Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies for RD Day

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
No, it’s not.

Shut up. yes it is. It’s National Registered Dietitian Day!
Say what?

You heard me. National. RD. Day.
That’s a thing?

Yes, that’s actually a thing.

And how does an RD celebrate this, um, special day?

With double chocolate cookies. Duh!

I couldn’t quite decide how to acknowledge National RD Day on the blog this year. In 2012, I honored some of my favorite colleagues and last year philosophized on the pressures of being a nutrition guru in this world of fads, fries, and froyo. This year I decided to lighten up a little and serve up some advice along with some amazing, chewy, dense, chocolatey cookies. Here’s why:

[Excerpt from a conversation heard at the gym. Yes, I was totally eavesdropping.]

“I had a situation yesterday. With a cinnamon roll.” (groans)

“NO! You DIDN’T!”

“Yep, I did. I totally blew it. The thing practically jumped into my mouth.”

“I can’t believe you did that. What happened? You’ve been doing so well on that no dairy, no flour thing!”

“I know. I only had one bite, but I’m really mad at myself. Ugh. I’m so stupid. I just wanted to take the kids to that bakery…they’re famous for their cinnamon rolls. What a disaster.”

This makes me cringe for so many reasons. Where to start? There’s the long-term commitment to a restrictive eating plan, the angst over a single bite of a cinnamon roll, the impression that she has “blown it” altogether, and especially the idea that taking her kids to a place famous for its cinnamon rolls could be a disastrous, health-derailing event.

People are SO STRESSED about food, weight, and health. Daily we’re reminded about the obesity crisis, the rising rates of nutrition-related diseases, and the sorry state of our fast food nation. As a result, generally healthy people appear to be waging a full-scale war against themselves in the name of health. Food, once a source of joy and comfort and nourishment, has become the enemy, and must be simultaneously avoided and conquered. Many fad diets have long lists of no-no foods, such as grains, dairy, gluten, caffeine, alcohol, and sugar. That’s a lot of no-no’s.

How exhausting, not to mention limiting! Eating healthfully can truly be much simpler, not to mention more fun 🙂

Rather than a steady diet of stress, guilt, and restriction, consider this more positive strategy:

• Eat the ‘good stuff’ more often.
• Eat the ‘other stuff’ less often.
• Move your body every day.
• Practice mindful eating, without distractions.
• Enjoy every bite, and when you are no longer hungry, stop.
• Include foods that you love.

What do you love? For me, I love chocolate. I love fresh-baked and homemade. I love a little sweet after a savory meal. And I love decadence that isn’t necessarily a calorie calamity. So, today, to celebrate the profession of dietetics, let’s have cookies.

Chewy, double chocolate cookies, rich in flavor cookies. Easy-to-make double chocolate cookies. Half-the-butter cookies with some protein-packed Greek yogurt snuck in there. Trust me — they’ll never know.

Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies
Adapted from the All-New Complete Cooking Light Cookbook
Makes 2 dozen

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 9-11 minutes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, prepare cookie sheets with either a silicone baking mat, parchment paper, or a light coating of pan spray, and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

Next, in a medium microwave safe bowl, melt the butter (about 30 seconds on HIGH). Add the cocoa and both sugars. Stir in yogurt and vanilla, and combine well. Then, add the flour mixture in small batches, stirring to ensure all is incorporated.

Portion out the dough equally in heaping teaspoons. Roll each portion into a ball, and place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until almost set. Remove from oven and cool on pan for about 10 minutes. Add a few chocolate chips to the top of each cookie. Finish cooling before storing in an airtight container.

ENJOY! I mean it 🙂