Low Fat Chocolate Chip Yogurt Cookies

I’M BACK!!

Moved to Alabama 3 weeks ago and still living out of boxes.

But… I finally found all my baking supplies, so I can bake again!!  Yay!

I had some yogurt in the house and saw this recipe, so here are some yummy low fat cookies!

I have to be honest with you– this one makes me want to eat my computer screen…

I actually got annoyed by the recipe because it called for mini chocolate chips, and I’m not a fan.  I prefer to have big chunks of chocolate.

I thought they were trying to cut down on the fat by adding very few itty bitty chocolate chips.

I was angry at the cookbook. 

I almost rebelled and put regular chocolate chips—and more of them!

But at the last minute, I noticed I had exactly ½ cup of mini chocolate chips (what a coincidence, huh?)

So I used it.

And interestingly, I was glad I did. 

Look at all the yummy chocolate chips!

I guess I can be a rebel next time. 

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Low Fat Chocolate Chip Yogurt Cookies (by Pillsbury)

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Beat sugar, butter, and shortening until light and fluffy.

Add yogurt and vanilla; blend well.

Stir in flour, baking soda and salt.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375°F for 8-12 minutes, or until light golden brown.

Valentine’s Day Desserts 2013

I’m too tired to think of anything clever to say.

Are you shocked?

But I didn’t want Valentine’s Day to go by without showing you what I made.

Here is all I had time for (not as much as I hoped):

Low fat strawberry cupcakes with buttercream frosting

I had to add some Valentine’s Day color to my chocolate chip cookies:

Chocolate Chip and M&M cookies

Anyway, I spent Valentine’s Day at home.

We ordered pizza.

Mini heart cakes with white chocolate chips

Valentine’s dinner with my husband and 3 very loud boys.

Not very romantic, huh?

Well, it’s the best way to spend Valentine’s Day– with my 4 Valentines. 

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

I heard about these cookies, and I wasn’t sure why you might want to put cream cheese in chocolate chip cookies.

I had to find out of course, so I made them:

These cookies have a different flavor than your average chocolate chip cookie, kind of tangy—and they’re soft!

I also made some with M&Ms.

Why?  Because I was bored.

Or maybe because I needed a splash of color.

Or I wanted variety.

I’m not really sure what made me do that.

Whatever the reason, it was a good idea because we liked them even more!

And they’re bite-sized, so they’re a perfect snack.

As long as you can get them before your kids eat them all.

You can always play “Rock, Paper, Scissors” to see who gets the last ones– although I never win in my house.

I played with my 3-year-old recently, and when we said “shoot,” I put up a rock, and he put up a gun.  What??  And, well, a gun shoots a rock.

So I thought I’d be cool and use that trick with my 9-year-old.  But when I put up my gun, he put up a force field.  Really??

Apparently, nothing can enter a force field, and so I lost again.

So, in summary– make these cookies because they’re good, and don’t play
Rock, Paper, Scissors for them.

Just hide some for yourself instead!

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Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from bakeorbreak.com)

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups chocolate chips (or M&Ms)

Beat butter, cream cheese, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Mix in vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Gradually add to mixture in first bowl, mixing until almost combined.

Add chocolate chips (or M&Ms), stirring until dough is thoroughly mixed.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto prepared pans.

Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.  (They almost seemed undercooked when I took them out, but were perfect once they cooled.)

Cool cookies completely on pan on wire racks.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips

I don’t like oatmeal cookies.

Maybe it’s because of the raisins.

Sometimes they’ve tricked me into thinking they were chocolate chips from afar. 

Huge letdown, if you ask me.

So, I guess if they were oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips, they would be ok.

But I found something even better– a recipe for these chocolate oatmeal cookies.

And guess what?  I added chocolate chips, just to annoy the raisins in the world. 

They could totally win a cookie-stacking contest…

Everyone loved them—even me!!

You actually can’t even tell they’re oatmeal cookies.

Can you see the chocolate chips? I promise they’re in there!

They are very chocolatey– and so chewy in the middle.

Yum!

I got really good feedback for these, but the best was my 9-year-old’s.

I asked him what he thought and he replied, “They’re like… you need to make them 500 more times.”

Well, that sounds like he really liked them!

And it sounds exhausting.

So I probably won’t be making them 500 more times…

But I will definitely make them again!!

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Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips (adapted from Hershey’s Kitchens)

• 1 cup  (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy.

Blend in eggs and vanilla.

Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, mixing well.

