Cookie Obsession

I am obsessed with cookies. When I was a child, I would sneak cookies out of the freezer (where my mother stored them - a not-so-good hiding place!) and hide them under my bed. I would have quite a stash going and then the dog, inevitably, would discover them. My parents called me "Cookie" growing up and still do, to this day.

Times have changed, though. I'm no longer satisfied with an Oreo cookie and Toll House usually doesn't fit the bill either. If I'm having a cookie, I want a good cookie. A Whole Foods cookie. A cookie that has high quality ingredients and isn't too sweet.

Lately, I've been experimenting more than usual in my kitchen with cookies. Recently, I posted a recipe for Chocolate Chip Flax Cookies (see below) which, in my mind, are pretty delicious. I made them again this morning for a friend's birthday and added more chocolate and lots of cranberries. I've already had four. They are addictive.

This week, I made chocolate cookies with white chocolate for my clients. I adapted a Weight Watcher's recipe and I think they came out quite nice. They are light and not too dense. The contrast between the chocolate cookie and the white chocolate shavings makes the cookie interesting. You could easily have more than one and still feel pretty virtuous.

As the holidays approach, I'm going to spend some more time in my kitchen adapting cookie recipes and posting my successes. In the meantime, here is the recipe for the Weight Watcher's cookies:

Chocolate/White Chocolate Cookies

1/3 cup white chocolate shavings (I used Ghiradelli White Chocolate; you could also use white chocolate chips)
2 eggs
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (try a high quality powder for more intense flavor)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Smart Balance spread (melted)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat butter and brown sugar. Fold in regular sugar. Add cocoa and eggs. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.

Bake cookies for 10 to 13 minutes. Let cookies stand on cooking sheet, when removed from oven, for at least five minutes. Cool on racks.

This recipe yields approximately 20 cookies.