Makes about 24 / Because there’s no white sugar, these cookies have a gooey, fudgelike texture. They contain polyphenols from rich cocoa and unsweetened chocolate, provide fiber from whole grains, and better yet, are sweetened with rice syrup, a slow-digesting sweetener that won’t cause a sugar rush. Prep tip: The batter needs to be refrigerated, so factor in the extra time.
1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole-wheat pastry flour or white whole-wheat flour
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup rolled oats
4 tablespoons butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons nonalkalized cocoa powder
3/4 cup brown-rice syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chip
1. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, salt, and oats. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter and unsweetened chocolate over low heat. Add cocoa and stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Add brown-rice syrup and vanilla. Cool.
3. Whisk in eggs. Pour mixture into flour and oats. Stir until incorporated. Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips. Dough will be sticky; refrigerate until thick, about 4 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees;. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone sheet. Roll dough into 1-inch balls or use a small ice-cream scoop. Place on lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Flatten with fingers or a fork. Bake for 7–9 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.
PER SERVING: 115 cal, 46% fat cal, 6g fat, 3g sat fat, 23mg chol, 2g protein, 15g carb, 1g fiber, 35mg sodium
