Today is a special day. Not only am I sharing my most beloved chocolate chip cookie recipe with you, the one I’ve been making and improving upon for a decade, but I’m also getting married today(!!).
These cookies have a special place in my heart because they are Kevin’s favorite dessert, ever.
Some nights he looks at me with the most loving, mischievous smile, raises an eyebrow, and asks me a question.
It’s a one-word question, one I can predict before he even asks it.
“Cookies?” he asks, and because I cannot resist the power of love, I make the man a cookie every single time.
It helps that I make big batches of cookie dough for the sole purpose of storing the pre-portioned dough in the freezer. I’m always ready to make good on this cookie promise I made 6 1/2 years ago when we started dating.
I’m a sucker, I know. But the man loves cookies and I love making cookies, so it’s really a win-win here.
Chocolate chip cookies have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My Dad would mix up a big batch in the Kitchen Aid and call all of us into the kitchen to get a spoonful of dough before he baked them.
Eventually, the roles reversed and one of us kids would make the cookies, holding up an empty spoon with a raised eyebrow, asking dad if he wanted a spoonful of dough.
The answer was, always, yes.
Fast forward 20 years and I’m marrying a man who is, in so many ways, different from my father. He does, however, have a serious obsession with these cookies, so maybe there’s something to be said for cookies as the language of love.
At Kevin’s request, I make a batch of cookies for prettymuch every party we’re invited to; our friends get legitimately upset if I show up without them.
If you know Kevin, you know he’s a pretty quiet, reserved guy. He doesn’t tell you something is amazing unless it is, and yet he brags about how these cookies are the best he’s ever had.
Kevin is such a mystery to me; he loves cookies but flat out refuses to eat the dough. He’s super athletic but doesn’t show off his muscles or brag about how strong he is. He can be emotionally distant, struggling to understand why people get upset or offended by things he doesn’t. At the same time, he challenges gender and race stereotypes and questions the constraints put on us by society. He’s super serious and quiet, then he’s talking to the chipmunks in the backyard and fawning over baby animals on the Internet.
He annoys me, on purpose, because he likes to. He picks me flowers everywhere we go, and cries when I cry. He loves me so uniquely, so deeply, and so simply that it’s hard to explain how much I appreciate him.
But, enough about my cookie-loving dude. Let’s talk recipe specifics.
I like to think of cookies as the gateway drug into healthy eating.
Unexpected, I know; stay with me.
These cookies are made with whole wheat flour and less-refined sucanat (aka natural sugar cane, which is still brown because all of the molasses-y goodness hasn’t been entirely boiled & bleached away) or coconut sugar. They aren’t exactly health food, but they’re certainly a more health-conscious version of classic chocolate chip cookies.
The best part? The healthier ingredients all have more flavor, making these cookies taste better than their white flour/white sugar counterparts. I’m not making this up, people go crazy over these cookies and always wonder why they taste better than the ones they’re making at home.
If you can sell someone on whole wheat flour and unrefined sugar in COOKIES, you can start to persuade them to incorporate simple, healthier swaps in other areas of their life, too.
Gateway drug, indeed.
And so, these cookies are for Kevin, today and always.
I wasn’t sure that I’d ever share them here, but Kevin keeps urging me to. He thinks I’m holding out on you, and maybe I am. Like a grandma with a recipe everyone wants but can never quite replicate, I like to keep a few secrets up my sleeve.
So, on this day that I’m saying yes to a life of love and mystery, I give you my cookie recipe that sunk a thousand ships won Kevin’s heart.
I hope they bring you and your family so much love.
If you make them, let me know how they turn out! Leave a comment below or take a picture and share it with me on Instagram! Getting tagged in a picture of these cookies literally makes my heart swell with joy.
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 Tablespoons 1/2c or 1 stick of room temperature butter, preferably grass-fed/organic*
- 1 cup sucanat or organic brown sugar**
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or chopped chocolate I prefer dark, Kevin prefers milk. Use whatever chocolate you love, or a combination of several
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper (for easy cleanup-not necessary), and set aside.
- 2. Put butter, sugar, and vanilla into a large mixing bowl. Mix well with a wooden spoon until butter and sugar are fully combined. Add egg, and continue to mix well with a whisk or wooden spoon until the mixture looks light and fluffy (about 1 minute of mixing). Add all remaining ingredients and stir to fully combine. Cookies can be made in an electric mixer, if desired; I prefer a bowl and a wooden spoon.
- 3. Scoop cookies onto prepared pan using a small cookie scoop, mini ice cream scoop, or a spoon. With a small cookie scoop I get about 18 mini cookies per batch. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cookies are golden around the edges and still slightly under baked in the center. For larger cookies, scoop into about 1/4 cup sized dough balls (to yield 12 cookies), and bake for 12-14 minutes.
- 4. Cookies are best on the day they're made (you already knew that!), but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days. Cookie dough will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days, or in the freezer for several months. I recommend scooping out the dough into your preferred cookie size and storing in a freezer bag so you can pull out a few balls of dough and bake cookies anytime you want them. Dough can be baked from frozen- just increase bake time by 3-4 minutes.
Notes
**I usually find sucanat in the bulk section at Whole Foods, pre-packaged in the 'natural foods' sections of most major grocery stores, or on amazon. Organic brown sugar or coconut sugar both work well here, too. Plain old white cane sugar doesn't taste as good in these cookies!
Here’s to a lifetime of eating a bite out of all Kevin’s cookies.