There is nothing exciting about birthdays anymore. I dread my birthday each year as I get closer and closer to 35.
I keep telling myself that age is just a number, but somehow the fine lines near my eyes tell me otherwise. I hate aging. I hate getting old. I hate feeling tired. I hate not being able to party past 3 am. To put it mildly, aging sucks! 
I’m one of those people who tries to squeeze in everything I wanna do in a year because I’m constantly worried that time is running out. So if there is something on my bucket list, I try to make it happen. In my 20s, I had the oh-you-can-do-it-later attitude, but not anymore. To me living is living now, in the moment, in the present doing things that make me happy and sharing it all with the people in my life.
Frankly speaking, the only thing on my bucket list is travel, travel, and more TRAVEL. I simply can’t get enough of it. The idea of discovering new places, foods, and learning about different cultures is beyond thrilling to me. Besides travel though, I would like to venture out and take some professional cooking and baking classes for fun. 
So on this June 14th, the only thing I look forward to is celebrating the evening with my husband doing whatever he has planned for us, and hopefully he’ll hook me up with a nice gift. 🙂 I also look forward to the upcoming weekend celebrations with my family and friends. Other than that, you got me.
And now dessert time! Recently I made these delicious Chocolate Brownie Cookies, and I was lucky to share them with the ones dearest to me… my husband, my family, and my closest buddies, Jhiane and Marian. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, including my picky eater mom, loved these cookies. They are soft, dense, and gooey. I toned down the fat and calories by using 1 less tbsp of butter, adding whole wheat pastry flour instead of white flour, and incorporating some turbinado brown sugar instead of white sugar. Hope you love them as much as my gang did.
NUTRITION: Bittersweet Chocolate also contain a good amount of fat, however they contain antioxidants. Macadamia Nuts are high in protein and fiber and a good source of healthy fats. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour adds protein and fiber to these cookies.
- Instead of 3 tbsp of butter, I used only 2 tbsp.
- Instead of white flour, I used whole wheat pastry flour.
- Instead of using all white sugar, I substituted half with Turbinado Brown Sugar in the Raw.
- Calories: 130 cals
- Fat: 8.25 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.4 g
- Carbs: 14 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
~ yields 32 cookies @ 325 degrees
~ fat reduced by 13%; saturated fat reduced by 18%; calories reduced by 31%
- Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips – 8 ounces (or 1 1/3 cups)
- Unsalted Butter – 2 tbsp
- Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – 1 cup
- Baking Powder – 1/4 tsp
- Salt – 1/4 tsp
- White Sugar – 1/2 cup
- Turbinado Brown Sugar in the Raw – 1/2 cup
- Medaglia d’Oro Instant Espresso Powder – 1 tsp
- Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
- Eggs – 3
- Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips – 3/4 cup
- Macadamia Nuts – 3/4 cup (dry roasted & chopped)
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Over a double boiler, add the bittersweet chocolate chips and butter. 
3. The combination will start to melt.
4. The end result should be smooth and creamy chocolate. Remove the chocolate from the stove and set aside. Allow the chocolate to cool.
5. In the meantime, combine the dry ingredients… whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, salt. Set aside.
6. Make sure the chocolate is warm, and NOT hot. Add the white sugar, turbinado brown sugar, and vanilla extract. 
7. Blend until well incorporated – this is what you should have. 
8. Add the eggs one at a time. Mix well between each addition.
9. This is what you should have once all the eggs have been added.
10. Add the chocolate batter to the dry ingredients. 
11. Mix until well incorporated, however DO NOT OVERMIX.
12. Add the white chocolate chips. 
13. Dry roast macadamia nuts in a non-stick pan. This adds loads of flavor.
14. Once they start browning slightly, turn off the stove.
15. Chop the macadamia nuts. 
16. Add the nuts. 
17. Mix the batter for about 10 to 15 seconds until well combined.
18. Using a tablespoon or mini-scoop, drop tablespoons of cookie batter on parchment paper. Since I do not own 2 cookie trays, I did this step in 2 batches which resulted in 32 cookies total.
19. Into the oven for 11 minutes.
20. This is what you should have. The cookies will continue cooking a few more minutes once out of the oven so don’t over bake.
21. AMAZING!
As mentioned above, these cookies are amazing. Everyone single person loved them. They are dense, soft, gooey, brownie-like. You really can’t go wrong with them. Next time though, I will omit a 1/4 cup of white sugar since there is enough sugar coming from the bittersweet and white chocolate chips. Another option is to simply replace all the white sugar with turbinado brown sugar which is much lower in calories. Keep in mind this may alter taste and texture. Having said that, if you have a strong sweet tooth, then stick to the recipe mentioned above which is delicious. Enjoy!
