June 19, 2011

Whole Wheat Blueberry Cookies


I was scared to pull these out of the oven.  Actually, I was terrified to open the oven door.  I was afraid that they would have melted all over the place and I would have to end an already-too-long day by cleaning caramelized blueberry out of the oven.


You see, I took a recipe I had made before, tried and true, and I flipped it on its head.


It was originally a Giada recipe. 
It was delicious. 
But I wanted to make it healthier. 
Giada would be mad. 

I took out half the butter, forgot the almond extract, used whole-wheat flour, and used frozen blueberries that I forgot to thaw/rinse/dry.

Pretty much everything the Food Network tells you not to do. 
That's why I don't watch the Food Network.
That and I don't feel like buying stock in butter and heavy cream. 


I'm very glad I mustered up the courage to open the oven door before they overcooked.  These cookies were yummy.  I highly recommend doing what I did and completely screwing up a recipe. 
I also recommend eating them the same day you bake them if you want to retain the crispness.  After a day or so, they become much more muffin-like, but the flavor is still the same. 

I had made these cookies with fresh blueberries in the past and that's what you should use if possible.   The whole-wheat flour gives the whole cookie a nutty flavor (that almost replaces the flavor of the forgotten almond extract.)



Whole Wheat Blueberry Cookies
makes about 30

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder

Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl.

1/4 cup butter (half a stick), softened
1/4 cup applesauce
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg yolk
1 t. vanilla
2 t. lemon zest
1/4 cup milk (I used skim.)

1/2 cup silvered or chopped almonds
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if using frozen, thaw/rinse/let dry first)

With an electric mixer, cream the butter, applesauce, and sugar.  It will be oddly lumpy.  Don't panic (like I did).
Add the egg yolk, vanilla, lemon zest, and milk.
Blend well.

Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients until everything is blended.

Fold in the blueberries and almonds. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 13-15 minutes.







1 comment:

  1. These were fantastic. I wanted to make them even healthier, and I didn't have apple sauce, so I just used 1/4 cup maple syrup in place of the sugar and apple sauce. I also used only about a teaspoon of lemon zest. Thanks for a great recipe!

    ReplyDelete

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