Stir in oats and chocolate chips. (Batter will be stiff.)

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes or until set; cookies will be slightly moist in center.  Do not overbake.

Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

(This recipe makes a lot of cookies.  I actually halved it when I made mine, and it worked out well.)

White Chocolate Cookies

I love chocolate.

But I’m now convinced that chocolate hates me.

No matter what I do, it won’t melt. 

I’ve mentioned this before—but now it’s getting out of control.

In the middle of complaining about chocolate, here are some cookies:

Not only do they have white chocolate chips, but they also have melted white chocolate in the batter!!  YUM.

It was the chocolate coating that gave me a hard time.

Can someone please come over my house and show me how to melt chocolate???

Yes, I tried the microwave.

Yes, I tried the double boiler.

Yes, I tried the Wilton melting pot.

Yes, I screamed at it to melt.

No, I could never get it to the right consistency.

Well, at least the cookies ended up looking cute and tasting yummy.

I guess they were worth my fight with the chocolate.

But someday I’ll win…

White Chocolate Cookies (adapted from Betty Crocker)

Cookies

• 1-2/3 cups white chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Melt 1 cup of the chocolate chips and cool.

In large bowl, beat sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy.

Beat in melted chips on low speed. Stir in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar.

Stir in remaining 2/3 cup chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 325 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until very light brown.

Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Coating

•  16  ounces white chocolate chips (or colorful candy melts), melted

Dip cookies in melted chocolate and make them pretty!!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I don’t typically make banana bread, but I had some really ripe bananas that I was not going to eat.

And when I told my family that I was making it, I got a few complaints and sighs.

I guess it’s because I said “bread.”

My husband even asked why I wasn’t using bread flour.  Lol.

But after they tried it, they kept asking for more.

And since it has chocolate chips in it, it’s even better!!

I have to say, this banana bread really is addictive…

Everyone kept eating it and asking for more, so I had to stop them.

I told them I needed to take some pictures for this post.

And the response I got was, “Well, you could just bake another one!”

Hmmm, I guess they liked it after all. 

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (adapted from Rachael Ray’s website)

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 bananas, mashed (1 cup mashed banana)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

Mix in the oil, bananas and eggs.

Stir in the chocolate chips (do not overmix) and pour into greased loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 60 minutes.

Cool the  loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely, right side up.

Golden Brownies

First thing you need to know is that these brownies are awesome.

They’re just like regular brownies, but made with white chocolate.  With some chocolate chips for extra awesomeness.

Alright, now that we got that out of the way, I’ll tell you what a huge hassle it was to name them.

They are NOT blondies.

Nor are they cookie bars.

The recipe is actually for “Snow White Brownies.”

But they’re not white.

And they certainly don’t look like a Disney Princess.

Little bites of happiness?

No, happiness isn’t a tangible item.

Rays of sunshine?

No, that would burn.  And possibly blind you.

So I finally settled on Golden Brownies.

Now that I think about it, it probably doesn’t matter what I named them.  They’re delicious no matter what they’re called.

I’d pick them over a regular brownie any day.

 

Golden Brownies (adapted from the Bake Sale Cookbook)

• 3/4 Cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 4 ounces white chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
• 1/2 Cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 Cup semisweet chocolate chips

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

Melt the butter and white chocolate, and stir until completely melted.  Set aside to cool.

Whisk together sugar and eggs in a large bowl.  Stir in white chocolate mixture and vanilla, then stir in flour mixture until just incorporated.

Pour batter into greased 8 inch square baking pan.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’m going to tell you a secret.

Aside from being yummy, these cookies are healthy-er than normal.

Why?

Because they’re made with less butter, and they have oats in them.

Then why didn’t I call them oatmeal cookies?

Well, because they don’t taste like oatmeal cookies.  Believe me, my “I-don’t-like-oatmeal-cookies-so-why-are-you-making-these” husband was pleasantly surprised.

They why didn’t I call them “light” cookies?

OK, enough with the questions already!

Fine, I’ll tell you!  It’s because I loaded them up with white chocolate chips.  Alright? Happy now?

OK, now that I came clean, I might as well tell you the whole story.  The original recipe called for raisins only.  I don’t believe in raisin cookies.  So I added Craisins instead. 

They rhyme, so it works right?

Can you see the white chocolate chips?

And then I added lots of white chocolate chips.  Lots.

Yum.

Good news… I had 14 taste testers, and they all loved these cookies.

Bad news… the cookies are gone.

