Q. I tasted a mudslide cookie at a local bakery and thought I had died and gone to heaven. Have you ever lightened this type of cookie? If so, I would love to have the Recipe Doctor version in time for summer and then fall and the holidays. You get the picture. I need this recipe!

A. Believe it or not, I've never lightened a mudslide cookie before, but say the word "chocolate" and "cookie" in the same sentence and I'm so there. I found a master recipe for them on Marthastewart.com and it called for 6 tablespoons butter (I used 3 tablespoons canola oil and 3 tablespoons fat-free sour cream) and 5 large eggs (I didn't see that coming), but I used 2 higher omega-3 eggs and 10 tablespoons egg substitute. I trimmed the sugar back a little and switched to whole-wheat flour. I also cut out a pound of milk chocolate chunks that are normally stirred into the dough; take it from a chocoholic, there is plenty of chocolate to go around in this cookie dough already.

These new lighter mudslide cookies have about half the calories, total fat, saturated fat, and more than 80 percent less cholesterol, but they are still to-die-for cookies! I hope you agree.

The original recipe makes 4 dozen cookies; the recipe below is a "half" recipe of the original and makes 2 dozen cookies instead.

LIGHTER MUDSLIDE COOKIES (100 PERCENT WHOLE WHEAT)

• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

• 8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

• 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

• 1 1/2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

• 1 large egg, higher omega-3 if available

• 5 tablespoons egg substitute

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup pecan or walnut pieces (optional)

Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or similar.

In small bowl, whisk whole-wheat flour with baking powder and salt; set aside. In microwave-safe glass bowl, melt unsweetened chocolate, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, and oil together in microwave with power on LOWEST setting; set aside to cool. After a couple of minutes, stir in the fat-free sour cream.

In large mixing bowl, beat egg, egg substitute, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Pour in the cooled melted chocolate mixture and mix on low speed to combine, scraping sides of bowl after 20 seconds. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in nuts by hand if desired.

Use a cookie scoop to drop about 1/8 cup of dough onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake until just set (about 10 minutes). Let cookies cool on baking sheets.

• Per cookie (without nuts): 102 calories, 2 g protein, 14 g carbohydrate, 5.5 g fat, 2.8 g saturated fat, 2.1 g monounsaturated fat, .5 g polyunsaturated fat, 9 mg cholesterol, 1.5 g fiber, 85 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 48 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids = .2 gram, Omega-6 fatty acids = .3 gram. Weight Watchers POINTS = 2

• Per cookie (with nuts): 126 calories, 2.5 g protein, 15 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 2.4 g monounsaturated fat, 2.2 g polyunsaturated fat, 9 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 85 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 57 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids = .5 gram, Omega-6 fatty acids = 1.7 gram. Weight Watchers POINTS = 3