chunky oatmeal almond chocolate chip cookies

I think people are finally starting to change their minds about what’s considered healthy. At least, search I hope they are. For me, illness it’s not about low-cal and low-fat and no-fat, but more about keeping refined and processed foods to a minimum. This means that I no longer keep white flour or refined sugar in the house. Also, no margarine or other artificial fats. Instead, I’ve got organic butter and olive, walnut, peanut, sesame and canola oils. Whole wheat or grain flours are infinitely more satisfying than their bleached counterparts — there’s just no way you can eat 10 whole wheat cookies. Those 100-calorie packs? Well, I bet you can eat more than 10.

Since white flour’s out, I usually have to tweak cookie recipes. My favorite substitute is oat flour, which I make at home by running some rolled oats through the food processor. It gives cookies that chewy, homey oatmeal flavor that I absolutely love with dark chocolate chips. For this recipe, I also mixed in some grated chocolate which melts nicely throughout, and some chunky almond butter for crunch and, um, nuttiness.

The result is a healthier cookie. Yep, cookies can be healthy even if they’re made with a stick of butter. Since they’re more nutritious, you only need a couple to satisfy your sweet tooth. And I promise no one will know they’re “healthy.” I actually gave these cookies to a big, burly fireman for his birthday and he gobbled them right up. I only told him they were good for him afterward.

Chunky Oatmeal Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1.5 cups Oat Flour*
2 oz. (1/4 cup) grated dark chocolate**
.5 tsp. baking powder
.5 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. fine grain sea salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
.5 cup natural cane sugar (I like Florida Crystals brand)
.5 cup demerara (or light brown) sugar
2 large organic eggs
1/4 cup chunky almond butter (or same amount natrual chunky peanut butter)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

6 oz. (3/4 cup) dark chocolate chips, or dark chocolate chunks

Special equipment: Stand or hand mixer.

Preheat the oven to 375° and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the dry ingredients together until thoroughly combined. Next, cream the butter and the sugars together by whisking them with your mixer for 2 minutes, or until they become fluffy. Add the eggs and whisk for another minute, then add the vanilla and almond butter and whisk for 1 more minute.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients, mixing with a large spoon or silicone spatula until the ingredients are well combined, then stir in the chocolate chips.

Use a small spoon to scoop the dough and use your hands to form balls about 2 inches in diameter. Place the dough balls on the cookie sheet and flatten a little with your fingers. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes. Serve with ice-cold milk.

*To make Oat Flour, simply place 1.5 cups of rolled oats in a food processor and blend until they form a fine powder, though I like some oat pieces in my cookies.

**Run some chocolate chips through the food processor right after you’ve ground your oats.