100 Calorie Cocoa Cookies

My sweet tooth is taking over my life. Here's a typical scene from my life: I finish a totally yummy (and usually fairly healthy) lunch or dinner, I wash my dishes, I get out some homework, and BAM! It hits me. I need something sweet.

This sucks. Because if I don't have something sweet standing by then I make it my mission to find something or make something. This takes up time (and sometimes money) that I really don't have to waste, and my single-mindedness and insatiable need for dessert wins. Not anymore, my friend!

I go 10x less crazy when I make a batch of cookies or something to last me the entire week. This way I have something I can grab at the end of a meal and cross it off my list before it gets the best of me. But, this isn't the healthiest thing in the world and I'm still trying to cut down on the sugar. So what do I do? I play around with a new recipe that gives me the best of both worlds: something sweet and chocolatey, as well as something that won't send me into diabetic shock.

These cookies are chewy like brownies but still crisp around the edges. They're not too sweet but still chocolatey and they totally fulfill all of my expectations for dessert. 

100 Calorie Cocoa Cookies

(makes 12 medium-sized cookies)

¾ cup flour

¼ cup cocoa powder

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ cup Earth Balance

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

6 tsp nondairy milk (I used unsweetened plain almond milk)

Optional toppings: walnuts, peanuts, dried cranberries, dairy-free chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, goji berries, coconut, etc.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet or fit it with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda.
• In a medium-sized bowl, cream the Earth Balance, sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer.
• When fully combined, toss in the nondairy milk and pour in the small bowl of dry ingredients while the mixer is still running. Mix until completely combined.
• With your hands, form the dough into small balls, pressing them down slightly on the baking sheet.
• Optional: top each doughy disc with any number of toppings (see above for my picks)
• Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until desired consistency.

I do want to start coming up with some new healthy dessert recipes and utilize natural sweeteners like mashed banana and applesauce, but this recipe was crafted based on what I already had sitting in my pantry, and took hardly any time to whip together, so it's a start. Compared to the other treats I've been eating lately this will be a welcome shift! Now, I'm not much of a calorie counter, so I'm not entirely sure if this is accurate, but with the help of a handy website this is what I came up with:

(Bare in mind that this is without the optional toppings, but depending on what you choose you can still play around and create some fun combos while still sticking to the 100 calorie range)

Bonus pic of the cookies cooling by the open window because IT'S 73 DEGREES OUTSIDE! WOOHOO! 

Please ignore the disgustingly dirty window. There's no way of cleaning it when it only opens up that far!

P.S. I made another dragon bowl for lunch today and the leftover veggies I made yesterday are just as amazing reheated as they were when they were fresh last night. Just pop them all in a microwaveable bowl with the rice and tofu, heat 'em up, and then drizzle on the dressing and sprinkle on some mixed greens. Even easier when all the meal prep is already done!

Happy Monday!

Xoxoxo