Chocolate Walnut Zucchini Cookies

These cookies are, well, how to say it nicely...

Dangerous.

Seriously. Yes, they are cookies with vegetables, oats, and nuts in them so naturally they sound pretty good for you. 

And they are extremely good for you as cookies go (check out the mental health benefit below).

But the dangerous part comes when you take a bite, and then another, and another and you don't want the cookie to end. 

But it does, so you reach for another, and another.

Needless to say, I'm speaking from experience. These cookies make me very very happy right now. 

They are soft, chewy, chocolatey, and have enough texture to really get to sink your teeth into. Really, the perfect cookie if you want my opinion. 

So, you have to try these, but don't say I didn't warn you. You may want to bring them to friends houses to share so they aren't all within arms reach.
 
And don't even try freezing them to keep yourself from eating them, they taste great frozen too. But they do freeze nicely if you are trying to save them. 

Oh, good luck with that!

This recipe is a double batch so if you don't want as many you can half everything and they will turn out perfect. 

My first double batch is gone and after crying for a few hours I am making another double batch.  

Alright enough of my yammering... on with the recipe!

Zucchini Cookies with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts

1 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 Cup Milled Flax Seed
8 Tbsp. Salted Butter, at room temperature
1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Baking Splenda
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 Large Eggs
2 Cups Shredded Zucchini
4 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
2 Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts (Optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and milled flax. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugars, mix until smooth.

4. Add egg and vanilla extract. Next, add the shredded zucchini. Mix until combined.

5. Slowly add flour mixture until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts.
6. Drop cookie dough by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Servings: 40 Cookies


Nutritional Skinny:


130 calories / 5 g fat / 17 g carbohydrates / 2 g fiber / 3 g protein


Mental Health Benefit: So you caught me. These are still cookies. They still have butter and sugar, and they are still an 'optional treat' in most healthy folks dictionary. However, let's give these a little extra look. They carry healthy Omega-3's from the flax seed, cholesterol reducing components from the oats as well as necessary fiber and antioxidants. Not to mention there are vitamins from the zucchini packed into this nutritious cookie. It even has 3 grams of protein from the walnuts and oats! As far as cookies go, this one ain't so bad in my book!