Just when you thought you didn't need another chocolate chip cookie recipe... say hello to whole wheat chocolate chip cookies! These delightfully chewy cookies are full of hearty flavor, packed with chocolate, and sprinkled with sea salt. Plus this quick and easy no-chill cookie recipe is ready in just 45 minutes!
First things first, make no mistake... these are not healthy cookies. These are deliciously chewy and flavorful chocolate chip cookies made with wholesome ingredients like whole wheat flour, oats, and flax meal.
This recipe puts a delicious, unique, and hearty spin on classic chocolate chip cookies!
And if hearty, chocolatey cookies are your thing, definitely check out my brown butter oatmeal sandwich cookies, too!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
These whole wheat chocolate chip cookies are perfectly chewy (thanks to oats and brown sugar) with a rich, lightly nutty flavor (thanks to whole wheat flour and flax meal). Packed with chocolate chips and sprinkled with sea salt, it's an indulgent cookie recipe that you'll want to add to your chocolate chip cookie recipe arsenal.
Best of all, these cookies are quick and easy to make in just 20 minutes of hands-on time with no dough chilling necessary.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.
Whole Wheat Flour - Whole wheat flour gives these cookies a richer brown color and lightly nutty flavor. This recipe is designed for 100% whole wheat flour, as opposed to white whole wheat flour, which has a milder flavor and lighter color.
Old-Fashioned Oats - Oats help to create a supremely chewy cookie. Be sure to use old-fashioned oats and not instant oats, which won't yield the proper texture.
Flax Meal - Flax meal (also called flaxseed meal or ground flaxseed) adds a lightly nutty flavor to these cookies.
If you don't have flax meal on hand and prefer not to buy some, you can substitute equal measures (by volume) of wheat bran, wheat germ, or oat bran. Each substitute will alter the flavor and texture of the cookies slightly, but all will be delicious. You can also replace the flax meal with an additional 2 Tablespoons of whole wheat flour, though the cookies will be slightly more dense.
Brown Sugar - Brown sugar adds sweet molasses flavor along with moisture and chewiness to the cookie dough.
Special Equipment
In addition to essential baking equipment (like a mixing bowl and whisk), I recommend some special tools for making this recipe.
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer, for mixing the cookie dough.
- Cookie scoop (1.5 Tablespoon size) for scooping evenly-portioned balls of cookie dough. A cookie scoop is optional but helpful.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed recipe instructions.
Step 1: Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Step 2: Whisk together oats and flax meal.
Step 3: Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until blended.
Step 4: Slowly add the flour mixture, mixing just until blended. Then add the oat mixture and mix just until blended.
Step 5: Add chocolate chips and stir just until the chips are well distributed throughout the dough.
Step 6: Scoop 1.5 Tablespoon balls of dough and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between cookies.
Step 7: Bake cookies at 350°F for 10 minutes. Remove tray from oven and immediately (and carefully) press extra chocolate chips onto hot cookies. Sprinkle salt over cookies and let cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Allison's Top Tips
For the best texture, weigh your ingredients to ensure that you're adding the correct amount of each ingredient to the dough.
For picture-perfect cookies, follow these tips for baking pretty cookies. Most important is to add a few extra chocolate chips on top of the cookies right after they come out of the oven.
Recipe FAQs
Whole wheat flour contains more flavor and nutrition than all-purpose flour, but it also affects the texture and density of baked goods. Baking with whole wheat flour will typically result in baked goods that are more heavy or dense, particularly if whole wheat flour is used in a recipe that is designed for all-purpose flour. This cookie recipe is designed to be made with 100% whole wheat flour, and the resulting cookies are perfectly chewy.
Generally speaking, no. As I mentioned above, whole wheat flour impacts the texture and density of baked goods and substituting whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour is likely to create cookies that are dry and heavy. Because this cookie recipe is designed to be made with whole wheat flour, the cookie dough contains enough moisture to hydrate the whole wheat flour, resulting in deliciously chewy cookies.
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Completely cooled cookies can be sealed in an airtight container and frozen for up to 2 months.
Love this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review on the recipe below! And don't forget to subscribe to Always Eat Dessert for even more easy dessert recipes and helpful baking tips.
Recipe
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Special Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- Medium (1 ½ Tablespoons) cookie scoop (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ cup (127 grams) whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon (3 grams) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (3 grams) fine sea salt
- ½ cup (45 grams) old-fashioned oats
- 2 Tablespoons (13 grams) flax meal
- ½ cup (114 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (107 grams) dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup (225 grams) semisweet chocolate chips, divided
- fine or flaky sea salt for sprinkling on cookies (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, add oats and flax meal and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer) cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat on high speed until blended, stopping to scrape the bowl as necessary.
- With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture. Continue to mix just until blended, stopping to scrape the bowl as necessary.
- With the mixer running on low speed, add the oat mixture and mix just until blended.
- Add 1 cup (180 grams) of the chocolate chips and stir just until the chips are well distributed throughout the dough.
- Scoop 1.5 Tablespoon balls of dough and place on prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between cookies.
- Bake cookies for 10 minutes or until the edges turn golden. Remove tray from oven and immediately (and carefully) press extra chocolate chips onto hot cookies. Sprinkle salt over cookies and let cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
HELENE HEMON says
Best cookie ever!