Healthy (ier) chocolate chip cookies

There's nothing more irresistible than the aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, the only possible thing to do is to bite into them! My first brush with chocolate chip cookies and baking was at DH's cousin's place (they of biscotti fame). His cousin's wife (CK) baked some while our then three-year-old nephew "helped", probably stirring the chocolate chips in. I don't remember the details. But that scene just stuck in my head. Cooking with your kids is such a treat for everyone involved. Not only will the kids be more interested in what they help create, you are creating a lifetime of memories. Seeing how enthusiastic I was about the whole thing, CK gave me a cookie sheet and recipe to take home so I could bake some. So, I got home and a few days later, set out to bake my first batch of cookies. Everything went fine, except I forgot to add the chocolate chips! I was so eager to bake and taste them that I forgot. Anyway, the cookies were okay, and the problem solved when I made the second sheet of cookies. And the love affair with baking had begun!!
These days, of course, everyone's watching what they eat, trying to reduce the amount of sugar they eat, etc, and so are we. This maybe hard to believe when you see my posts since a lot of them are for cookies and desserts, but they are all healthier versions in one way or another. Its the same with these cookies. For one they are made with whole-grain, whole-wheat pastry flour (WWPF) and rolled oats. If you think cookies just won't taste as good if made with WWPF, just give it a try. You will be surprised. Also, I reduced the sugar from 1 and 1/2 cups to 1 cup and you don't miss it because the chocolate chips lend some sweetness too. And they are such a treat at coffee/teatime or even after dinner when you crave a little sweet something. So, don't deprive yourself of cookies, just make these healthy ones and enjoy their freshly baked goodness.

Ingredients (for 36-40 cookies) (recipe adapted from the one on Bob's Red Mill WWPF package)
1/2 cup non-dairy butter, softened (1 stick)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 and 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 and 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup non-dairy milk
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Method
The non-dairy butter should be at room temp. If its not, just place it in a large bowl and microwave for 15-20s. Add the sugar and oil and cream together using an electric hand mixer or food processor. This should take 1-2 min. Then, add the non-dairy milk and vanilla extract and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, salt, baking powder and soda. Now, add the the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in batches while mixing at slow speed (you can do this by hand too). Once everything's just combined, fold in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. Now, put the cookie dough in the fridge for 20 min. Meanwhile, you can start preheating the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with silpat/parchment paper. Once the 20 min. are up, place the dough by rounded tablespoon or cookie scoop onto the baking sheet. These cookies don't spread a whole lot. Bake for 12-14 min. until golden brown on top and the bottoms are browned. Then place the cookie sheet on a wire rack to cool for 4-5 min. After that, transfer the cookies onto the wire rack to cool completely. Then, transfer to an air-tight container. Of course, by this time, the whole family will be in the kitchen waiting for cookies, so maybe you won't need that container after all!