I’ve had a sweet revelation. A dose of sugary inspiration. A life changing discovery. And it’s called dark muscovado sugar.
If you thought sugar was entirely flavorless, think again.
I feel like I’ve discovered a whole new world (a dazzling place I never knew).
Ok you probably hate me and you’ll be singing that for the rest of the day. But seriously… let me share this whole new world of sweetness with you.
The cookies themselves might look crispy, and if you’re a soft-cookie lover you might have written them off already based on color alone. But don’t let the darker color fool you – they are soft, tender, and chewy, just like a chocolate chip cookie should be. The darker color simply comes from the dark brown muscovado sugar, which is full of natural molasses color and flavor, as well as the whole wheat pastry flour.
But make no mistake – these are not hippie cookies. Believe me, that’s what I first think when I see natural sugars too.
No, these are indulgent, satisfying, I-dare-you-not-to-eat-the-whole-batch chocolate chip cookies. The fact that some of the stuff in there, while by no means health food, is just a bit better for you than the processed alternative? Consider that a bonus.
This recipe comes from Real Sweet, Shauna Sever’s fab new book featuring all natural sugars. It actually utilizes two kinds of sugar, dark brown muscovado for flavor and moisture and coarse-grained turbinado sugar for a delightful crunch.
In a pinch, you could substitute dark and light brown sugars, respectively, but you’d be missing the amazing depth of flavor and subtle crunchy texture that the less-refined sugars bring to the table. I encourage you to seek them out, it’s well worth it!
While the recipe calls for whole wheat pastry flour, I often find the flavor of it a little… dusty tasting (or maybe my flour is just old?) You can certainly swap in regular flour, or even do half and half if you prefer. Just don’t use regular whole wheat flour which is higher in protein/gluten and may result in overly dense and chewy cookies.
Recipe from Real Sweet by Shauna Sever.
All images and text ©Lindsay Landis / Love & Olive OilLet us know what you think!
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