Those cookies were amazing, to top it they were healthy. I didn't feel guilty one bit devouring it. I can't wait to celebrate with you. I wish you an amazing birthday
Oh My God I am drooling here.. What a neat presentation n perfect explanation. Going to try this on Saturday…
The third picture of nibbled cookie has something 3D about it. I felt like the hand is just going to come out of screen and the cookie into my mouth!!! 😀
I enjoy my birthdays because I don't think about the age. Anyway I look young – just recently a cashier (female, just so you know) at Walmart guessed my age as 12. That's the lowest I've got. HAHA.
Anyhoo …. happy birthday Nisha and hope you have a wonderful one!! 😀
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HAPPPPY BIRTHDAY NISHA! Hope you are having a wonderful celebration and having your cake and eating it too ;)! These cookies look to die for but I don’t expect anything less from you! I am glad you served it with milk…nothing beats a warm cookie with a cold glass of milk :)! Looking forward to reading about Puerto Rico.
Happy Happy Birthday my friend! I think you look fabulous and will continue to age with class.
I actually don't mind getting older because a. I feel like I have more disposable income to cover the grays and combat the wrinkles, and b. I have more money to travel! Which I also LOVE to do.
Hope you have a fantastic day my friend!
As a taste tester of these cookies, I can attest that these cookies were delicious!! Your recipes are so great because of your swapping out bad ingredients for healthier ones and/or cutting down on the sugar!
These look superb and most of all I love the healthier variations you gave to the cookie, my kind of move 🙂 Happy birthday Nisha!! What a great way to celebrate. Indulge and have fun on your especial day 🙂
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! These cookies look super delicious. The white chocolate with the macadamia nuts is a great combination! Have a wonderful day 🙂
@Akila – can't wait to see how these turn out for you, you will NOT be disappointed.
@Nisha – haha, that was the point to lure you in. 🙂 OMG, 12 years old! LOL, that's too funny!
Happy birthday! This does look like a tasty way to celebrate. Love the add ins you put with the chocolate base-delicious.
Also, this post is very detailed with nutritional info along with step by step photos. Well done!
@Khushboo – as much as I hate milk, I actually enjoyed these cookies with milk, they go well together. Thank you! Oh, i've had plenty of cake the past week, i need to slow down! 🙂
@Ameena – thank you! You're so sweet. Yes, definitely having more money as you age is a good thing. Can't complain and I guess I make better decisions now than ever.
@Mari – thanks girlfriend.. you're so sweet. glad you liked them.
@eatgood4life – thank you. i love healthifying the recipes too.
@Antonia – definitely white chocolate and macademia nuts is lethally good. thank you!
@Tina – thank you so much!!! 🙂
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY TALENTED FRIEND!!!! I wish we could have a cookie party together. Those cookies look to die for. May this be the best year yet!!!!!
They look perfect for a birthday cookie. Happy birthday.
aww Happy Birthday!!! these look soooo yummy!
Soft and gooey is just how I love both my cookies and my brownies! Your photos are beautiful! Have a wonderful birthday 🙂
Yummy looking cookies. I hope you have a wonderful birthday!!
Your cookies sound great and look very good. Glad I stopped by today. I hope that each year brings you much happiness.
Happy birthday!
These cookies look perfect! I love the combination of ingredients!
wow delicious cookies !!!!Hope you had a blast on your birthday !!!!!
Happy belated birthday!! The brownie cookies really make me wish for some… ^_^
@Squishy – thank you, you're so sweet.
@Pam @Mollie – thank you
@Jen – yes, I love my cookies soft and gooey too. Thank you!
@Words
@Karen
Thanks ladies.
@Cathleen
@fish
@little daisy
thank you.. i love the combination of these cookies too.
Oh dear the cookies look so fudgy and yummy. Would love to grab one. Happy to follow ur lovely space. Do join me when u find time
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I'm really behind with my blog reading but I still wanted to say happy belated birthday! I hope you got to do something awesome. These cookies look lovely and I love that they're healthier than a normal cookie. 🙂
And I'm a bit of a child. I'm always super excited for my birthday because… it means presents. And breakfast in bed. And going somewhere fun with my husband. Things that don't even happen any other day of the year.
@Erin – You're so kind, thank you so much! I did get to do something awesome. 🙂 I'm all about gifts too, but I guess now I like a little more thought behind those gifts. And I'm all about feeling special for the day, maybe even a week. 🙂 THanks, these cookies are perfection! Try them, you'll love it since you are all about Whole Grain. 🙂
A (very) belated happy birthday to you! Those cookies look fantastic- so moist and chewy on the inside with just the right amount of crunch on top. Macadamia nuts are a great addition to anything chocolate!
@Meenakshi – thank you so much. Yup, macadamia nuts are a great addition to anything chocolate. 100% agree!