Who doesn't love warm, chewy chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven? Nothing beats it on a cold, rainy day. I like this recipe that was sent to me because it actually calls for more oats than it does flour (I often try to work oats into recipes because they add soluble fiber, along with other vitamins and minerals).

The trick with cookies is knowing how far to cut the fat. With the recipe, cutting the butter back by 3 tablespoons, from the original 8 tablespoons, seemed to work perfectly. I creamed the remaining 5 tablespoons with 3 tablespoons of my favorite fat replacement for cookies--fat free cream cheese.

I added a bit more vanilla and a little less chocolate. Now for my last bit of advice. If you like your cookies chewy, undercook these cookies ever so slightly. Watch your cookies carefully and pull them out while the center is still a little soft.

VERY CHOCOLATE OATMEAL AND
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Original recipe contains 155 calories, 8.6 grams fat, and 26 milligrams cholesterol per serving

Makes 18 large cookies

• 5 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons fat-free cream cheese
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 3/4 cup white or whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup very chocolate jumbo chocolate chips
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees.

2. In mixing bowl, cream butter, cream cheese, and sugars. Add egg substitute and beat well.

3. Add flour, soda, salt, and vanilla to butter mixture and beat until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips, oatmeal, and nuts if desired. Blend thoroughly.

4. Use a cookie scoop to drop cookie dough onto a cookie sheet coated with canola cooking spray. You can spray the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass with cooking spray and press onto the cookie dough balls to make a flatter cookie.

5. Bake in center of oven for about 8 minutes. Remove cookies and let
cool on wire rack.

Per large cookie: 134 calories, 2 g protein, 19 g carbohydrate, 6.3 g
fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 8 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 135 mg sodium.
Calories from fat: 40 percent.