Chewy 100% Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies Baked with Nutritional Yeast Super Food

  

The best recipe for chewy chocolate chip cookies is from Tasty. In developing this recipe, I have adapted the recipe from Tasty to reduce the sugar amount, but it is still super chewy. The winning proportion between flour, butter and sugar is 1:1:1.3 respectively. I have made another post that followed the exact sugar level of Tasty here.

And I have added nutritional yeast and use white wholewheat flour instead. Nutritional yeast is a deactivated food product made from the single-celled fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae and has a naturally savory, nutty, and cheesy flavor profile. It is highly nutritious, especially high-quality protein, immune-boosting fibers and trace minerals, and it is low in Calories, Fats and Cholesterol. You can read more here.

Small Batch

Makes 7 large cookies or 32 medium cookies

Ingredients:

110g white whole wheat flour (You can also use plain wheat flour)

112g butter

145g sugar consisting of 100g brown sugar and 45g cane sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

50g of chocolate chopped as desired (I use Premieur Chocolate Bar Dark 85%, but you can use any chocolate)

50g chopped walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts as desired (optional)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp Nescafe decaf coffee powder (optional)

1/2 tsp vanilla powder (optional)

1/2 tsp cocoa powder (optional)

1 TBS nutritional yeast (optional)

Large Batch

Makes 15 large cookies or 64 medium cookies

Ingredients:

220g white whole wheat flour (You can also use plain wheat flour)

225g butter

290g sugar consisting of 200g brown sugar and 90g white sugar 

2 eggs + 2 egg yolks

100g of dark, milk and white chocolate chips

100g chopped walnuts or chopped almonds or hazelnuts (optional)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp Nescafe decaf coffee powder (optional)

1 tsp vanilla powder (optional)

1 tsp cocoa powder (optional)

2 TBS nutritional yeast (optional)

Short Instructions:

Combined wet ingredients with dry ingredients. Don't overbeat the eggs.

Oven temperature: 175 degree Celsius

Bake Time: 12 minutes (large cookies) or 7 minutes (medium cookies) or until golden brown on the edges but the middle still look doughy.

Detailed Instructions:

1. In a separate bowl, mix flour, vanilla powder, Nescafe, cocoa powder, baking soda and nutritional yeast and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar and white sugar until combined and creamy. You can do by hand or machine.

3. Add egg and egg yolk and beat until incorporated.

4. Mix in the dry ingredients using a spatula or spoon until combined.

5. Add chocolate chips and chopped walnuts and mix well.

6. Refrigerate the dough for 1-2 hours or even overnight for optimal flavor (This step is if you want perfection, but the cookies still taste great skipping this step.)

7. Use a trigger-release ice-cream scoop (equivalent to 3 tablespoon size) to form 6 cookies on each tray. If you don't have an ice-cream scoop, not to worry, just use a spoon.

8. Bake at 175 degree Celsius for 12 - 15 minutes for large cookies or 7 minutes for medium cookies or until golden on the edges. Take them out when they are just barely starting to turn brown and still look doughy.

9. Let them sit on the baking tray for 2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

10. Once cooled, enjoy :-)

Storage:

Store in an air-tight container. Will last up to 7 days. If you prefer your cookies to stay soft and chewy, place a fresh slice of white bread inside the airtight container with them. The cookies will absorb the moisture from the bread, keeping them perfectly soft for days without making them soggy.

Will last up to 3 months in the freezer sealed in air-tight container or  heavy-duty freezer bag. Just let them thaw at room temperature for about 30 to 60 minutes before eating.

To get that "fresh out of the oven" taste, warm them up in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for 3-5 minutes just until they are warm and the chocolate begins to glisten. This perfectly restores the crisp edges while melting the chocolate chips without making the cookie soggy.

Additional Information:

Yeh, I am so happy I have finally succeeded in making chewy chocolate chip cookies, and they are even 100% wholewheat too!! 

