Meals Matter

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Contributed By: hipmamaof1
Weight Watchers

No matter how vigilant you may be about what you eat, it is awfully hard to turn down a chocolate cookie. So there's no sense in not enjoying these wonderful treats — especially when they can fit so easily into your choices for healthy eating.

Ingredients

2 cups All-purpose flour

3/4 cup Rolled oats (do not use quick-cooking oats)

1/2 teaspoon Salt

6 tablespoons Solid vegetable shortening

3/4 cup Granulated sugar

1/2 cup Packed dark brown sugar

1 cup Mashed banana (about 2 ripe bananas)

1 Large egg white

1 tablespoon Vanilla extract

1 cup Mini chocolate chips

Preparation

Position rack in the center of the oven; preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Mix flour, oats, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

With an electric mixer on medium, cream the shortening and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the banana, then the egg white and vanilla. Turn off the mixer, remove the beaters, and stir in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon, just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop by flat tablespoons onto the baking sheet, spacing mounds about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then cool completely on a rack. Cool the baking sheet for 5 minutes before baking additional batches. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Cook's Notes

Makes about 50 cookies Replace half the fat of any cookie recipe with an equivalent amount of unsweetened applesauce or mashed-up, ripe banana. If you do so, always double the amount of vanilla or other spices in the recipe. Always cream the butter or shortening for at least 2 minutes in the mixer at medium speed. More tender cookies have more air beaten into the batter. But once you add the flour, never beat the batter, only stir with a wooden spoon, just until moistened and incorporated. You don't want the glutens to get stiff. If a recipe calls for two whole eggs, use 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites; if it calls for 3 whole eggs, use 1 whole egg and 3 egg whites. Replace walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts with almonds, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, or unsalted sunflower seeds. If you replace buttermilk or sour cream with low-fat buttermilk or fat-free sour cream, use cake flour rather than all-purpose flour for more tender cookies.

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