I love chocolate chip cookies - I mean I LOVE chocolate chip cookies! When I thought about all of the things that I love in a cookie, I started playing around with my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and came up with this one. I wanted to make it a little more "healthful", a little more substantial and less sweet. The addition of oats, whole wheat pastry flour and wheat germ make this a stand-out that doesn't taste like a "healthy" cookie.

Cookies And Cream Protein

This cookie always wins rave reviews in my "Baking With Whole Grains" classes. Especially from moms who are trying to make healthier treats for their kids and introduce them (sometimes without their knowledge) to whole grains. While this is still a cookie - it still has eggs, butter and sugar - it also has some really great additions that help it to rise above the "regular" chocolate chip cookie. The whole wheat flour, oats and wheat germ are packed with fiber, b vitamins, and antioxidants and getting them in cookie form can't be all that bad!:)

Cookies And Cream Protein

You can use either whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour in these cookies with equal success. Regular 100% whole wheat flour is too heavy for these. What's the difference? A lot of my students ask that and it's less confusing than it seems. Basically it boils down to protein content. Think of the protein (or gluten) content in flour as the structure. The higher the protein, the stronger and more resilient the structure is (think chewy artisanal breads and pizza dough). Less protein results in a softer structure (cakes, muffins and cookies, for example).

So, which flour should you use in your favorite cookie recipe? It's a matter of taste. The whole wheat flour we're used to, the stuff that produces dense, chewy, tangy loaves is milled (ground) from what is called "hard red winter wheat". It has a high protein content and distinctive color and flavor. It is great for all kinds of yeasted breads and doughs and some quick breads and muffins. White whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour are milled from soft spring wheat which is lower in protein and therefore produces a more tender, less chewy product than whole wheat flour. It is still a "whole" grain (meaning the bran and germ have not been stripped away), just a little softer and easier to incorporate into baked goods. Most recipes using whole wheat flour will specify which type of flour to use.

You can find white whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour in your local supermarket in the baking section (look for brands such as King Arthur Flour, Bob's Red Mill or Hodgson Mill) and at Whole Foods and your local food co-op (both of these usually have it in bulk as well).

I like a less sweet cookie and usually use just about 1 cup packed light brown sugar and 1/8 - 1/4 cup cane sugar. The sweet nuttiness of the oats and toasted wheat germ add sweetness to the cookie, making it easy to decrease the sugar. I use evaporated cane juice which is a healthier alternative to refined sugar. Evaporated cane juice does not undergo the same processing that refined sugar does and therefore maintains most of its nutrients and more importantly, eliminates unwanted chemicals. Look for evaporated cane juice or pure cane sugar at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and your local food co-op.

And here's the best part of this article, the recipe!

Whole Wheat & Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice (cane sugar)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place oven racks in upper and lower third of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and set aside.

Sift dry ingredients together. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Stir in vanilla. Add about 2/3 of the dry ingredients to creamed mixture, blending well. Toss chocolate chips and nuts (if using) in the rest of the dry flour mixture and then add to the creamed mixture. Stir well to combine.

Drop by spoonsful onto prepared baking sheets and place on racks. Bake 6-7 minutes then rotate pans from top to bottom racks. Bake another 6-7 minutes until golden and almost set. Do not over bake! Remove from oven and cool on parchment sheets or wire racks.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookies And Cream Protein