Whole grain chocolate chip cookies are usually made with whole wheat flour instead of refined white or all-purpose flour. Some recipes for whole grain chocolate chip cookies may contain other grains, such as oats, as well. The cookies may also have less sugar than standard chocolate chip cookies. As with regular chocolate chip cookies, whole grain cookies also contain butter and may contain eggs.
A cook may choose to use regular whole wheat flour to make a batch of whole grain chocolate chip cookies. Some cooks find that white whole wheat flour, which is made from a different variety of wheat, gives the cookies a lighter flavor and smoother texture than regular whole wheat flour. Another option is to use whole wheat pastry flour that is ground finer. Regular whole wheat flour has a strong taste that may be off-putting to some.
In addition to whole wheat flour, some types of whole grain chocolate chip cookies contain other types of grain. A cook may want to add rolled oats or oats that have been ground in a food processor to the cookies in place of some of the whole wheat flour. The oats give the cookies a nutty flavor and also add some texture.
Many recipes for whole grain chocolate chip cookies strive to be healthier than recipes for regular cookies. The recipe may call for less sugar than usual, although that is not always the case. Typically, chocolate chip cookie recipes call for both brown and white granulated sugars.
Other ingredients in whole grain chocolate chip cookies are also found in regular chocolate chip cookies. Butter plays an important role in flavoring the cookies and holding them together. Some recipes may call for chilled butter that is cut into the dough, while others call for softened butter that is creamed with the sugar.
Usually, the cookies contain eggs, though a few recipes omit the egg entirely. Some recipes may call for an egg replacer, such as starch or flax seeds. Other make no mention of replacing the egg. In some cases, a recipe may call for using a whole egg and an egg yolk.
The size of whole grain chocolate chip cookies can vary. Some cookies are small, while others use a lot of dough per scoop. A cook who doesn’t want to portion out the dough into individual cookies may choose to spread it all into a skillet or baking dish and bake one large cookie that can be cut like brownies.