Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fresh baked homemade whole wheat cookies with still melted chocolate chips in harsh lighting.

Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

I used to sell cookies at the farmers market, so I know what makes the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Fifteen years later, as a holistic nutritionist and mom of two, I’ve re-created the classic recipe into a chewy, whole-wheat version I feel good about serving at snack time or for school lunches.

Prep Time16

Cook Time14

Total Time30

Servings: cookies

Author: Danika Vanderpyl

Equipment

Ingredients

¾ cup butter, softened (170 grams)
1 cup golden brown sugar
⅓ cup white sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour (300 grams)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Place the soft butter, brown sugar, and white sugar into a mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed for about 1 minute, until it looks creamy.
Add the egg and vanilla and mix for another 30 seconds.
Dump the whole-wheat flour on top, then sprinkle the baking soda and salt so they don’t just land in one spot. Mix on medium until mostly combined, then toss in the chocolate chips and keep the mixer running until you have a soft, thick dough.
Scoop the dough into balls with a cookie scoop or tablespoon. Place them on an ungreased pan with space to spread — no need to press them down.
Bake one pan at a time at 375°F (190°C) for 12–14 minutes, until the cookies are flat, cracked, and just starting to brown. They might look a little underdone (that’s good!). Let them sit on the pan outside the oven for 9–10 minutes to finish setting.
If you’re using convection, bake at 325°F (165°C) for the same time, and you can do two pans at once.

Notes

The pan: No need to grease the pan because of the butter content; they come off the pan easily enough. I did test these cookies with a silicone baking mat, but found they cooked more consistently and evenly straight on the pan or with a thin layer of parchment paper. (Unless you have a really old pan that is not non stick then I would grease it or use parchment paper.)

No chilling time is required for these chocolate chip cookies.

How many grams of whole wheat flour do you use? After testing multiple times, I found that with scooping the flour into the measuring cup (which made the flour more compact vs spooning the flour into the measuring cup) the 2 ½ cups of flour in this recipe came to be 280 grams of flour each time.

Baking from frozen: You can freeze the dough and have it on hand to bake up fresh cookies. Scoop the dough into balls, freeze them on a tray, then transfer to a bag or container. When ready to bake, place frozen dough balls straight onto a baking sheet (no need to thaw) and just bake 2-3 minutes longer than in the recipe card.

Storing and freezing: Baked cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 3–4 days, or in the freezer for about 6 months (after that their taste will change!)

Dairy Free: You can use soft coconut oil instead of butter but it will change the taste of these cookies. Another good swap option would be a dairy-free butter.

Nutrition