Meals / January 14, 2023

Sugar Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

I recently have been on a quest to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie. However, if you have already read my Prepping for TTC post, then you know I’ve been trying to cut back on the amount of sugar I consume in an effort to make healthier choices. It has really been difficult to cut back on sweets because I absolutely love to bake. So, I figured I would try out the world of stevia and other sugar alternatives to see if they could even come close to comparing.

I started with my favorite recipe of them all, the classic Nestlé Toll House. I used sugar alternatives that can be swapped in a 1:1 ratio, meaning I followed this recipe exactly as it is written just swapping out the same amount of sugars for their substitutes. I also used Lily’s milk chocolate chips, which are also sugar free. The only other change I made was to brown the butter first since I was afraid without the sugar the flavor might come across sort of bland.

INGREDIENTS:

2 ¼ c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, browned

¾ c. Truvia Granulated Sweet Complete

¾ c. Truvia Brown Sweet Complete

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 c. Lily’s Sugar Free Milk Chocolate Chips

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375F
Melt butter on the stove. Stir occasionally, allowing the butter to cook for about 10 minutes until it becomes a golden-brown color.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl.
Beat butter, granulated sugar alternative, brown sugar alternative, and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add in flour mixture ¼ cup at a time.
Stir in sugar free chocolate chips
Use a 1-inch cookie scoop to drop rounded heaps onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.

I was actually blown away at how these tasted. They can’t quite touch the original with sugar, but, considering the fact that these come in at a whopping 90 calories each, I think these turned out pretty damn good.

When I was making the dough, I was concerned that the sugar alternatives made the texture too gritty. The butter and sugars didn’t cream together the way I am used to. But, as soon as I added in the flour mixture it became more like I expected. Quite frankly, with the browned butter, the dough was delicious to eat on its own and I could have eaten a whole tub of it.

After the cookies baked, the first thing that struck me was they did not spread much. They created very cute bite size cookie which made them seem more like a sweet snack rather than a full-on dessert. Secondly, they had more of a cake like consistency than the chewy cookies I know and love. The browned butter taste that was so prominent in the dough unfortunately cooked out some, but I could still taste it.

At first taste, they were good but just different. I tried one a little later and discovered that although they weren’t the same, they did satisfy my sweet tooth immensely. Knowing that these are sugar free, under 100 calories, and can be a quick sweet snack, this recipe is a keeper for me 😊

Do you have any other sugar free recipes you would love to share?