Big and Chewy Light Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hey! Did you know it's almost summertime? And it's about to get hot? And you're gonna have to shed some clothing to stay comfortable? And did you know that means it's almost swimsuit season!?!?!! If you're like me, you got really comfortable in your sweatshirts and jeans this winter. And if you're like me, you also got pretty comfortable with cakes, brownies, cookies, pies, and all the other yummies that came and went with the holidays. Okay I know I'm sounding like a New Years' resolution right now, but I'm about to let you in on something incredible so stay with me!!

Hey! Did you know you can eat chocolate chip cookies and STILL look pretty freakin hot in a bathing suit this summer??? Ladies and gentleman, may I introduce you to the "Big and Chewy Light Chocolate Chip Cookie." That's right! It's big (compared to other "diet" cookies), it's chewy, and it's LIGHT! The recipe is from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book. I made their Low-fat Blueberry Muffins a few months ago, and those were perfect. So I definitely had high expectations when I started making the dough for light chocolate chip cookies. How can chocolate chip cookies be low-fat and still be chewy and delicious? DATES! No, I'm not dissing all my single ladies. I'm talking about nature's candy. Dates are naturally chewy, so it makes sense that adding homemade date purée to the cookie dough would make these cookies super chewy! I might even start adding date purée to other cookie recipes (and maybe even brownies) to make them chewier... it's just a thought.

Thanks to a handy recipe calculator, I roughly estimated the nutritional facts of ATK's regular chocolate chip cookies (recipe converted to yield 18 cookies):

PER COOKIE: Cal 191; Fat 9 g; Sat fat 5.5 g; Chol 27.4 mg; Carb 27 g; Protein 1.9 g

Compare that to the facts for the low-fat version:

PER COOKIE: Cal 120; Fat 3 g; Sat fat 2 g; Chol 15 mg; Carb 23 g; Protein 2 g

So fear not, people! It is possible to eat cookies and look HOT! Oh and while I'm at it I wanna mention my new obsession: Organic dark chocolate chips from Woodstock Farms. I found these on sale at a random no-name grocery store a few weeks ago. I figured these "healthy" chocolate chip cookies were a pretty good excuse to use organic chocolate chips. These chips taste about as dark as regular semi-sweet chips. They're creamy, smooth, and they melted perfectly in the cookies. If you ever come across organic chocolate chips, I definitely recommend trying them! Of course, if you live in a fancy city and have access to stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's then you've probably known about organic chocolate chips looong before me! Good for you! ;P

Browned butter and homemade date purée contribute to the great flavor and texture in these cookies! The lean cookie dough is very crumbly.
It's not sticky at all, so don't be afraid to mix with your hands!
Break the dough balls in half and press the side together. The jagged edges on top help these cookies bake with craggly brown edges.
They look perfect, but how do they taste?
FANTASTIC!

I usually prefer my cookies baked on the lighter side (left). However, these cookies are gonna be chewy no matter what! Baking them for about 18 minutes (right) turns them a nice toasty brown and develops some yummy flavor!

BIG AND CHEWY LIGHT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book)
MAKES about 18 cookies (I got exactly 18! It’s a miracle!)
“Dried dates can be found in the nut and dried fruit section of the supermarket. Be sure to buy dates that are still supple. To chop the dates quickly, try using kitchen shears sprayed with vegetable oil spray.”
1 cup water
1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces) finely chopped dates
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups packed (8 3/4 ounces) light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup (3 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Bring the water and dates to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer until the dates are tender and most of the water has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, work the dates through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Scrape the dates remaining in the strainer into the bowl (you should have about 1/4 cup puree). Cook the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until nutty brown, about 4 minutes. Let cool.
3. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the melted butter, brown sugar, and date puree together with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.
4. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chocolate chips, then mix in the remaining chips until incorporated. (The batter will be very stiff. You can use your hands to mix the chips in because the batter is not sticky at all.)
5. (I refrigerated my dough for several hours before this next step.) Working with 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll the dough into balls, tear the balls in half, and press back together with the torn side up. Lay the cookies jagged side up on the pre­pared baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart. Press the remaining 2 tablespoons of chips evenly over the cookies.
6. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. (If the cookies are underbaked, they will have a gummy texture.)
7. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

To Make Ahead
The bowl of cookie dough can be wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 days; let soften at room temperature (I didn’t have to soften mine; It was scoopable out of the fridge.), then portion and bake as directed. The dough can also be portioned and shaped into balls on a baking sheet and frozen; when they are frozen solid, transfer them to a large zipper-lock bag. To bake, arrange the frozen cookies (do not thaw) on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake as directed, increasing the baking time to 20 to 25 minutes.

PER COOKIE: Cal 120; Fat 3 g; Sat fat 2 g; Chol 15 mg; Carb 23 g; Protein 2 g; Fiber 0 g; Sodium 55 mg

“Using our classic chocolate chip cookie recipe as a base, we created a great-tasting low-fat chocolate chip cookie. But there was a problem: Since most of the butter had been taken out, within an hour of coming out of the oven, our tender and chewy cookies turned into rocks. The solution? Homemade date puree, made by cooking and mashing dried dates. We replaced three-quarters of the butter in our favorite full-fat recipe with date puree. Then we pumped up the butter flavor by melting and browning the remaining butter. adding just enough richness to mask any hints of date flavor.”--THE AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN FAMILY BAKING BOOK