My favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and I don’t say that lightly! Whole wheat flour and brown butter make each bite rich, complex, and irresistible.
These whole wheat chocolate chip cookies have crisp golden edges, chewy centers, a deep, toasty flavor that keeps your reaching for another one.
The recipe is adapted from my rye chocolate chip cookies. Swapping in whole wheat flour turned out even better than I hoped. There’s so much going on in terms of flavor. It’s richer, nuttier, and has more depth than a classic cookie.
I don’t normally bake with whole wheat flour (asides from morning glory muffins and dog treats), but these cookies have me itching to explore this ingredient more! Consider this the start of a whole wheat era.
Recipe Highlights
- Whole wheat flour adds a nutty, almost malty flavor that pairs beautifully with dark chocolate.
- Brown butter brings toasty caramel and hazelnut notes.
- Instant coffee and cinnamon works in the background. You won’t taste them, but you’ll notice depth of flavor.
- Make-ahead friendly. The dough is frozen before baking. This means your freezer is always stocked and ready!
A Note on Whole Wheat Flour
Not all whole wheat flour is the same. This recipe was tested with Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour. It is milled from hard red wheat. It has a nutty flavor and a slightly darker color.
You might find white whole wheat flour which is milder in flavor and lighter in color. Or, whole wheat pastry flour which has a finer texture. Other whole wheat flours will work in this recipe, but expect slight differences in flavor and texture depending on the brand and type you use.
Since whole wheat flour keeps the bran and germ- it contains natural oils that can go rancid much faster than all-purpose flour. As such, store whole wheat flour in an airtight container in the fridge for up 3 months or in the freezer for up 6 months. Fresh flour should smell mild and nutty (NOT sour or bitter).
Important Key Steps
Brown butter meets cold butter. Part of the butter goes into the bowl cold with the sugars. The rest get drowned and poured over on top. The hot butter will melt some of the sugar, while the cold butter helps to bring the temperature down.
Don’t skip the overnight chill. Whole wheat flour contains bran, which needs extra time to absorb liquids. Resting the dough hydrates the flour and deepens the flavor. The dough will be VERY FIRM chilled from the fridge. Let it sit at room temperature for an hour or longer until soft and pliable before scooping.
Bake from frozen. Portioned frozen dough balls spread less in the oven. It will give you crisp edges and gooey centers. It also means you can bake these cookies at a moment’s notice whenever a cookie craving hits!
Storage and Make-Ahead
Keep baked whole wheat chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies are best enjoyed within three days of baking. Eventually the cookies will dry out and stale.
Frozen cookie dough keep for up to 3 months in an airtight freezer bag. Bake straight from the freezer. Do not thaw the frozen dough!
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 170 g unsalted butter, cold, divided
- 150 g brown sugar
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
- ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder, or instant coffee
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 large egg
- 230 g whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 150 g dark chocolate chunks, or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- maldon sea salt flakes, as needed for topping
Instructions
- Prep mixing bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 56 g cold butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, instant espresso, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Brown the butter. In a heavy bottomed sauce pot, melt remaining 114 g butter over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling as needed, until the milk solids turn golden brown and has a nutty fragrant aroma.
- Combine. Pour the hot brown butter over the sugar mixture in mixing bowl. Make sure to include all the browned bits in the butter pan. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Beat. Using the paddle attachment, beat together on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk. Beat on medium for 3 minutes.
- Whisk dry ingredients. While mixer is running, whisk together whole wheat flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl.
- Finish dough. Add flour mixture to mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until just combined. Fold in chocolate until distributed.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate dough overnight. The dough will be very firm the following day.
- Portion and freeze. Let dough sit at room temperature for about an 1 hour until soft enough to scoop. Portion with a #24 scoop. Place cookie dough mounds on sheet tray. Cover and freeze until solid, at least 2 hours. Keep frozen until ready to bake.
- Bake from frozen. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place frozen cookie dough mounds on baking sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 16 minutes, rotating pan midway through baking.
- Finish and cool. Sprinkle Maldon sea salt flakes over hot cookies. Cool cookies in pan for 5-7 minutes before un-molding cookies and transferring to wire rack to cool further.
Notes
- Store baked cookies in airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days.
- Frozen dough keeps 3 months in the freeze in airtight freezer bag.
- Bake straight from frozen without thawing.
- Keep in mind that whole wheat flour goes rancid faster than all-purpose flour. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 months or keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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