DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

 Lately I have been making muffins and breads which is not unusual, but yesterday I wanted a cookie. But I wanted a cookie that I could eat without feeling much guilt that I was eating one. That means good tasting but with o or little sugar. . 

I splurged over the last month or so and purchased sugar-free substitutes that wouldn't change the taste. I even bought some no-sugar-added chocolate chips. I do use them sparingly and usually for treats we mainly eat. That doesn't mean that I don't use stevia for sugar. While it costs more than sugar, it isn't that expensive. 

As I said I wanted to make something besides a muffin or quick bread so when I was checking out "marked" recipes I had in Pillsbury Healthy-Baking cookbook, the first one was this recipe for Double Chocolate Chip Cookies. It doesn't have huge amounts of sugars but mainly because the recipe only makes 2 dozen cookies. If you need or want to make more than that, just double the recipe. For us, two dozen cookies were just perfect.

Each cookie only has 40 calories and 6 grams of sugar if you used "the real things" instead of sugar-substitute products or no-sugar-added products.

The cookie is definitely chocolate (I even used special dark cocoa) and has a nice cake-like texture. I couldn't help but think as I ate one that they would make a good pie crust crumbled with a little butter for the crumbs to stick together. I have done that with a recipe I have for gingersnaps. The pie turned out so good.

PRINT recipe only.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE-CHIP COOKIES

1/2     cup firmly packed brown sugar (I used 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup truvia brown sugar complete)

1/4     cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

1/2     teaspoon vanilla

1        egg white

1        cup flour

3        tablespoon unsweetened cocoa (I used special dark)

1/2     teaspoon baking soda

1/8     teaspoon salt

1/2     cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used no-sugar-added dark chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

In a large mixer bowl, beat the brown sugar and butter until

light and fluffy.

Add vanilla and egg white;

blend well.

Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt

with a whisk.

Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture;

mixing well.

Add the chocolate chips.

Using a tablespoon scoop, scoop level scoopfuls and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. (I used my new baking sheets that I bought before Christmas. They worked great!)

Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until edges are set. DO NOT OVERBAKE. (I just baked mine the full 9 minutes.) Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute and

then remove the cookies to finish cooling on a wire rack. I baked 25 cookies.

Store in an airtight container.

Since this is the beginning of a new year - 2023 to be precise, I thought I would try to complete a daily blessings jar. I am hoping I will complete this task. In the past, I have started a journal of daily blessings but by the time February gets here I am usually done with the assignment.

This is what my 2023 Blessings Jar looks like on top of my secretary. 

I was going to use the 2 or 2 - inch post-its, but found this notepad I had and thought it would work as well. I tore out a page and dated it. Then I wrote the blessing for January 1.

I folded the sheet in half and tore off a small piece of tape to take the ends together. I folded the tape over to the back side and then

dropped it in the jar. I plan to do this each day and then at the end of the month, remove the notes and revisit my blessings. Then I will click them together so they won't be loose in the jar when I start adding the next month's blessings. By the end of the year, if I have been successful, I will have 11 months clicked together and one month loose notes. Stay tuned.