Friday, February 12, 2010

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!!!



12 comments:

  1. These Cookies are really yummm...and it has Nutella in it... Wow!!!! Cant wait to try them out:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cookies looks delicious and yummy...:))

    ReplyDelete
  3. thats lovely.. do accept soma awards from my blog.

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks a lot for ur encouraging words Meena, pls do send this delicious cookies...looks prefect for my event...Thanks and visit my blog often..

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cookies look yummy.Happy Valentine's Day .New to your blog.DO drop by
    http://padhuskitchen.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Excellent
    Regards
    Subhashini
    www.spoonsnforks.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Meena, welcome to my blog.Thanks for ur lovely comment and for following my blog.U too have a nice blog which I shall visit often.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks meena for becoming part of my blog
    Love
    Subhashini

    ReplyDelete
  9. cookies looks yummy and delicious...
    first time here..u have nice blog..
    http://swapnasridhar.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey, yummy cookies..you have a wondersul space Dear..very happy to have found you..I'm following you:-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Nithu, Thanks for visiting dear...will be on your blog often too...

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails