A Heathy Alternative.

Lately I've been experimenting with cookie recipes, seeing how far I can push the substitution envelope in terms of lowering the fat content of a cookie while still keeping it delicious.

Here's what I've found thus far...replacing all of the butter with equal amounts of canola oil results in an equally yummy product, only sacrificing some of the crunch factor.  The few recipes that I have tried are standards, but I developed a variation of an oatmeal cookie that I have lovingly renamed the Trail Mix cookie.  There is a whole variety of granola worthy ingredients including sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and coconut.  There is a small amount of chocolate in the form of mini semi-sweet chips to satisfy that bitterness that chocolate so often brings to the party.

The interesting thing with this cookie is, in the two times I've tested the recipe there have only been slight variations, adding more nuts and seeds, and upping the flour content a little.  The first recipe resulted in an almost macaroon style, very crunchy exterior with a dense, chewy inside albeit a very flat final product.  The second time, with more flour and such, the cookie came out almost like all my regular recipes; almost no spread and an equally crunchy, flakey, chewy interior.  I second guessed my recipe execution for the first batch - not sure that I added the eggs which could account for the flatness...

This is going to take some more research, but I believe I am on the verge of one delicous, and very healthy cookie!