Being Experimental

Last night, I decided to make some cookies with my boys.  I just wanted to make a quick half-batch of chocolate chip cookies - no refrigerating of the dough (the kids are all about instant gratification), not many cookies to have to eat later.  Now, all you chocolate chip cookie lovers out there probably know all of the important factors in baking a really good chocolate chip cookie and I didn't really have time for any of them, but don't shrug off my accidental discovery.  It made for some excellent cookies.  Back to my story.  I threw in my 1/4 cup of soft, but not melted, butter and my quarter cup of each kind of sugar and then realized that it isn't possible to split an egg in a very effective way.  Shoot.  I didn't have anymore soft butter and I was trying to keep the dough a little cooler so I wouldn't have to refrigerate it, so thawing frozen butter was not really an option.  Hmm...I've got some greek yogurt that needs to get used up?  Yep.  Let's do it.  So I substituted half of the required butter for 0% fat greek yogurt.  I had to compensate by adding a bit of extra flour.  In the end, the dough is not quite as delightful to eat on its own - probably mainly because I'm not a yogurt fan - and the cookies don't spread quite as much as traditional chocolate chip cookies. However, these are absolutely soft and wonderful.  I would definitely throw a dollup of Greek yogurt into my cookies in the future. It was a welcome discovery. 

Less-Guilty Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/4 cup butter softened
1/4 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar packed
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbls cornstarch
2/3 cup wheat flour
1 cup white flour
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream butter, yogurt and sugars until well-blended.  Add vanilla and egg, mix thoroughly.  In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients.  Add dry ingredients to egg mixture.  Blend until just combined.
One other trick I highly recommend: chill the cookie sheets.  Add chocolate chips and mix by hand.
Drop cookie dough on ungreased, chilled cookie sheets (helps reduce spreading).  Bake 9-10 minutes until set but not crisp.  Makes about 20 cookies.

If you're more a fan of raisins than chocolate chips, I'm thinking this recipe could be pretty good with cinnamon, a little bit of oatmeal and some raisins instead.