Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’ve done a lot of thinking about whole wheat and cookies. Odd, I know. I love cookies, I love eating healthier when I can, but I also want my food to taste good and not like cardboard.  Finding one that accomplishes both can seem like a wild goose chase at times.

We’ve all heard about good carbs and bad carbs. So what makes whole grain wheat such a special nutritional powerhouse?

Here is a quick whole wheat anatomy breakdown for the cookery nerds:

 

Bran

The outer layer containing most of the fiber as well as healthy amounts of protein and B vitamins.

Germ

The nutrient-rich embryo containing vitamins E and B and protein.

Endosperm

The fluffy inside, which is 83 percent starch.  This is all that remains after the bran and germ are removed–what white bread is made of. Sad, but true.

What does this mean? It means 100 whole grain has 97 percent more vitamin E, 78 percent more fiber, 78 percent more magnesium, 82 percent more vitamin B6, 80 percent more selenium, 58 percent more copper and 37 percent more folacin than white bread.

For me, it means cookies I can feel good about eating.  And boy, does that warm my heart. For life is too short without indulgences.  But this indulgence is one I can be proud of. Cause hey, I’m getting some good nutrients after all.

My quest for the perfect whole wheat cookie lead me through many books and websites.  I thought back through the various decades and what they were known for and then….the 70s popped into my head.  I have many vintage whole grain books from the 70s.  I am sure one of those MUST have a winner.  Or at least something I could play with.

And there it was Marlene Anne Bumgarner’s 1976 Book of Whole Grains. Being that I was born in 1976, I thought I might have a hint of luck or nostalgia in resurrecting a recipe. And sure enough on page 47, I found my experiment.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup organic light brown sugar

1 cup or two sticks unsalted butter, for the vegan’s Earth Balance buttery spread works nicely

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs, for the vegan: soymilk with lemon: 1 egg = 1/4 cup soymilk + 1 tbsp lemon

2 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1 12 ounce package of organic chocolate chips, or vegan chocolate chips or carob chips

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

1 Step

Cream sugar and butter and/or Earth Balance buttery spread.

2 Step

Add vanilla and eggs or vegan egg substitute and beat well.

3 Step

Stir flour, baking soda, and fine grain sea salt.

4 Step

Stir into sugar mixture; add chocolate chips and pecans and blend.

5 Step

Drop by tablespoons onto a lightly greased baking sheet.

6 Step

Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

Sit back and relax, and prepare to enjoy your whole wheat cookie nush.  I know I did…