Real food chocolate chip cookies made with whole grain in the form of whole wheat (or spelt) and oat flour, once you start making this recipe you may become famous in your family for the best chocolate chip cookies. Find more great cookie recipes on the Simple Cookie Recipes page!
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I’ve been making these amazing whole grain chocolate chip cookies for so many years that my whole family just calls them “Jami’s cookies” (well, and these, too – both are my go-to chocolate chip cookies!).
Besides having a perfect texture – crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside – they also have a “secret” ingredient: powdered oatmeal (aka, oat flour). Paired with whole wheat pastry flour (spelt works, too) it gives a nutritional boost and nice flavor to the humble chocolate chip cookie.
And yes, I said nutrition and cookie in the same sentence. I think there are a lot worse things we routinely put into our bodies than a homemade cookie. I know exactly what’s in a homemade cookie, and many of them can be made with whole grains, fruit, and nuts.
Yes, this cookie has sugar and chocolate, but it’s all about balance, I think. Cookies have their place when eaten on occasion. And I believe it’s beneficial to put extra nutrition into all the things we regularly eat, don’t you?
Powdering the oats in a blender first (basically making your own homemade oat flour) is the unusual difference in this recipe.
Even though there are oats, we never call these oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies because they don’t taste like a regular oatmeal cookie. The powdered oatmeal acts just like another flour, but it helps give this cookie its great texture. Plus, it’s sort of fun watching the oats change from whole to powdered, rising from the bottom up!
I make all our cookies in my Kitchenaid mixer – it was a revelation to me when I first got the mixer and I realized that I could be prepping the other ingredients while the mixer stirred the dough! I swear, I think it cut the prep time in half and it just didn’t seem a big deal to whip up a batch of cookies anymore.
Wait. Maybe that’s not such a good thing…
And using a cookie scoop was one of those things I wondered why I hadn’t started using earlier – what’s not to love about forming cookies quickly that turn out nicely round every time? I like using a tablespoon sized-scoop – it really is the secret to quick and easy cookies! After scooping, I also flatten these cookies a bit because the dough is stiff.
I also always line our baking pans with black non-stick baking mats that I found instead of lighter colored silicone. I find that the cookies (and other things) brown better on the dark material and they are easier to clean.
You’ll want to bake these chocolate chip cookies for only 8 to 8-1/2 minutes until they look pale and puffy.
They may not look “done,” but trust me, take them out anyway – it’s the key to their perfect texture. Let them cool on the pan for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
As they cool, the cookies will firm up, but remain soft on the inside. They are gooey when hot, but are not when cool, so if you haven’t made cookies like these before, don’t worry- I promise they’ll be perfect!
Perfect Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies (with a Slightly Secret Ingredient)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2½ cups whole oats powdered in a blender until a flour-like consistency
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour or spelt flour
- 12 ounces 1 bag chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- In the bowl of a mixer (or a large bowl), cream the butter and sugars then add the eggs and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy.
- Add the powdered oats, salt, soda, baking powder, and whole wheat flour and mix well - the dough will be fairly stiff.
- Mix in the chocolate and nuts, if using.
- Place tablespoon sizes of dough on a cookie sheet, greased or lined with a baking mat or parchment and slightly flatten.
- Bake in a 375 oven for 8 to 8-1/2 minutes. Do not overbake -they may not look done, but will firm up as they cool, remaining a soft cookie.
- Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for a few days or freeze immediately for fresh-tasting cookies anytime.
Notes
Nutrition
Other Delicious Cookies You May Like:
Chocolate Chip, Nut & Seed Oatmeal Cookies (Gluten-Free)
Espresso Walnut Shortbread Cookies with Dark Chocolate Filling
Peanut Butter Brownie Sandwich Cookies
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Judi Bradley says
My kids don’t like these, they LOVE them. I call these my compromise cookie. I use whole grains and they get the yummy stuff too! I used fresh ground spelt and they turned out great! Thanks for the great recipe Jami!
