Soft Chocolate Cookies

Sunshine Mom is feeling great (after beating H1N1) and could not stay in bed for one more second. I promised brownies, but was out of unsweetened chocolate so I made cookies instead. These cookies are my kids absolute favorites. Even Tink, my low-tolerance-for-sweets eater, ate four of these cookies at one time. In fact, although I still have some oatmeal cookies in the freezer, the soft chocolate ones are gone. These cookies stay fresh for days because they are so soft and moist.

You will need:

1 cup Smart Balance (melted, but not hot)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour (I used white whole wheat)
2/3 cup cocoa (I used Hershey's Dark)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt



Add the sugar to a large mixer bowl and pour the melted (but not hot) butter on top. Mix together until it lightens, but before it gets fluffy.



Add eggs, one at a time mixing after each addition.



Then add the vanilla.



In another large bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.





You can size these cookies any way you like them. I use a large soup spoon and make a big ball with the dough. They aren't perfect. My cookies never look like they were made in a factory. Imperfect and definitely homemade, and that's the way I like them! If you want a more polished look, refrigerate the dough for an hour and then make perfect 1-inch balls. You don't need to flatten them with a fork.



Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes. (If you don't line your cookie sheet with parchment, give it a very light greasing with cookie spray.) Take them out when they still look slightly underdone in the middle. They need to set five minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to a wire rack. They seem like they will fall apart, but when they are completely cool and they stay together perfectly.





Melt in your mouth!! Super soft (but still holding together). After the first day I store them in a freezer bag in the freezer. I'm sure they would last a month in there, but we are lucky to make it three days.



Enjoy!