These 100% whole wheat chocolate chip cookies are very nutritious as they have much more protein, minerals and dietary fiber than the average non-wholewheat cookie, but they are still full of butter, sugar and chocolate. Thus they are dessert, not a main course or salad. You can call them a nutritious dessert :-)

I have failed many times while trying to bake the most chewy chocolate chip cookies, as they usually turned out cakey, instead of chewy *. So now I decided to follow this recipe from Tasty.co faithfully (apart from omitting salt since the butter I used is salted and adding cornstarch). I have left out the cornstarch, nut the cookies made from this recipe turned out so good - absolutely delicious, chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The downside is that this recipe is SINFULLY UNHEALTHY thanks to the amount of sugar used relative to other recipes that I have come across. I guess this must be the reason that gives it the chewy texture. Everyone at home loves them. These cookies are very addictive, but everyone is aware that this is only going to be for an occasional rare treat.

Cookie is made up mainly of flour, fat, sugar, but it is the wining combination of these ingredients that enables a cookie achieve the heavenly melt-in-your-mouth chewiness. The sugar content must be higher than the flour in order for the cookie to be chewy. I used 30% more sugar compared to flour. And to use the same amount of flour with the same amount of oil.

Here is the link to the original recipe:

https://tasty.co/recipe/tasty-101-ultimate-brown-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies

I find that it is not necessary to go through the trouble to melt the butter over the stove top, that is too much work. I didn't heat or melt the butter. I simply used soft butter and I still achieved the heavenly "melt-in-your-mouth" chewiness.

I discovered after a few rounds of experiment that the "melt-in-your mouth" chewiness is mostly credited to the sugar content in the cookies. The greater the sugar content, the more chewy the cookie is. In general, the ratio of sugar to flour has to be higher, around 3:2, in order to achieve the "melt-in-your-mouth" chewiness that we all desire in a chocolate chip cookie.

I tried using the more nutritious white whole wheat flour instead of white flour. It turned out fantastically great and retained the same kind of "melt-in-your-mouth" chewiness. 

For the small batch as reflected in the recipe above, I have reduced the sugar content to 145g consisting of 100g brown sugar and 45g granulated sugar and they still retain the same chewiness. The large batch recipe above also follows the same adjustment.

I also tried substituting butter with olive oil. The cookies still tasted good, soft but were no longer in the league of "melt-in-your-mouth" chewiness.

Refrigerating chocolate chip cookie dough overnight gives it more flavor primarily because enzymes break down large carbohydrates and proteins into simpler, more flavorful compounds while the dough slowly dries out, concentrating its taste. A 24-hour rest yields the most dramatic transformation in color, texture, and complex flavor. 

When you let the cookie dough rest in the fridge, a few key scientific processes happen simultaneously to transform its flavor profile:

1. Breakdown of Flour (Enzymatic Hydrolysis)

As the dough rests, naturally occurring enzymes in the flour begin breaking down large, tasteless starch molecules into simple sugars like fructose and glucose. This breakdown enhances the overall sweetness and provides better fuel for Maillard browning and caramelization during baking, resulting in a rich, almost butterscotch-like depth of flavor. (https://www.seriouseats.com/cookie-dough-chilling-tests-11872674)

2. Moisture Evaporation and Concentration

Even when wrapped, a prolonged stay in the refrigerator allows free moisture in the dough to be absorbed by the flour or slowly evaporate. As the dough dries out slightly, the concentration of the remaining ingredients—like sugar, fat, vanilla, and salt—increases. This mimics the process of marinating, leaving you with a more concentrated and intense flavor. (https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2015/05/17/chilling-cookie-dough)

3. Flavor Melding

Freshly mixed dough tastes like its individual components sitting next to one another. Over 16 to 24 hours, the fats, extracts, and liquids fully emulsify and intermingle. This allows subtle aromatic flavors, like vanilla and the richness of the butter, to evenly distribute and permeate the entire mixture. (https://www.instagram.com/reels/C2TksB-MhYR/) (https://www.seriouseats.com/cookie-dough-chilling-tests-11872674)(https://www.reddit.com/r/seriouseats/comments/121x947/are_there_advantages_to_letting_cookie_dough_rest/)

4. Less Spreading

The butter solidifies completely. When baked, the fats melt much slower, preventing the cookies from turning into thin, flat puddles. (https://tastecooking.com/chill-cookie-dough-baking/)

5. Perfect Chewiness

The flour thoroughly hydrates by absorbing liquid from the eggs. At the same time, gluten strands relax, producing a cookie that is crisper on the edges and beautifully chewy in the center. (https://www.wkiri.com/today/?p=1154)