 

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from Cooking Light)

• 1/2 C granulated sugar
• 1/2 C packed brown sugar
• 1/3 C butter, softened
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/8 t salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 C all-purpose flour
• 1 C quick oats
• 1/2 C (or more) white chocolate chips
• 1/4 C Craisins

Beat first 6 ingredients at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add flour and oats, and beat until blended.

Stir in chocolate chips and Craisins.

Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

Bake for 11 or 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cool on wire racks.

Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know, I know, everyone makes chocolate chip cookies all the time.  Nothing exciting.

But you don’t understand…

I can’t live without them.

I LOVE chocolate chip cookies.  I really mean LOVE.

This was the first time I used this recipe, but I put dark chocolate chips in them, just for a change.

What a good change. 

So about me and chocolate chip cookies…

We are inseparable.

I will hide them from people.  Seriously.

Because they’re mine.

I’m kidding. Ha!

(No, I’m actually not kidding.) 

Anyway, enough about me. Let’s talk about them.

These cookies are really, really good. Everyone liked them.

They are so chewy, which is awesome.

So, I found another yummy chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Yay!

OK, if you don’t want a chocolate chip cookie right now, then something’s wrong…

Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from Desserts By the Yard)

• 1-1/2 C all purpose flour
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 C packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 C dark chocolate chips

Sift together the flour and baking soda and set aside.

Cream the butter on medium speed, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the sugar, brown sugar, and salt to the butter.  Continue creaming on medium speed until smooth and lump-free, about 1 minute.  Scrape down the sides.

Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed for 15 seconds, or until the egg is fully incorporated.  Do not overbeat.

On low speed, add the sifted flour mixture.  Beat slowly until incorporated.

Mix in dark chocolate chips.

Spoon heaping tablespoons onto the baking sheet, 2 inches apart.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  (Place on middle rack, rotating the sheet from the middle rack to the bottom rack halfway through baking.)

Remove and cool on cooling rack for 5 minutes (if you can wait that long)!

 

White Chocolate Chip Bars

I am so glad these are yummy, because it was quite an ordeal to make them.

This story is for those of you who think it was an effortless baking session.

 

So I melted the butter.  Check.

Wait, it said unsalted.

Oops.

Then I went to get the light brown sugar.

There was only dark.

I freaked out a little.

But I made an adjustment and proceeded.

 

Then vanilla extract.

There’s no more.  Well, a drop or so.

Seriously, could I really be having a vanilla extract emergency??  Yes.

So I freaked out some more.

Once I got myself back together, I did some modifications and hoped for the best…

 

They were crunchy on the outside and oh so soft in the middle.

And oh so good.  

Disaster averted and a new bar created.

Nice.  :)

 

White Chocolate Chip Bars

• 3/4 C butter
• 1 1/8 C packed dark brown sugar
• 1 1/8 C sugar
• 1/2 T vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 C all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur whole white wheat)
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1 1/2 C white chocolate chips

Grease 9 x 13 baking pan.

Beat butter, sugars, vanilla, and eggs in large bowl until light and creamy.

Stir in flour and baking powder until well blended.  Stir in 1 cup white chocolate chips.

Spread mixture in the pan.

Bake 25 minutes, or until light golden brown and the center is set.

Cool completely in the pan.

Melt remaining white chocolate chips and drizzle on top.

Low Fat Chocolate Cookies with Chocolate Chips

My friend Dana asked why I don’t have recipes on my blog. 

And a few minutes later, she emailed me a recipe.

Hmmm…

So I made the cookies, and here they are! 

They are low fat and have hidden mini chocolate chips in them.

No, they don’t taste low fat.  Seriously.

And yes, they are good.

And they are gone.

They went really fast.

They are actually drop cookies, like the ones below, but they didn’t look pretty enough for me, so I flattened half of them.

I have to say though– the drop cookies seem to have a better texture than the flat ones.  So if you decide to make these, I recommend doing it just as the recipe says. 

The kids loved them.

My husband, on the other hand, didn’t say anything.

So I waited.  And I worried.

And then he confessed to stuffing 6 of them in his mouth while I wasn’t looking.

Not bad.

 

Low Fat Chocolate Cookies with Chocolate Chips

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars together with an electric mixer until creamy.

Add egg white and vanilla and mix until well blended.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.

Gradually add flour mixture to egg and sugar.

Use a spoon to work the dough together. Don’t worry if the dough seems a little crumbly at first.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop cookie dough by the teaspoonful on to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat if you have one.

Bake at 350 for 7 minutes.

Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.