Cocoa Track Cookie Recipe

Well-It's that wonderful cookie-baking time of year. For many families (including ours) baking holiday cookies is a memorable tradition. I believe that even when you're mindful of healthy eating, there is a place for special treats.

Besides that, the memories you're making and the quality time spent making the cookies are priceless. Having said all of that, I can't think of many cookies that I would categorize as “health food”, but some reduce the unhealthy punch more than others.

My kids love to make and eat these cocoa concoctions. They have just 65 calories and 1.8 grams of saturated fat per cookie. On top of that, you get some antioxidant health benefits from the cocoa and they're low in sodium (just 22 mg per cookie).

Here's the recipe:

Cocoa Tracks

Ingredients:

½ cup salted butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

6 Tbsp cocoa powder

2 Tbsp canola oil

confectioners sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat a waffle iron (not Belgian)

Cream butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, cocoa powder, and oil. Beat until thoroughly combined.

Drop the batter by rounded teaspoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto the preheated ungreased waffle iron. Close and cook until the cookies are puffed and cooked through, 1 to 1 ½ minutes. Keep an eye on them and don't let them get too dark. Transfer to parchment paper to cool until just warm. Dust with confectioners sugar.