Jami says
Yay!! Thank so much for letting me know and the review. 🙂
Charlotte Moore says
I made these today using freshly ground spelt. I put milk chocolate chips in part and roasted pecans, walnuts, cranberries ad orange zest in some. They were crunchy around the edges and chewy in the middle. I am not much for a crunchy edge cookie. I like soft and chewy. If I cut back on the white sugar you think it would make them more soft? They were very sweet. My husband and our son really liked them. They ate them just after they came out of the oven. They had gotten cool but were still on the rake.
Jami says
You could try that Charlotte (believe it or not, I’ve cut these down a lot from the original amount of sugar!) – you could also try baking them for 1-2 minutes less. The cookies continue to cook a few minutes after being removed from the oven. We like our cookies crisp on the edges and chewy in the middle, ha! Also, the crispness doesn’t last more than a day (which is why I mainly like cookies right from the oven!).
Karen says
Hi Jami. I made them and they are tasty but just wondered ….my dough was so dry and kept breaking up when I tried to scoop them, so dry that the chips did not want adhere. I followed all instructions but did not have whole wheat pastry flour..used regular whole wheat flour instead. Could that make a big difference in my texture?
Jami says
Yes, that probably did it, Karen. I’d use less flour if using whole wheat – or just use all purpose.
Jackie in Canada says
I already add homemade oat flour to my bread recipe, but never thought of adding it to my chocolate chip cookies. I am going to have to try your recipe soon, (and play with mine as well).
Where would we be without our stand mixers. I got a great deal when I bought my KA mixer years ago. I hate to think of ever having to replace it.
I love using the scoop to make cookies. I have been using the scoops for years. In fact I have several different sizes & make good use of all of them.
Jami says
I know, it’s so funny, Jackie – I have to tell my daughter I made cookies with a wooden spoon and dropped them with two spoons when I was her age. 🙂 It’s like it was the dark ages or something!
Shelby says
Have you heard the story fo the $250 cookie recipe? This is exactly the same except it call for a grated Hershey bar added in as well. We love that recipe, but I am making them tonight without the Hershey’s bar and guessing that we will still adore them! Thanks for the encouragement to be a little more healthy 🙂
Jami says
I think the recipe I based mine off of all those years ago was that one – I decreased the sugars and made it whole grain as well as using all semisweet or dark chocolate. I forgot it was part of that story (which I think I’ve heard is an urban legend – it never happened!).
Patricia says
Can u powder the oats in a cuisinart
Jami says
Yep – use whatever you have to make a finer powder (it doesn’t have to be the consistency of fine flour, just powdered).
veena says
Hi ,
Could you please let me know how many ml in your 1 cup ? As I am from India so in my cup , its 250 ml .
– Thanks ,
Veena
Jami says
It’s 236 ml, according to Google.
Jeanette says
Delicious! I used applesauce instead of butter, one cup, and it still is wonderful. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Dawn says
I thought I was done looking for the perfect chocolate cookie recipe, but when I saw that you had one using whole grains, and knowing that all of your recipes are so tasty, I couldn’t resist trying it – and I’m glad I did! OK, NOW I’m done looking, these are SO good and the fact that they are whole grain is the icing on the cake – er, cookie!
Jami @An Oregon Cottage says
Anonymous- I’m glad you agree! There are so many chocolate chip recipes out there, but this one and the other one I’ve posted that doesn’t have oatmeal, I think really DO taste the best. 🙂
-Jami
Anonymous says
These are seriously the best cookies I have ever tasted! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
TAMI says
We whipped these up today with a few other items for Bake My Day! When my husband saw the recipe he said “Whole grain? Please don’t, Hun.” But I pushed ahead anyhow and he was right there with his spoon enjoying the cookie dough along with the kiddos!! Around here we ALWAYS ‘undercook’ our cookies, so 8 minutes didn’t even remotely frighten us. In the end, everybody loved YOUR recipe and our 9 year old said, “These are the best cookies you’ve ever made.” Wow! Does it get better than that??
Thanks for the inspiration. We’ll be back!
Jami @ An Oregon Cottage says
Gayle-
If your child is anything like mine, they’ll be a hit! I can’t make them enough to satisfy them.
Gayle says
Oh Yum! My oldest has been asking for chocolate chip cookies for three days now. I think I’ll use this.