The Challenge

To make more interesting and healthy chocolate chip cookies!

How I Did It

I altered a common chocolate chip recipe by:

• substituting raw honey for white sugar and brown sugar
• substituting quinoa flour for white flour
• substituting orange extract for vanilla extract
• adding ground flaxseed
• reducing the baking temperature to accommodate the raw honey substitution

The differences between the ingredients in the two recipes are marked in bold below.

(A future post will present the substitution formulas for ingredients such as quinoa flour and raw honey.)

Note: This recipe was prepared at an elevation of 4,495 feet, so you if you live at a much higher or much lower elevation, you may have to adjust the recipe for elevation. (Hmm. A future post may also address elevation adjustments for recipes.)

The Renaissanced Recipe

2 1/4 cups quinoa flour
1 teaspoon, scant, baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) butter, softened
1 cup raw honey
1 teaspoon orange extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, honey, and orange extract in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in preheated 350-degree [Fahrenheit] oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

The Original Recipe

Note: This is the Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe printed on the package of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose [white] flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated [white] sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) NESTLE TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels [chocolate chips]
1 cup chopped nuts

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in preheated 375-degree [Fahrenheit] oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.