Make your Own Homemade Organic Slice and Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I decided to make the switch to organic foods about a year ago, there were certain sacrifices that had to be made. The hardest sacrifice is that I would no longer be able to use slice and bake cookie dough in a log. Considering that easy-to-make, warm, fresh-baked cookies are one of my favorite desserts and the only treats I would allow myself to have, abandoning the cookies was not an option. Of course there are packaged organic chocolate chip cookies available in health food stores, however I wanted to make them fresh baked.

So I decided to experiment with making an organic chocolate chip cookie dough and make my own slice and bake log so I could bake as many as I wanted at a time. I have made this recipe several times, using all certified organic ingredients, and these cookies turn out delicious! These cookies are chewy in the middle and crisp on the edges.

Make them, store them and bake them as you please!

All ingredients on this list are available organically.

1 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp warm filtered water

3 cups white flour

2 cups (1 bag) semisweet organic chocolate chips

Optional:

1 cup walnuts

2 cups (1 bag) dark chocolate chocolate chips (instead of the semisweet)

Make the Cookie Dough

1. Cream organic softened butter, white sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl using a spoon until they have a smooth consistency.

2. Dissolve organic baking soda in the hot water and add to the batter. Then add the salt.

3. Pour flour and chocolate chips into the batter and stir the batter until all ingredients are mixed together to create a dough.

4. Cut a 24 inch piece of parchment paper and place on a flat surface. Scoop the dough out of the bowl and place it about 2 inches from one edge of the parchment paper. Form the dough into a log, leaving at least a 1 inch overlap on each side of the parchment paper. Roll the parchment paper over the roll of dough, pinching the ends closed. Place the roll of dough into a large plastic zipper bag and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 weeks.

The entire dough makes about 24 cookies.

Bake the Cookies
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).

2. Cut 1/4 inch slices of dough using a butter knife, roll them into a ball and place them on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Bake as many or as little as you want, and store the rest away for next time.

3. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, until brown.

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Make sure all of the ingredients on the list have a certified organic symbol. Dry goods such as organic flower and sugar will be pesticide free, and the organic dairy products such as the eggs and butter will be hormone free. Being organic, none of the ingredients will have artificial flavors or preservatives.

You can purchase certified organic baking ingredients at your local health food store, or you can purchase some of the ingredients on the web.

Make them Even Healthier! List of Healthy Substitutions:

These cookies are healthier since they are free from pesticides, hormones, artificial flavors and preservatives. However, they are decadent with ingredients such as white sugar and butter.

There are some substitutions you can use to make these cookies lower in fat and sugar for a truly healthy treat. Replace regular butter with a low-fat, organic butter. Replace sugar with an alternative sweetener such as raw organic agave and experiment with using gluten free flour to replace white flour.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture website,
"Products labeled “organic” must consist of at least 95
percent organically produced ingredients (excluding
water and salt). Any remaining product ingredients
must consist of nonagricultural substances approved
on the National List including specific non-organically
produced agricultural products that are not
commercially available in organic form."

USDA: Organic Labeling and Marketing Information