Paper Palate

I used to be of the mindset that dessert is not the place to cut fat and calories. It was rare that I would use low-fat cream cheese or a sugar substitute. I thought if you were going to eat dessert, you might as well go for it and indulge. Well, that was three children and about fifteen pounds ago. Those days of not skimping on dessert are catching up with me and keeping weight off is not nearly as easy as it used to be. That was why when the Olive Oil Desserts cookbook came my way, I knew that my heart could use the change.

The Olive Oil Desserts cookbook was a labor of love by Micki Sannar. Micki and her husband got a wake up call shortly after they found out they had elevated LDL cholesterol levels. Micki, an avid baker, decided to find a way to make their desserts more heart healthy by trading butter and shortening with pure olive oil. The result of her experiment? A 104 page cookbook full of dessert recipes that have a healthy emphasis on nutrition.

The first recipe I tried was an adaptation of the recipe on the back of the Original Toll House chocolate chip packages. If you are a dough eater, this is not the recipe to try as the dough is not fabulous. The cookies, however, were very good. They did not seem the same to me as the Toll House cookie recipe, but for a heart healthier version, they were a great subsitute.

The Olive Oil Desserts cookbook retails for $19.95 and can be found by shopping at Amazon.

A New Toll Cookie

2/3 cup pure or light olive oil
1 teaspoon butter extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon milk
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat over to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat large cookie sheet with Olive Oil cooking spray. In a mixer bowl, add; olive oil, butter extract, sugar, and brown sugar. Blend until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Blend well. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans (optional). Drop by tablespoonfuls or  medium sized cookie scoop onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake 8-11 minutes. Cool on wire racks.