Even though the Mad Scientist has now departed to the lush lands of his new job in a neighboring state, I’m still trying to figure out how to make some low-fat treats for him when he comes to visit. In addition to this, it seems that a few of my friends have begun trying to watch what they eat, too. I’ve been lucky so far, but they’re probably on to something. Now that most of us are past (or nearly past) the decadent twenties, all that butter, cream, and sugar is going to start haunting us in unwanted places.
I’ve taken inspiration from another one of Nick Malgieri’s recipes from the Perfect Light Desserts… book. The original recipe was for chocolate spice cookies, but I wasn’t overly excited about the idea of molasses and chocolate together, especially not in summer. Instead, I used honey, omitted the gingerbread-like spices, and just used minced crystallized ginger to partner with the chocolate.
I also felt the cookies could use a little extra chocolate (which probably bumped the fat content up a notch or so, but I’m not complaining) in the form of some Guittard chocolate chips.
The cookies turned out very well, and not just in a “good for a low-fat cookie” kind of way. They are moist and chewy, with a satisfying amount of rich chocolate flavor. Even though the recipe calls for unsweetened applesauce, don’t worry - they will not end up tasting like baby food. It’s impossible to tell the applesauce is there, and it’s the key to moistness without fat. The cookies are pretty adaptable…you could flavor them with dried cherries, toasted almonds, cinnamon and cayenne, chopped dried apricots and hazelnuts…
Low Fat Chocolate Ginger Cookies
Adapted from Nick Malgieri’s Chocolate Spice Cookies in Perfect Light Desserts…
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
generous 1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Mix together flour, baking powder, cocoa, ginger, and salt in a small bowl.
In a medium bowl, beat the butter and suar together until light and fluffy. Beat in applesauce and honey. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until a soft dough is formed, then fold in chocolate chips.
Drop dough by tablespoons an inch apart on baking pans lined with parchment. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then remove and cool on pans. Important: the cookies will be extremely soft when they come out of the oven, and you won’t be able to lift them from the pans. This doesn’t mean they are not done! Cool them in the pan for about 15-20 minutes, and then move them to racks. Store them in between squares of wax paper or parchment, as they may get a bit sticky in warm kitchens.
Without the chocolate chips, each cookie is about 61 calories and 2 grams fat.