorite, these cookies are perfect with a glass of cold milk. At the risk of messing with perfection, this recipe uses whole-wheat flour.