Chocolatey Goodness for Valentine's Day - Healthfully Decadent Style!!!

With Valentine's Day around the corner, I wanted to make some chocolatey goodies for the occasion, but in the Healthfully Decadent style. I wanted to make something wholesome and yet not over-the-top when it comes to fat and calories...most of the recipes I found on the web called for oodles of Nutella(the chocolate-hazelnut spread) and butter.

So I decided to make up my own recipe...so that I would come up with a product that would be yummy but still low on fat...something  I would not feel guilty about feeding the kids and of course, could eat one or two(or three or four...??) myself.

This is the recipe I came up with by combining multiple recipes for chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies. There is no peanut butter in this recipe, but I was looking at those recipes for guidance because peanut butter is about the same consistency as Nutella.

The end result, I am happy to say, is that one I shall be making many more times. It is not too sugary-sweet but at the same time, it is one divine cookie with a lot of chocolatey wholesomeness. Here is the recipe, in case somebody else would like to try it. This recipe makes you "Super-Mom" with the kids, for sure...and you can tell yourself that the health benefits of high anti-oxidants from the dark chocolate make it good for you too:)))

Valentine's Day Special:  Heart-shaped Nutella Cookies encrusted with Nuts and Chocolate Chips Recipe

********************************************************************************

Makes: 15 cookies
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 12 - 14 mins

Ingredients:


1/4 cup (comes to about 4tbsp) light olive oil or any vegetable oil (alternately, you could use butter, of course...I used olive oil for a lighter, low fat cookie version)

1 ounce unsweetened dark cocoa powder( I used Ghirardelli)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tbsp Nutella

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts or walnuts, toasted

1/4 cup white chocolate chips



Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or I just put parchment paper on the baking sheet to avoid the use of butter or oil for greasing the sheet(healthfully decadent, you know!) .


Whisk together cocoa and olive oil(or melted butter) until nicely combined. Place sugar in a large mixing bowl; add oil(butter)-cocoa mixture, and beat using a mixer on medium speed, until well combined and grainy - about 1 to 2 minutes.


In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Separately, beat Nutella, 1 egg and vanilla into sugar-oil-cocoa mixture, until well combined, about 1-2 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture until just combined; stir in hazelnuts/walnuts  and chocolate chips until combined.


Roll tablespoons of dough into balls, place on cookie sheets, and flatten slightly using palms of hands to get round cookies. I used some heart - shaped cookie cutters to shape the cookies. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Cool 2 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy!


These Healthfully Decadent Nutella Cookies go to Priya of Easy N Tasty Recipes for her timely event "Hearts for St.Valentine's Day".

Happy Valentine's Day to all!!!