My Wooden Spoon and Forearms Were No Match

Yesterday our grocery delivery arrived with two bags of whole wheat instead of all purpose flour.  Rather than consider the logistics of an exchange during a global pandemic, I immediately thought of the whole wheat chocolate chip cookies from Kim Boyce’s Good to the Grain.  I first tried this recipe years ago, but at the time I was living in a tiny apartment, and I didn’t have the space or money for small kitchen appliances, including a stand mixer. I am certain that my wooden spoon and forearms were no match for blending butter and sugar.  The cookies were just ok.

Last night I tried again with the stand mixer Jeff got me for my birthday three years ago.  Then I spent an hour laughing on a video call with my friends from Chicago, reminiscing about the dive bars and mega margaritas of our early twenties.  I simply forgot to try the cookies! However, “forgotten” is not my official review; they’re actually perfect: generous, crunchy, and a bit nutty from the whole wheat flour.  As a plus, Boyce’s recipe calls for cold butter instead of room temperature butter, so these can be made on a whim.

WHOLE WHEAT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES, inspired by Kim Boyce

You’ll need:
3 cups whole wheat flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp salt
8oz (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl, and pour back into the bowl any bits that remain in the sifter.

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugars on low speed until blended, about 3 minutes.  Still mixing on low, add the eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix on low until just combined.  Add the chocolate chips and mix on low until evenly combined. Remove the bowl from the base and use a spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom. Stir if necessary to fully incorporate all ingredients.

Scoop balls of dough about 3 tbsp in size onto the prepared baking sheets.  These are big cookies, so space them about 3 inches apart, approximately 6 to a sheet.  (This recipe yields approximately 20 large cookies. I baked half the dough, and froze the rest.)

Bake the cookies for 18-20 minutes, rotating the sheet trays halfway through, until the cookies are evenly dark and crackled on top.  Let cool on the counter directly on the sheet trays for about 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack.

Repeat with the rest of the dough, or roll into a log, wrap with plastic, and freeze.