Chocolate Cookie Remix

The best chocolate cookie recipe I’ve ever found was printed on the back of a bag of Reese’s peanut butter chips. The cookies it makes are rich, soft, and fudgy. I’ve made them many times in the past, to the delight of my family or roommates. 

However, when I introduced the recipe to my husband he balked at the amount of fat and sugar it calls for. Part of that perception was due to it being a large recipe; it makes about four dozen cookies. But there’s also no denying that it’s a high-fat recipe. That’s what gives it the wonderful texture! Cookies are unhealthy anyway, so if I’m going to indulge it might as well taste as great as possible, right?

Nevertheless, when we ran out of shortening a few weeks ago, we decided not to buy more. Why spend money on something that unhealthful? But we weren’t ready to give up cookies. So I looked online for some cookie recipes that called for liquid vegetable oil instead.

There were recipes aplenty calling for coconut oil, but that’s way too expensive (dare I say overpriced?). Coconut oil might be somewhat better for you than other solid fats, but from what I know of chemistry, liquid oils are definitely better. And canola oil doesn’t break the bank.

Fortunately there are cookie recipes out there using liquid oil. I found a couple likely-looking recipes for chocolate cookies, from which we adapted our own reduced- cocoa, reduced- sugar version.

How did our low-fat, low-sugar concoction turn out? Quite well! Reducing the cocoa didn’t make them any less chocolaty. In fact, the cookie dough tastes remarkably similar to those packaged “Cosmic Brownies” with the rainbow-colored sprinkles. Strange, but true. That distinctive flavor does fade a bit after baking. I like my cookies soft, so I was pleased when they came out soft in the middle despite being firm around the edges.

I’ll be honest. Our oil-based cookies don’t have quite the texture of the shortening-based ones, so I like them slightly less. But only slightly. Our new cookies are legitimately good, not merely decent.  And health-wise? I have no delusions: they’re still composed of empty calories. They just have fewer calories than the other version. I’ll share both recipes with you, and you can decide which you’d rather bake!

James’ Chocolate cookies

⅓ cup oil

¾ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup cocoa powder

1 ¼ cup flour

¼ cup powdered sugar (for decoration)

Cream oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix well.

Preheat oven to 325. Roll dough into tablespoon-sized balls. Place on a greased cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes. When done, the cookies will be cracked on top but will still look soft. Remember it’s better to overbake than to underbake. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for a few minutes (they will firm up) before removing them with a spatula. Makes 2 dozen.

Variations: add ½ cup peanut butter chips, mint chips, or white chocolate chips.

Reese’s Chewy Chocolate cookies

1 ¼ cup shortening (or 2 ½ sticks butter)

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

¾ cup cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 bag peanut butter chips

Beat butter and sugar with a mixer until fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Gradually add dry ingredients, mixing well. Stir in peanut butter chips.

Bake at 350 for 5-8 minutes. Don’t overbake!

Makes about 4 dozen.