Paula Deen's Lean: Chocolate Chip Cookie

The Chocolate Chip Cookie is the most popular, likable, most recognizable cookie out there. Who doesn't know the Chocolate Chip? Better yet, who doesn't love a chocolate chip cookie?!? I have the best memories of baking these sweets in my Mom's kitchen growing up; pouring in the chips, stirring the batter and my favorite part...licking the bowl. Oh, so much fun! Now that I am on a mission to make my favorite things lean, it was time to tackle the Chocolate Chip Cookie. Paula has a recipe for Three Chocolate Cookies, which I guess is the closest thing to compare my version to.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Makes 2-3 Dozen


INGREDIENTS:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cup WHOLE WHEAT flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 sticks "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter", softened
3/4 cup SPLENDA
3/4 cup SPLENDA light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg whites
2 cups Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter, Splenda, brown sugar Splenda and vanilla in large bowl with a mixer, until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop by rounded teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

RESULTS:

When hosting Redskins fans on game day, the mood can be a little down at times. What can bring a smile to a disappointed fan's face? Could cookies help out? Sure! I put a plate of these down for the the men on football Sunday and they were gone within minutes! They were smiling and saying things like, "I can't believe these are one of your Lean Paula Deen recipes...they are so good!" I think that is the best compliment; being able to make something that cuts the fat and calories, but not the flavor. I find the men in my life to be picky about flavor. Healthy means bland to them...until they try one of my dishes! As you can see, my daughter Kimberlyn liked them too! Don't worry, I didn't forget to treat myself as well. Chocolate chip cookies and milk, one of my top five favorite food indulgences. Yum.


I was able to cut saturated fat by using a butter substitute and only egg whites. About 700 calories were cut from this recipe by using Splenda in place of granulated sugar! Since you can't do chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate chips, I decided to make the calories worth it. Dark chocolate has been proven to offer health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and supplying antioxidants to the body (get more info. on WebMD.com). So, for good health...make a batch of chocolate chip cookies!Your heart,body and soul will thank you. Oh, and so will your family and friends. ENJOY!