What would the holidays be without cookies? Completely devoid of hope, joy and your family's love is what they'd be. Of course, when it comes to cookies there are plenty of calorie concerns. But all is not lost!
From the good folks at EatingWell, via Delish, comes this recipe for Raspberry-Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies. This recipe reduces calories by cutting down on the sugar, and also gives you healthy servings of fruits and oats. But don't worry, there's still chocolate in it.
Here's what you'll need.
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup oat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup light oil, such as safflower or canola
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup whole almonds
1/4 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup chocolate chips, preferably bittersweet
2 tablespoons raspberry preserves
And here's what you do.
1. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
2. Process almonds in a blender in two batches until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl and add whole-wheat flour, oat flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk oil, maple syrup, apple juice, almond and vanilla extracts in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; stir to combine. Use your hands to knead the dough together; add 1 to 2 tablespoons additional apple juice if the mixture is too crumbly.
3. Form level tablespoonfuls of dough into balls and place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Gently flatten each ball into a disk, then make an indentation in the center using your thumb or a small spoon. Place a few chocolate chips in each indentation, then cover with 1/4 teaspoon preserves.
4. Bake the cookies, one batch at a time, until golden around the edges, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serves 10. 128 calories per serving.
