Wholegrain Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

This easy recipe uses simple ingredients and yields delicious spelt chocolate chip cookies with all the benefits of whole-grain spelt ! Using wholesome ingredients, these cookies are high in fiber without sacrificing flavor!

I’ve trialed many new recipes this past year in search of something that might satisfy my cookie cravings but sneak some goodness in too. These are super easy to make, and the dough can be prepared ahead of time.

WHAT IS SPELT FLOUR, AND WHY IS IT CONSIDERED A HEALTHY GRAIN?

Spelt is an ancient grain that has been cultivated since approximately 5000 BC and has not been manipulated to meet manufacturing needs. It has therefore kept many of its original characteristics and health benefits, which provide an impressive nutritional profile along with ease of digestibility.

“Ancient grains bring diversity, higher nutritional quality, higher tolerance to climate change” Dr. Sven-Erik Jacobsen, former project coordinator of Protein2Food and a researcher on tropical crops at the University of Copenhagen.

Also known as Dinkel Wheat or Hulled Wheat, Spelt (Triticum spelta), spelt has a mild, nutty, and slightly sweet flavor that is perfect for baking cookies! Compared to whole wheat flour and all- purpose flour, Dinkle is more absorbent, in my experience, and has a more distinct flavor profile. 

You can find Spelt flour in health food stores and if you are lucky, the local grocery store!

 When using whole grain, you may need to add a little extra softened butter or  an extra egg yolk to the mixture, depending on the characteristics of your flour – some absorb more liquid than others.  These healthy cookies are made using 100% whole grain spelt flour and the measurements listed in the recipe below.

SPELT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE INGREDIENTS

150g Butter – this recipe calls for softened butter, so remember to leave your butter out of the fridge for 20 minutes before you start baking! 

150g Dark or light muscovado sugar – I find less sugar is needed when baking with muscovado sugar, as it adds a lovely caramel flavor. You can use dark or light – dark muscovado will have a deeper molasses flavor, which I love! 

1 Vanilla pod– using real vanilla gives these cookies an extra edge. If you don’t have a vanilla pod you can use a vanilla powder or paste  – about 1/4 to 1/2  a teaspoon, depending on the product you are using. Alternatively 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. 

1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk – This recipe calls for 1 whole egg and one extra egg yolk. You can save the white and add them to your scrambled eggs or give it your dog if you have one!

1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda – I learned recently that bicarbonate of soda is not just a leveling agent, it also creates an alkaline environment that slows protein coagulation, giving the dough more time to spread before the eggs set. This helps the cookies to bake more evenly. What’s more, alkalinity weakens gluten, keeping the cookies tender, and even speeds the Maillard reaction so that deeper flavors and colours develop in a shorter amount of time. – impressive right! 

1/4 tsp Sea salt – it’s well known that chocolate and salt go well together, and these chocolate chip cookies are no exception! Adding a sprinkle of sea salt flakes to the cookies while they are still warm gives an extra dimension to the flavour.

225g Spelt flour – sifted or a mixture of sifted and whole grain.

Finely milled wholegrain is well suited to this recipe, but coarse flour will also work. Using wholegrain rather than white spelt flour helps manage blood sugar levels associated with eating sweet treats. Compared to refined wheat flour, wholegrain spelt has a much lower glycemic index and adds a sweet, slightly nutty flavor to these cookies.

200g Dark chocolate chips – use the best quality chocolate chips you can find or roughly chop your favorite dark. Using quality chocolate will make all the difference to the finished cookie. If you use a bar of chocolate, try to chop it so that you don’t end up with some huge chunks and some chocolate powder, which will not bake well. 

You will need:

A large baking sheet or two smaller cookie sheets – lined with parchment paper.

METHOD 

Remember to leave your butter out to soften before you start! If you have missed this step, you can warm your butter gently in the microwave on medium-low heat;  a little melted butter is ok!

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and the sugar together using an electric mixer on medium speed. Beat the mixture until all of the sugar is incorporated, and the mixture is uniform.

3. Using a sharp knife, slice the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Add the vanilla seeds to the bowl together with the egg yolks and combine well. 

Pop the leftover vanilla bean in an airtight container with your brown sugar to help keep your brown sugar soft, and add a hint of vanilla for your next bake. You can also add the pod to the pot when you make hot chocolate or chocolate soup for a rich vanilla flavor. 

4. Place the flour, bicarbonate, sea salt and chocolate chips in a medium bowl and mix with a spoon.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and using a wooden spoon,  mix just enough to make a dough. 

6. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably 2 hours, and optimally, overnight.

Chilling your dough will help your cookies to hold their shape better. It’s so hard to wait, I know! But preparing your dough a few hours ahead and allowing it to chill will allow time for the flour to hydrate fully, making for a tender cookie. Allowing your dough to rest overnight will give it time for the enzymes to go to work, breaking down the carbohydrates so that they form more aromatic compounds. The longer the rest, the deeper the flavor!-

7. Use a spoon to scoop the dough and roll to form ping pong sized balls. Rolling roughly will produce a cookie with organic, rough edges. Rolling neatly will give a neater, more uniformly round cookie.

For extra ragged cookies, tear the ball of dough apart and put the dough back together with the torn sides outwards.

8. Place well apart on your lined baking sheet and bake at 180°C or 350°F for 10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown, but the cookies are still soft. Adjust the baking time according to the size of your cookies. 

Allow them to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store spelt chcolate chip cookies in an air-tight container for up to five days if there are any left…

SOME ALTERNATIVES TO MUSCOVADO SUGAR:

Like muscovado, demerara sugar is made from evaporated cane juice, but it is processed for less time, and so has a drier, coarser texture than muscovado. It is also usually lighter than muscovado in color as it has a lower molasses content.
Coconut sugar has a light but distinctive flavor, close to muscovado. It also has a lower glycemic index, but you should treat it the same as regular sugar because it contains the same amount of calories and carbohydrates.

SUBSTITUTIONS

For dairy intolerance, you can substitute butter with coconut oil.

If you enjoyed this recipe, I would love it if you would give it 5 stars and let me know in the comments below!