Chocolate Chip Cookies

"Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one." - Benjamin Franklin

Cookies, cookies, cookies, cookies, rocking everywhere! All I've been seeing everywhere lately has been cookies! After the crazy holiday season, it seems as if the blogosphere and the world in itself had all backed off of the cookie craze. I've seen a lot of healthy recipes, smoothies, salads, vegan dishes, and now that Spring is upon us, I've been seeing a lot of cake and cupcake recipes, until finally this week there has been a resurgence in cookie posts! It's as if the universe wants to bring the cookie back before Fall hits us all over again. Even new cookie bakeries/stores have been opening up all over the place. There's this place called Insomnia Cookies that delivers cookies to your house even super late at night when you're having those late-night munchies and cravings. It opened up a few blocks away from my place and it's been amazing having them so close. Whenever A and I have a 1 or 2AM cookie craving, we just submit our order and in 20 minutes our freshly baked cookies are knocking on our door. The one downside to having Insomnia Cookies so close is that it's been making it hard to stick to our healthy goals for this year. We have no clue how much sugar they use in their cookies, and obviously eating cookies so late at night isn't the best option for anyone trying to be healthy. What was our solution? I found a chocolate chip cookie recipe that featured using Splenda instead of actual sugar. At first I was skeptical, since I've never really used an artificial sweetener when baking. The true test would be when giving these cookies to A. He recognizes a "healthy" food from a mile away, and I can safely say that these cookies passed the test! A had absolutely no idea that these were made with Splenda and not actual sugar. The texture of these cookies came out really nice too. It landed in a safe medium between cake-y and chewy. The flavor was also great without any drastic amount of sweetness to it. I highly recommend making these when craving a cookie, because in a way, using the Splenda would make eating these guilt-free, right??

Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from: Comida y Familia Otoño 2009 by Kraft Foods

*makes: 35 cookies*

"Here is a small change that can help your family feel healthy and happy. Replace sugar with Splenda and enjoy your favorite desserts and beverages while reducing calories and added sugars. And since Splenda has the same great flavor as sugar, no one will notice the difference!"

Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp double acting baking powder
1 tsp pure baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sweet unsalted butter, melted
1 cup Splenda brown sugar blend
2 large eggs
1 tbsp "Crush" pure vanilla bean extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate premium baking chips

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 375F. Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2) Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
3) Mix the butter and Splenda in a large bowl. Add the eggs one at a time and mix. Add the vanilla then add the flour mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4) Drop the cookie dough by rounded tablespoons on the cookie sheets. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes. Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.