Chocolate chip cookies are a classic dessert typically made with flour, butter, eggs, chocolate chips, and sugar. Cookies made from a traditional recipe are usually high in fat and calories. Several modifications can be made to a traditional recipe in order to yield low-fat chocolate chip cookies. For instance, whole eggs can be replaced with egg whites or egg substitutes, and butter can be replaced with low-fat margarine or applesauce. Using non-stick silicone baking mats on top of a cookie sheet can also lower the fat content by making it unnecessary to grease the cookie sheet before baking.
There are a number of recipes available for making low-fat chocolate chip cookies. When making one of these, it is usually important to follow the directions carefully and measure each ingredient accurately. Failure to do so may result in cookies that do not have the proper texture or taste. Recipes for low-fat chocolate chip cookies typically have a different ratio of ingredients than traditional cookie recipes, and directly substituting low-fat ingredients for those in a traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe is generally not recommended.
The large amount of butter called for in a traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe adds a lot of fat to each cookie. Lower fat options, such as low-fat margarine or applesauce, are commonly used in place of butter in recipes for low-fat chocolate chip cookies. Some low-fat cookie recipes still use butter, but the amount is reduced, and margarine or apple sauce is mixed in with the lesser amount of butter.
Egg yolks are high in both fat and cholesterol. Most traditional chocolate chip cookie recipes call for at least one whole egg. When making low-fat chocolate chip cookies, egg whites may be used instead of whole eggs. The eggs may be separated before being added to the other ingredients, or an egg substitute can be purchased at a supermarket, and then used to make the cookies.
Most traditional chocolate chip cookie recipes require that the baking sheet used be greased to prevent the cookies from sticking. This additional grease can soak into the bottom of the cookies during baking, adding both fat and calories. The best option is to use silicone baking mats. These can be placed directly on top of a cookie sheet, and cookies will not stick to them. If silicone mats are not available, a light coating of non-fat cooking spray can be used to prepare the cookie sheet for baking.