Nutty Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies [Gluten-Free!]

Oh, hello there!

I apologize for being semi-MIA these past few days, I’ve been out on the east coast hanging with my family in my all-time favorite place in the entire world, the Outer Banks in North Carolina!! I’ve been coming here since I was a toddler and I have so many wonderful memories of coming here with friends and family, and being here instantly re-charges my batteries.

One of my favorite things to do while I’m on vacation, especially when it’s with my mom, is cook or bake! Since we stay in our beach house down here, we have access to a full kitchen (which can be rare on vacations), so home-cooked dinners & desserts are easier and more fun to make. My mom recently came across this recipe for whole-grain chocolate chip cookies in the Wall Street Journal and we knew we needed to make them. I’ll be honest, we don’t usually opt for healthier versions of anything while we’re in OBX (because hey, we’re on vacation!), but we do have someone new joining our family very soon, and she has Celiac’s, so we’re working on incorporating more gluten-free foods when we’re all together. (Wait…did I tell you my brother was engaged?!?!)

Anyway, these cookies are slightly healthier than normal chocolate chip cookies since they’re made with oat and buckwheat flour – both of which are packed with fiber and help improve heart health. A couple of tips: I’d let them cool completely before putting them into a tupperware (unless you’re eating them immediately when they’re warm, which I definitely condone!) otherwise they’ll crumble. Also, if you can remember, leave the butter out the night before you want to bake so that it’s super soft and you won’t even need to use an electric beater! That’s one less dish to clean aka a win-win.

In any case, I totally suggest making these the next time you need to bring or have dessert for a group, since this recipe makes about 2 dozen good size cookies and I can promise you that they are a crowd-pleaser! Even my very skeptical bf enjoyed them, and that is saying a LOT. They’re the perfect amount of sweetness and have so much more flavor to them than regular cookies. They also have a cool texture too, like a bit crunchy on the outside, but also fluffy on the inside? It’s hard to explain, which essentially means that you’ll just need to make them for yourself and see 🙂

Nutty Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup oat flour

1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 egg

1 cup coconut sugar

1 cup softened butter

1/4 cup peanut or almond butter

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit. In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and egg until smooth either with an electric beater or wooden spoon and strong arm. Add the dry mixture slowly and continue to mix until well-combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans, if including.

3. Form the dough into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. I did a dozen per sheet since they don’t spread too much, but definitely err on the side of caution when leaving room for them! Bake for 12-14 minutes or until starting to brown on the sides. Let cool for 10 minutes and then store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Hope everyone is having a great (short) week! Be back soon 🙂

xo Jordan