The Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie

This week I took on the classic chocolate chip cookie.  Nothing says comfort like a warm cookie straight out of the oven, and I thought it would be fun to find a healthy recipe for a true classic! Surprisingly, there were some very simple replacements which made this an easy task! Instead of regular flour, I blended up oats to create an "oat flour."  I also did not use butter in this recipe, but rather, used coconut oil.  Coconut oil is a great replacement for butter and fats and has been described as nutritionists as "the healthiest oil in the world."
Ingredients
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 and 1/2 cups oat flour (regular oats blended)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Pinch of salt

Directions:
1. Blend the oats until they resemble a flour or powder in a blender.
2. Combine vanilla extract, large egg, and brown sugar in a bowl.
3. Melt the coconut oil and let it cool before adding it to the bowl and mixing together.
4. Stir in oat flour (NOTE: measure after blending, not before), baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
5. Stir until combined and then add chocolate chips.
6. Chill dough for at least an hour and then scoop out balls of dough and pack tightly.
7. Put them on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and cook for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

This baking experiment turned out really well! Even before putting the cookies in the oven, I tasted the dough and knew the result was going to be amazing.  The taste wasn't exactly like the classic cookie, as you could taste a small hint of coconut, but it was delicious nonetheless!  To know that you can indulge in cookies, without feeling quite as guilty, sure is a good feeling.  I will definitely use this recipe again!