Chewy Gooey Chocolate Cookies

Yields roughly 31 servings

Nutrition Information:  60 calories, 13g carbs, 1g fat, 1g protein, 0mg Cholesterol, 20mg Sodium, 8g sugar, 1g fiber

For those of you who gave up chocolate, dessert, or sugar for Lent - this post is for YOU!  Giving up a favorite food is incredibly difficult...  I would know...  I have tried and failed - haha.  So, if you actually have the will power to give something up, why throw all that hard work away?  That just doesn't make sense to me.  With this recipe, indulge without guilt or throwing away all your hard work.

Whenever I try a totally new recipe, I always follow the directions.  I mean, if it's like pasta - well, I might add more basil or whatever...  But, baking is a bit different - especially if you're using different proportions than you're accustom to using.  So, in honor of all you ladies and gents who gave up dessert for Lent, I thought I would try Martha Stewart's Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe.  

I brought my guinea pigs classmates these delicious clusters of joy and they were a total hit!  But, I knew I could do better. 

Martha's Recipe

So, I pondered....

Banana!  Less sugar!  Egg whites!  Nuts and oatmeal!  FYI - I take any opportunity possible to use oatmeal - freaking LOVE that stuff.  So, the new and improved, and I believe better recipe is below.  Try both!  There's nothing wrong with two batches of yumminess :).

My Recipe

The banana makes the cookies a bit more "cakey", chewy, and less flat.  I must admit - they are not as sweet as Martha's.  If you want a really sweet cookie - use 1 1/2 cups sugar.  The oatmeal gives the cookie some body and depth.  Also, if you reeeeeeeeeally need those chocolate chips - the cookies are still only 79 calories each, whereas Martha's are 101 calories each.  Neither are bad... but mine are better :).

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups white sugar
• ½ mashed banana (about 1 medium banana)
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
• ½ cup Hersey’s Cocoa Special Dark 100% Cocoa Powder
• ¼ cup chopped nuts (your choice)
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix extract and instant coffee until combined.
3. Mix banana, sugar, cocoa powder, and egg whites.
4. Add nuts and mix.
5. Add flour, oats, and baking powder.
6. Bake for roughly 9 minutes – or until fragrant.