The first time I was offered a tofu chocolate chip cookie, I made a funny face, probably the same look that some of you are giving me right now. With a little hesitation, I took a bite and much to my surprise, the tofu cookie was really good. Ever since then, I’ve always looked forward to eating the cookies made by our friend, Jeanne. In fact, I like them so much, I’ve made football game bets with Jeanne, pitting her tofu cookies against my chewy chocolate chunk cookies.
The recipe was created by Jeanne’s friend, a certified nutritionist, who wanted to make a healthy alternative to traditional chocolate chip cookies. Butter is not used in the recipe and is replaced with peanut butter and cream cheese. In addition to the soy protein from the tofu, the cookies are made with high-protein egg whites and the aforementioned peanut butter. Lower glycemic index (GI) oat flour is used instead of all-purpose flour. The oat flour is also higher in protein and is gluten-free.
We made the tofu cookies for the first time last week and used white whole wheat flour instead of oat flour, which we couldn’t find at the local supermarkets. We thought about using all-purpose flour, but decided to stay true to the healthy intent of the recipe and went with the whole wheat. The tofu cookies were good with predominant flavors from the whole wheat, peanut butter and Valrhona 61% chocolate chunks. I don’t think anyone would be able to tell that the cookies contained tofu.
There are definite differences between the oat and wheat flour cookies. I prefer the taste of the oat flour cookies, but I like the texture and crumb of the whole wheat cookies. Since oat flour doesn’t contain gluten, it doesn’t rise and the cookies are a little more dense. The next time we make the cookies, I’m going to try a 50/50 mix of oat and whole wheat flour.
After eating the tofu cookies for the last few days, Hungry Bear and I decided that the cookies would be a great energy bar alternative. They are relatively low in sugar, a good source of low GI carbs and contain a decent amount of protein. And since they are homemade, you know exactly what’s in them and they contain no preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, palm kernel oil or other questionable ingredients. On a long bike ride, I would definitely prefer eating a chocolate tofu cookie over a Cliff bar or Powerbar.
Don’t hold me to these exact numbers, but I calculated the nutritional value of the tofu cookies compared to some of my favorite chocolate energy bars and regular chocolate chip cookies. The serving size of the Cliff energy bars are 68 grams, the Balance bar is 50 grams, and the chocolate chip cookie is 55 grams. For comparison sake, I used 68 grams, about 1.5 cookies, as the serving size for the tofu cookies.
Tofu Cookie and Energy Bar Nutritional Comparison
|
Energy Bar |
Cal |
Cal (fat) |
Fat (gm) |
Protein (gm) |
Carbs (gm) |
Sodium (mg) |
Fiber (gm) |
Cholesterol (mg) |
|
Tofu Cookie (oat) |
179 |
53 |
6 |
5 |
28 |
144 |
2 |
5 |
|
Tofu Cookie (wheat) |
175 |
44 |
5 |
5 |
28 |
136 |
2 |
4 |
|
Cliff Bar |
240 |
40 |
4.5 |
10 |
45 |
150 |
5 |
0 |
|
Cliff Builder’s Bar |
270 |
70 |
8 |
20 |
30 |
230 |
4 |
0 |
|
Balance Bar |
210 |
60 |
6 |
14 |
23 |
130 |
1 |
0 |
|
Chocolate Chip Cookie |
242 |
100 |
11 |
2.5 |
35 |
111 |
1 |
43 |
The tofu cookies have less protein than the protein powder/isolate stuffed energy bars, but they also have less calories for a 68 gram serving size, which means you can eat more cookies!
I don’t think tofu chocolate chip cookies will ever replace my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, but they are a good healthier alternative. Compared to processed energy bars, the tofu cookies are superior in taste and natural nutrition. The next time you are on a long bike ride or need a post workout boost of energy, grab a few homemade tofu chocolate chip cookies instead of that processed bar.
Tofu Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
SND Note: Oat flour contains no gluten and will not rise when baked. If you want some crumb to your cookies, mix the oat flour with some white whole wheat flour. If you don’t like the taste of oat or wheat flour, use all-purpose flour instead, but you are giving up some nutritional value.
Ingredients:
7 ounces soft tofu (1/2 a square), roughly chopped
1/3 cup (3 ounces) cream cheese
1/3 cup (3 ounces) natural or organic salted, creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 large egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
A touch of almond extract (optional)
2 1/2 cups oat flour or white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup semolina flour or cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
8-10 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips/chunks
Directions:
1) Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.
2) Whisk the flour, semolina and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.
3) With an electric mixer, mix the tofu until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add cream cheese and peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended. Add the sugars; mix until combined, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg whites and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at a low speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips to taste. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
4) Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at the base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart.
5) Bake the cookies until light golden brown 13 to 16 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a wide metal spatula.
Makes 28-30 cookies
Updated February 27, 2008: I added the nutritional breakdown for my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe to the chart.
[tags]tofu, chocolate, chocolate chips, peanut butter, cookies, bittersweet, semisweet[/tags]
Sunday Nite Dinner 
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