Perfect Whole Wheat Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies

My search is over.  I have finally created, after many trials, the perfect whole wheat chocolate chip cookie.  This cookie is crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.  These are easy to make and unlike some cookies, are still extremely tasty after cooling overnight. They lose the crispy outside, but stay soft and chewy.  Oh yea one more thing...you would never know these are whole wheat.  Definitely try these.  Easy to make and easy to eat.  Good Luck keeping them in the house for more than 3 days.

 Ingredients

- 1 1/4 sticks of unsalted organic butter (softened)

- 2/3 cup packed organic light brown sugar

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 egg

- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

- 1 heaping cup organic whole wheat pastry flour

- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

- 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400º.  In a mixer, combine butter, sugar, salt and baking powder on medium speed until well combined and smooth.  Add egg and vanilla and continue mixing until smooth.  Next pour in flour and mix low until a loose dough is formed.  Hand mix chocolate chips in.  On a greased cookie sheet spoon 2 teaspoon scoops about 2 inches apart.  Cook for 6 minutes or until edges begin to brown.  Pour a glass of milk and enjoy!!  Makes about 3 dozen mini cookies.

Notes on the Recipe:

- For thinner crispier cookies use only 1 cup of flour instead of a heaping cup.

- For perfect spooning use a 1 1/2 teaspoon (size 100) cookie scoop (Norpro Stainless Steel Scoop)

- Mini chocolate chips work great in this recipe but good luck finding mini dark chocolate chips.

Whole Wheat Blondies (ala mode optional)

Blondies were always one of my favorite types of cookies.  Or is it a cake?  Personally I am not really sure.  But it doesn't really matter.  All that matters is that they taste good.  One problem...They aren't the healthiest of options.  I haven't made them a whole lot healthier but added whole grains to the recipe to allow for a little less guilt.  Less guilty, but ALL the flavor of regular blondies.  This recipe is extremely easy to prep and entails only a few ingredients.  Try out the recipe.  I guarantee you will enjoy!!  And to all my kosher readers, this recipe is also kosher!!  Unlike some of my recipes, this has exact measurements.

Ingredients needed for less guilty Blondies

- 1 stick of unsalted organic butter (melted)

- 1 cup packed organic light brown sugar

- 1 egg

- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (The REAL stuff please)

- 1 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour

- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

- Whatever fillings you would like (I use white and dark chocolate chips and chopped walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix melted butter and light brown sugar until combined completely.  Slowly add egg and vanilla while constantly mixing to make sure egg doesn't begin to cook if butter is still hot.  Once mixed to a smooth liquid add the whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, and baking powder.  Add whatever fillings you desire.  There are 2 ways you can cook these.  Put dough in a greased 8x8 inch cake pan or do what I do:

Go out and buy one of these (Kitchen Essentials® from Calphalon® Bar Pan)

Bake blondies for 20 minutes if you like them to be moister/softer, or bake for 30 minutes for a more crispier/drier blondie. 

Notes on recipe:

- Filling suggestions: White chocolate chips, Dark chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, peanuts, raisins, m&ms, reeses pieces, or whatever your heart desires.

- I certainly think the moister/softer blondie is better but feel free to try anything.

- Allow blondies to completely cool before cutting them or taking them out of the pan.

- One of my friends suggested this and it was great.  Put the blondies in the fridge and let them get hard.  You might be surprised but they happen to make for an even better treat.  And it take longer to eat.  Thanks Justin.

- The Bar Pan works amazing.  I highly suggest it.  It can also be used for easy less messy brownies. Oops did I say brownies.  Not really supposed to mention those while talking blondies.  

Enjoy!!!

Healthier, Kosher, Whole Wheat Rugelach

 

From the look at the picture you might be saying to yourself, This looks too complicated...There is no way I can make this...This is going to take a long time.  If you are thinking any of these things, you are wrong.  The recipe I am about to explain to you is one of the easiest recipes I have ever made.  On top of that it was fun and allows you to become creative in the kitchen.  If you are a lover of Rugelach and wouldn't eat it because you know how bad it is for you, PLEASE try this recipe.  As an added bonus I made sure this recipe is kosher considering this cookie is traditionally a Jewish pastry.  Now remember, I do not measure when I bake and cook, so some of the ingredients listed are estimates of what was used.  It is up to you, the cook, to figure out the exact amounts.

Ingredients needed for these amazing cookies

For Dough:

- 1 8oz package of low fat cream cheese

- 1 stick of organic butter

- 3/4 cup of organic cane sugar

- 2 1/2 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour

For Filling:

- 1/2 cup cane sugar

- 1/8 cup cinnamon

- 1/2 cup Cocoa Powder

- Finely Chopped Walnuts

- 1/8 cup canola oil 

Miscellaneous:

- 1 egg

- Confectioner's Sugar

Cooking Instructions

To make the dough, using a hand mixer, first cream the cream cheese, butter, and sugar in a mixing bowl.  Next add the flour in 3 equal increments.  Start by mixing with a spoon.  Once it gets too hard to mix, wash your hands, and dig in.  You will know you have added enough flour once the dough becomes less sticky and pretty firm.  This is when you cover and put in the fridge for an hour.  

While the dough is in the fridge, its time to mix the filling.  This is where you can get creative.  You can come up with and unlimited number of fillings.  Some traditional ones are, chocolate, cinnamon and sugar, walnut, and apricot preserves.  For my recipe, I have made a combination of Cocoa, cinnamon, sugar, and walnuts.  Simply mix the dry ingredients of the filling listed above.  Then add the canola oil and mix until it covers the entire mixture evenly.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Take the dough out of the fridge and split into 3 even amounts.  Take one of the dough balls and roll into a circle.  You want this to be about a 12 inch thin circle.  Next, spread the filling on top of the dough covering the radius as best you can.  Once this is complete cut the dough with a sharp knife into the following:

Starting on the thick side roll each section of the dough inward and place on a nonstick pan covered with cooking spray.  Brush the top of each cookie with a beaten egg.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the top of the cookie begins to brown.  Repeat with 2 other dough portions.  Let cool, dust with confectioner's sugar, and enjoy.  And I know you will.  Recipe yields about 48 cookies.