Kitchen Adventures: Is There Such A Thing As A Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie?

In my ongoing quest to be eat better, I'm always looking for a great new recipe for something sweet that won't destroy my good snacking habits (that's what the occasional restaurant dessert is for...). So when I saw a post about healthy chocolate chip cookies in People magazine online authored by Harley Pasternak, I took notice.

Just who is Harley Pasternak and why should you care about his cookie recipe? Harley is a personal trainer who made Halle Berry into Catwoman. Not that I aspire to be Catwoman OR look like Halle Berry, but clearly the guy knows something about health and fitness. What did I have to lose but some extra pounds?

Harley Pasternak believes you can make a chocolate chip cookie using these ingredients -- and ONLY these ingredients.

Oh wait, I missed one. You need a little of THIS too....

I was skeptical. I get the concept. Oats are a healthier substitute for flour.  Egg whites take the place of whole eggs. The maple syrup, banana and  minimal amount of chips add sweetness. The peanut butter helps glue it all together. It all makes sense. But does it work?

Yes -- and no.

In the interest of full disclosure, I will mention I didn't follow the recipe to the letter. It called for steel cut oats, but the steel cut oats in my grocery store didn't look all that different than the tried and true Quaker Oats (which were cheaper). Is that little substitution the reason my batter seemed a little runny?

I personally don't think so, but feel free to tell me otherwise. Anyway, I thought maybe I just hadn't mixed it thoroughly enough, or allowed the oats to absorb enough of the liquid. So I let it rest for a bit, stirred again and then put in the chocolate chips. Still runny, although it did taste OK. But NO WAY was this going to form cookies that would keep from running amok on my cookie sheet.

Then I remembered a quote from the article that mentioned this basic batter could be used for muffins, breads, etc. So I pulled out my muffin tin and sprayed it with a little cooking oil before I loaded up the cups with my "cookie" mixture.

They actually turned out quite nicely this way and they honestly tasted good!  Do be sure you like peanut butter and banana a lot before you make these, because those flavors are pronounced in the final product.

I would definitely not make these often, but I'm going to whip up a batch before my next work trip because they would make an awesome and filling snack on the go while I'm running through airports with no time to eat. They will also keep for a few days in a plastic container, but don't wait too long to eat them. The banana starts to get a little funky if you wait too long.

My advice? If you really want a CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE, make it the old fashioned way and eat a smaller portion. Moderation is always a winning health strategy.