Chocolate Chip Cookies X 2

It's so nice when needs collide as far as the kitchen is concerned. If I am going to make a mess and dirty up the kitchen, I might as well be hitting two birds with one stone...or as many birds as I can for that matter. Tonight I needed to make a treat for a meeting I have tomorrow morning, and my husband needed a treat for his kids at school. So. To the kitchen. I made a healthy chocolate chip cookie for my treat, and a good old fashioned chocolate chip cookie the kids at my husband's school.  

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups rolled oats (quick cooking oats would probably be fine)

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup tahini

4 T butter, softened

3/4 cup honey

1 large egg  

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4 oz. mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 deg F. 

Whisk oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In a mixer bowl, beat tahini and butter until smooth. Add honey and beat on low speed until well blended.  At low speed, beat in egg and vanilla just until blended. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients. With a spatula, fold in chocolate chips. 

Drop a tablespoon of dough onto baking sheet. Flatten dough slightly with fingertip. Place dough 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 8-9 minutes to light golden brown. Keep an eye on these, if you bake them too long (since they are so healthy) they will taste dry. Take them out just before they look done (you will feel like you are taking them out too soon, but really about 8 minutes is plenty of time). 

I found this recipe online, from the Dr. Oz. show website I think, a few motnsh back, but I have altered it quite a bit. The origianl recipe called for butter substitute, brown rice syrup (neither of which I use), walnuts and craisens. I decided to make it more simple. They were both hearty and delicious!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

5 T butter, softened

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

8 ounces mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

Combine the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a large bowl and set aside. With a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients and mix until a soft dough forms. Fold in the mini chips with a spoon or spatula.

Scoop out a tablespoon of dough at a time and place on a greased baking sheet, leaving a few inches in between each. Bake 9-10 minutes until barely brown. The trick to making these chewy, as the name suggests, is to take them out before they get golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Makes about 30 cookies.