Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars {100% Whole-Grain}

Soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie bars made with 100% whole-grain flour and still taste AMAZING. What’s not to love about that?

Holiday baking season is kicking off and I’ve got the perfect recipe for you. These chocolate chip cookie bars not only taste amazing, they are made with 100% whole-grain flour.

There are so many things to love about these Cookie Bars.

Let’s start off with the fact that they are made with 100% whole-grain flour.

That’s right friends. There is no white flour in these AT ALL. And like I said before, they really do taste amazing. Of course if you wanted to, you could make them with white flour, but after tasting them with the whole-grain flour, I’m pretty sure you won’t want to go back.

This recipe was shared with me by a friend Amy B. quite some time ago. I’m not sure where it originated, but I’ve adapted them a bit to make them just perfect.

A few recommendations…

I usually mill my own flour with this grain mill (aff. link) that I have had for years and I LOVE. Freshly ground flour is really wonderful because it retains more of the nutrients than flour that’s been sitting around on the shelf. It also tastes better and makes your food taste really good too.

But if a grain mill of your own is not practical right now, you can use whole-grain flour that you buy at the store too. Just make sure if you do that you follow my recommendations for the type of flour I use.

For example, in this recipe I recommend buying white wheat flour. This is not your typical wheat flour. If it doesn’t specify white wheat flour then that usually means it is made from red wheat which is a bit denser and not as suited to recipes like this one. So look for the white wheat flour.

For freshly milled flour, I highly recommend milling a combination of a few different grains to get a better texture and flavor in this recipe. I love the combination of barley, brown rice, and spelt (equal parts of each). I’ve also made these successfully with all white wheat flour and they are delicious that way as well.

If you are using your own milled flour, I highly recommend weighing your flour with a kitchen scale (this is the kitchen scale that I have, aff. link). Freshly milled flour is hard to measure with a measuring cup because it’s not packed the same as the flour you buy at the store. I used a kitchen scale to perfect this recipe so weighing the flour will give you a more accurate measurement.

Adapting the recipe…

Feel free to experiment to your heart’s content with different types of flours. I’d love to hear what you’ve tried in the comments.

I have never made these completely gluten free, but I think this recipe would lend itself well to a gluten free adaptation by milling gluten free grains or by using a package gluten free flour (although the whole-grain option would be preferable).

Honestly these cookie bars are amazing. Soft and chewy, they melt in your mouth. It sure doesn’t hurt that they have a bit of whole-grain goodness added in with the tastiness too.

Print

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars {100% Whole-Grain}

Soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie bars made with 100% whole-grain flour and still taste amazing.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cookie bars

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 24 cookie bars

Author Heather @ thecookstreat.com

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups (7.5 ounces) whole-grain flour see note
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter melted
• 1 ½ cups (11.25 ounces) brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips see note
• 1 cup chopped nuts optional, see note

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9X13-inch baking pan with foil and lightly grease with cooking spray.

2. In a small bowl, combine whole grain flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.
3. In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla and mix until well combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just barely combined, making sure not to overmix this step. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts and stir lightly to incorporate.
5. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven for 25-30 minutes until edges are brown, center is slightly firm, and the top is glossy. Be careful not to overbake or cookie bars will be dry.
6. Cool to room temperature before cutting. It helps even more to chill the bars for 1-2 hours before cutting. Lift the foil from the pan, place on a cutting board, and cut into 24 squares.

Recipe Notes

1. For the whole-grain flour, my preference is freshly milled flour, but you can use white wheat flour from the store. When milling your own, a combination of a few different grains will produce a better texture and flavor in this recipe. I love the combination of barley, brown rice, and spelt (equal parts of each). I’ve also made these successfully with all white wheat flour and they are delicious that way as well. Although I’ve never tried it, I think this recipe would lend itself well to a gluten free adaptation by milling gluten free grains or by using a package gluten free flour (although the whole-grain option would be preferable). If you don’t have access to any of the above, you can also make this recipe with all-purpose white flour in place of the whole-grain flour.

2. My preferred chocolate chips in this recipe are the Ghiradelli brand (dark or semi-sweet).

3. My preferred choice of nuts in this recipe are pecans or walnuts.

Recipe Source: Adapted from a recipe share with me by my friend Amy B.

All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat

Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links for items on Amazon.