Easy Slice and Bake Cookies

I love cookies, and I can't seem to do without them for very long, so I need a cookie that tastes good, is low in calories but is all natural and that I won't devour 40 in one sitting. Tall order, I know. But an old Eating Well issue caught my eye a while back with a modifiable recipe for Slice & Bake cookies that you make yourself. I traded out my favorite Whole Wheat Pastry Flour for the AP flour/white whole wheat flour combo suggested, and I used coconut oil rather than canola oil, but I did keep the sugar rather than use honey since this was my first time making these. I chose a cinnamon sugar version, ala snickerdoodle, and they turned out great! The recipe said it made about 6 dozen cookies, but my batch ended up making 102 cookies! And each of these little gems is only 33 calories a piece! WHAT??? I know...I can still hardly believe it...that means, I can pop 3 of these puppies for 99 calories! CRAZY, but true!

I can't wait to try the other variations of this cookies (mini chocolate chips, coconut and almond, etc...) Hurrah for slice and bake cookies - homemade ones, that is.

Easy Slice & Bake Cookies (via Eating Well magazine)
Ingredients:
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour (my substitution - they had you using 1/2 white whole wheat and 1/2 AP)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 tbs cinnamon
5 tablespoons canola oil (I used coconut oil)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tbs sugar for the top

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Beat sugar, oil and butter in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on high until smooth, scraping down the sides. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.

3. Place half the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a 10-inch log (it’s OK if it’s not perfectly round). Repeat with the remaining dough. Wrap and freeze until just firm, about 45 minutes. Reroll the logs to make them rounder and return to the freezer until very firm, at least 1 hour more.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

5. Remove one roll of dough at a time from the freezer and let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Unwrap the dough and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, turning the dough a quarter turn after each slice to help keep the cookies round. Place 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. If your cookies aren’t as round as you want them to be, shape the dough with your fingers. Sprinkle each cookie with a little coarse sugar and gently press it into the cookie to help it adhere.

6. Bake 8 minutes for soft cookies or 10 minutes for crisp cookies. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining roll of dough, if desired.