Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe appeared in Cooking Light Magazine several years ago.  The recipe was submitted by a 20- year old college student from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington.  The cookie creator, Lauren Harwick, said she was attempting to make a healthier version of Nestle' Tollhouse Cookies.  I think she was quite successful.  [I grew up on Tollhouse cookies. They always turned out great!  When I moved to Colorado I learned, at high altitude, Tolllhouse cookies are just not the same. They spread out too much and are greasy... not good!  Strange, huh?]  My neighbor, Elva, made these "new and improved" chocolate chip cookies and my son loved them... so I had to get the recipe.  These are the only cookies I make that my son likes.  (I am starting to wonder if he really is my son...ha, ha!  Just kidding!) The other day, my son had a cold and he actually requested I make him some cookies.  Being that cookies are just about my favorite food in the entire WORLD (hence the reason I question if he is really my son!), I dropped everything and whipped up a batch.  These cookies started to disappear quickly once they came out of the oven, but in my opinion, these cookies are even better the next day.  They have a nice tender, chewy texture, which I really like. I also enjoy the fact the cholesterol is eliminated since the egg yolks are omitted and, of course, any opportunity to use some whole wheat flour without anyone noticing is always a good thing in my book.  Here's the recipe:

WET INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 ½ tablespoons light colored corn syrup
3/4 cups packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large egg whites





DRY INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (*)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine oil and corn syrup in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add sugars; stir with a whisk until well blended. Stir in vanilla extract and egg whites.
2. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and all the remaining dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl; stir with whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, stirring well until combined. Stir in the “add ins” depending upon which type of cookie you are making; cover and chill 1 hour. The dough will be rather sticky when you initially put it in the refrigerator, but it will become less sticky after chilling.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Drop dough by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray (or lined with parchment paper).

Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until almost set.

(*)  The original recipe recommends grain sweetened chocolate chips (such as Sunspire).  I used Nestle' Tollhouse semi-sweet chips.

Yield: 44 cookies
Calories: 74 per cookie
Fat: 1.8 grams
Protein: 1.3 grams
Cholesterol: 0 grams

I love my cookie scoop... just a small version of an ice cream scoop!