Fudgy Chocolate Cookies Without the Guilt

Dark chocolate in moderation is good for you. As noted in Clean Eating Magazine: "University of California researchers found that daily consumption of dark chocolate improved blood vessel function (and that means a healthier heart) thanks to its generous amounts of epicatechin, a member of the flavonoid family. But subjects only ate a 1.6-oz piece every day, so don't go overboard." But sometimes I crave something more than a small piece of dark chocolate, something like a nice, fudgy, chewy cookie. Finding one without a lot of processed ingredients, that still tastes great can be difficult, which is why I was excited to try this recipe for Chocolate Cookies that I found in the Jan/Feb issue of Clean Eating magazine.  

These cookies use sucanat, which to quote the magazine is "a minimally processed derivative from sugar cane, sucanat can replace refined sugar in equal amounts in recipes." (You can read more about it here and here). It is grainier than sugar and has a slightly molasses sort of taste.


The great thing about sucanat seems to be that because it is minimally processed it retains it's natural iron, calcium and other nutrients that help balance rather than spike blood sugar. I had not cooked with it before and once I started looking for it I found it at Whole Foods, both natural foods stores I frequent and even in a grocery store with a well-stocked natural foods section. (I suppose if you couldn't find any sucanat, you could use a raw sugar or maybe brown sugar). The cookies also use egg whites, dark chocolate, unsweetened cocoa powder and arrowroot powder to thicken.

Cleaning Living magazine says: "Get that antique family cookie jar out of the back of the cupboard. Cookies no longer have be relegated to the world of all things tasty but treacherous.  Free of the white sugar, high-fructose corn-syrup and hydrogenated vegetable oil (translation trans fat) of popular chewy, store-bought versions, our cookies are clean enough for healthy you, yet luscious enough for your kids."

Chocolate Cookies

Linda Melone, Clean Living Magazine, Jan/Feb 2009

(Makes 24 Cookies)

Olive-oil cooking spray

6 oz dark bittersweet chocolate, broken up

3 large egg whites

1 1/2 cups sucanat, divided

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

4 1/2 tsp arrowroot powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Place chocolate in a microwavable bowl and heat on high until chocolate melts, approximately 2 minutes, stirring once halfway through, then set aside to cool slightly. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites until they form soft peaks; gradually beat in 1 cup sucanat and continue beating until mixture appears creamy; add vanilla. In a separate small bowl, combine remaining sucanat, cocoa and arrowroot powder; then beat into egg whites on low speed. Stir in warm chocolate and continue stirring gently until mixture thickens.  


Place rounded tbsps of batter onto prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes. Cool on sheet pans for an additional 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely.

Nutrition per cookie: Cal 90, Total Fat 3g, Sat Fat 1.5g, Carbs 16g, Fiber 1g, Sugars 14g, protein 1g, Sodium 15mg, Cholesterol 0mg.

Notes/Results: Perfect! These are excellent cookies--chocolaty, crisp on the outside but fudgy on the inside. Rich, decadent and delicious and even one cookie satisfies the all-powerful chocolate craving. They go together quickly and easily; I used my mini disher/ice-cream scoop to get the thick batter out quickly and evenly and baked them on parchment for easy removal and clean up. (Thanks to my Mom and Sister for that tip they gave me for making the similarly textured chocolate crinkle cookies) I will definitely be making these again.  I gave some to my friend Nat who pronounced them delicious and perfect with a cup of coffee. Clean Living is 2 for 2 for great recipes from this issue. (I also made and loved the Lemon-Artichoke Chicken here).