The chocolate chip cookie is an American classic. It's the favorite cookie of many people, and the New York Times even produced an article about them which is still getting 'buzz'. It's no surprise that this cookie is such a big favorite, it's very down-to-earth, and is often a comfort food. It's also easy to make at home, if you don't try to get overly exotic with it.

Chocolate chip cookies come in two basic textures, chewy and crispy. This recipe is for the chewiest, most melt-in-your-mouth delicious chocolate chippers you've had. If you like crispy cookies, stay far away because these bake up puffy, light and never oily. The soft moist cookies are full of big gooey chocolate chips. They taste fantastic hot from the oven, and keep well in sealed containers. However, because they are moist and rich-tasting with no preservatives, they should be refrigerated after a few days to prevent mold. (Much like a bakery-fresh moist bread, these cookies need care to not go stale)

Extra fact:
Most cookie recipes only make cookies of ONE size. If you attempt to make the cookies at a size that is not described in the original recipe, you'll run into problems such as undercooking while edges burn, or over-done cookies despite the bake-time. These cookies can easily be made in ANY of THREE sizes!

From ¼ cup scoops of dough at once for giant cookies...to
1.5 tablespoon sized medium cookies...and
1 .5 teaspoon size regular cookies

With this recipe the size is totally up to you! Just adjust the baking time accordingly. (seen below) A big chocolate chip cookie can make a nice 'thank you' gift for someone you know. When it's home made, it really shows you care...and you only need to spend minutes making them!

How could a chocolate chip cookie get even better?
What if it had HALF the fat of an ordinary cookie?
What if it tasted richer and chewier than an ordinary cookie?
And what if it had fiber, and healthy nutrients as well?

The seemingly impossible becomes possible with this fantastic chocolate chip cookie recipe. In one easy batch, these could become your new favorites. Chia Gel is your secret to a better tasting, lower fat cookie that has extra nutrition. You can find the recipe for Chia Gel below.

Ultra Chewy Chia Chocolate Chip Cookies
What you'll need:
Dry Ingredients
2 cups flour
½ heaping tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¼ cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Wet Ingredients
8 tbsp butter (works best if melted first)
4 tbsp chia gel
¼ cup apple sauce (unsweetened)
1 tbsp vanilla
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk only

First, pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees and grease your cookie sheets. Mix the melted butter, and both sugars until well blended. Then add the vanilla, applesauce, whole egg and egg yolk. Stir again until thoroughly combined. Last add in your chia gel and stir again. In another bowl, combine the rest of the dry ingredients except the chocolate chips. (Flour, baking soda, salt) Once the dry ingredients are mixed, add them slowly to the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon. Stir only until just combined. Last, add in the 2 cups chocolate chips.

Suggestion:
If you're making large or medium size cookies, you can use Jumbo chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
If you're making regular or small size cookies, regular-size chocolate chips work best

Sizes:
If you use ¼ cup batter per cookie bake for about 15 minutes (Large)
If you use 1.5 tbsp batter per cookie bake for about 12 minutes (Medium)
If you use 1.5 tsp batter per cookie bake for about 10 minutes (regular/small)
When done baking, the cookies will become golden brown. The edges may appear lightly toasted but the centers will still be soft and puffy. Be careful not to over bake.

Make Chia Gel
Chia gel is super easy to make, and it's the key to the healthy kick these cookies pack. Due to its unique gelling property, it replaces half of the butter in this recipe, without changing the flavor. Chia seeds have no flavor of their own when you make the gel with filtered water. You won't even know they're in the cookies.

1 tbsp dry chia seeds
9 tbsp filtered water

In a seal-able container, simply scoop in the chia seeds and add the 9 tbsp filtered water. Stir with a fork to prevent clumping, and let stand for about 10 to 15 minutes. The seeds will each have formed a thick gel around them. This gel can now be used to replace up to half the butter or oil in almost any baked recipe.