These Chewy Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies are slightly chewy, tender, crisp around the edges and packed with wheat flavor as you would expect from cookies made with 100% whole wheat flour. They bake up relatively flat, but not overly so, and have a really bold almost caramel-like flavor. You can serve them warm, but we prefer them fully cooled and set.
Corn Syrup or Golden Syrup for Chewiness
An ingredient that adds to the chewiness is corn syrup. Often confused with high fructose corn syrup, Karo brand corn syrup is made from corn and is basically glucose. It doesn't contain the added fructose found in industrial high fructose corn syrup. In home baking, it's used in small amounts to improve texture and moisture retention, helping cookies like these day chewy. That said, Lyle's golden syrup is a great stand-in. Lyle's is pure cane sugar syrup and will make the cookies dark and more caramel-y tasting.
How to Make Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Here's a quick rundown on how this recipe flows:
- Melt the butter in a saucepan or in a microwave-safe mixing bowl. Add sugar to the hot butter allowing sugar to dissolve slightly from the heat. Let cool.
- Once the mixture is cool, stir in the vanilla, salt, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder, syrup and vinegar.
- Next, add the eggs, beating well with a heavy duty scraper after each.
- Once eggs are incorporated, add flour, stirring to combine, and then mix in the chips. The dough will be very soft.
- Once mixed, cover the dough and then chill for as long as you can stand it. Overnight gives better results as the wheat absorbs more moisture.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls or scoops onto the baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies until they are just beginning to brown around the edges. Start with 12 to 13 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on the pan or slide parchment onto the counter and let cool.
King Arthur Whole Grain Baking Book
This recipe is adapted from a book every baker should own, The King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Book. I heartily recommend it for anyone who likes the idea of slipping in whole grains wherever possible. Or maybe you just want to experiment with different flours. Even though it isn't new, the book feels especially relevant right now because specialty flours have become more mainstream and much easier to find online. As a result, the recipes are more accessible than ever.
Recipe
King Arthur Flour Whole Wheat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (170 grams)
- 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar (220 grams)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder optional
- ⅓ cup light corn syrup or golden syrup ( 100 grams)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ¼ cup King Arthur whole wheat flour (250 grams)
- 2 ½ cups bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the brown sugar to the butter allowing sugar to dissolve slightly from the heat. Pour into a mixing bowl and let cool to lukewarm. You can also do this all in one microwave-safe mixing bowl. Just melt the butter, stir in the sugar, then heat briefly again in the microwave (about 20 seconds). Let cool in the bowl.
- Stir in the vanilla, salt, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder (if using), syrup and vinegar. Add the eggs, beating well after each. Add flour, stirring to combine, and then mix in the chips.
- The dough will be too soft to scoop at this point.
- Cover dough and chill overnight or for at least a few hours. Overnight gives better results as the wheat absorbs more moisture.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or Silpat.
- Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies (reversing the pans midway through, top to bottom, bottom to top...if you are baking more than one sheet at a time) until they are just beginning to brown around the edges, 12 to 13 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on the pan. Remove with spatula.
- Note: If your cookies are browning too quickly at 375F, try lowering the heat to 350F.
Kelly says
I have this dough in the refrigerator except with M&M's instead of chocolate chips. I don't remember the dough being so soft last time so hopefully a night in the refrigerator will get it back to what I remember.
Dee says
Thank you posting this recipe online just found it. after I make them and also undoubtedly enjoy them I will definately email on how well they taste. Bon apetit!!!
Kristin W says
Could somebody please post the coconut scone recipe? I have lots of coconut that I need to use (left over from the pineapple-coconut-graham cracker cake).
Jackie says
The cookies look great. If you have any coconut in the house you have got to try the coconut scones. They are so delicious. My family couldn't eat them fast enough and want me to make more.
I really want to make the cake on the cover. The book is in my cook book stand in my kitchen so I see that lemon cake picture every day and I want to taste it!
Like you I feel it can't hurt to try to incorporate more healthy grains into baking.
Anna says
Jill, I hope you've had your cookie by now.
Brenda, I use measuring cups for sugar, but for some reason, I often find myself weighing flour. I also weigh sticky things such as peanut butter and shortening.
Therese, I'd like to go take a cooking class in Vermont too. Someday...
Therese M. Bishop says
Hey Anna!
You have made me a new believer to whole wheat in a chocolate chip cookie.
They look yummolicious!
I think King Arthur is a great company, I would love to go to Vermont and take a bread baking class. It is on my retiremnt list of wanna-do's.
Thanks for the THIS recipe!
Brenda says
I was about to say that Joe has been posting about this book too but I noticed Jill mentioned. I think I will have to get it now...lol!
Question--do you measure your dry ingredients or do you weigh them? I know Alton Brown always weighs his and I've been thinking about getting a digital scale for that. What's your opinion?
Jill says
I try to use a lot of whole grains and this cook book has been tempting me. Both you and Joe (on Culinary in the Desert) have now posted recipes from it and I think my need for this book has been cemented!
And you have just instilled a new need in me - the need for a chocolate chip cookie right now! 🙂