* Below are the three recipes that I have tried and the cookies turned out cakey :-(

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/chocolate-chip-cookies/

https://www.valdemarsro.dk/cookies/

References:

https://tasty.co/recipe/tasty-101-ultimate-brown-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies

https://foodbyjonister.com/recipe/nutritional-cookies/

https://joyfoodsunshine.com/the-most-amazing-chocolate-chip-cookies/

https://www.momontimeout.com/giant-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies_28/

https://www.bobsredmill.com/blog/baking-101/how-to-make-chewy-cookies/

https://bakerbettie.com/the-science-of-the-chocolate-chip-cookie/

https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/30254/difference-in-cookie-texture-if-we-use-melted-vs-softened-butter

https://www.purewow.com/food/how-to-keep-cookies-soft

https://www.seriouseats.com/cookie-science-how-do-eggs-affect-my-cookies

https://www.mytastednk.com/o/chokolade-sm%C3%A5kager-som-lidl-49285057.html

https://www.lidl.dk/p/bake-off-kager-og-soedt/triple-chocolate-chip-cookie/p34119

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U80aSRBAAY0

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/

https://thebalancednutritionist.com/whole-wheat-chocolate-chip-cookies/#wprm-recipe-container-11515

https://fooddoodles.com/thick-and-chewy-100-whole-wheat-chocolate-chip-cookies/

This is white whole wheat flour. You can also use plain flour, but I like to use this flour because it is more nutritious, provides more dietary fiber, and still achieve the same chewy "melt-in-your-mouth" mouth feel :-) You can buy it from Føtex Supermarket for 27 DKK a pack. It goes on offer quite frequently at 20 DKK. So watch out for the promotions :-)

Vanilla powder available from Føtex Supermarket

Dark chocolate available from Netto or Føtex Supermarket.

Nutritional yeast available from Urtehuset or any health store.

In a large mixing bowl, add 100g of brown sugar.

Add 45g of cane sugar.

Mix well.

Add 112g of softened butter

Mix until combined by hand or mixer.

Add an egg and an egg yolk.

Mix until combined by hand or hand-mixer. Don't over-beat.

In a separate bowl, add 110g of white whole wheat flour.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder (optional).

Add 1/2 teaspoon of cacao powder (optional).

Add 1/2 teaspoon of coffee powder (optional).

Add 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast (optional).

Add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.

Don't you think the colors look beautiful?

Mix well.

Mix in the flour. I like to sift it into the cookie dough, but it's probably not so necessary.

Combine the wet ingredients and the dry flour ingredients.

Mix well.

Now the dough is done.

Add chocolate chips anywhere between 25-50g as desired.

Chop the chocolate.

Add the chocolate chips into the dough.

Mix well.

Add 50g of desired nuts. They are so nutritious. It also provides a nice crunch.

Mix well.

Refrigerate the cookie dough for 1-2 hours or even overnight. This prevents over-spreading when the cookie is being baked in the oven.

Scoop into 9 large balls, but only place 6 dough balls on each tray, as they would spread as they are being baked. I like to use trigger-release ice-cream scoop, but using a spoon will do too.

You can decorate it with a few chocolate chips on each dough ball if you wish (optional)

Bake at 175 degree Celsius for 12 - 15 minutes for large cookies or 7 minutes for medium cookies or until golden on the edges, but soft and moist in the middle. Take them out when they are just barely starting to turn brown and still look doughy.

Let them sit on the baking tray for 2 minutes before removing to cooling rack.

Now it's done :-)

What is Nutritional Yeast? Why Is It So Nutritious?

Nutritional yeast available from Urtehuset or any health store.

Nutritional yeast is a deactivated food product made from the single-celled fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 

It is highly popular due to its naturally savory, nutty, and cheesy flavor profile.

For most people looking to lower calories, fat, and cholesterol, nutritional yeast is significantly healthier than cheese.

1. Highly nutritious: 

Nutritional yeast is a nutritional powerhouse because it is essentially a super-concentrated dose of cellular nutrients.

When you eat nutritional yeast, you are consuming billions of pure, intact microscopic cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Because these cells are dried down completely and have had all their water removed, you are left with just the core "building blocks" of life: pure protein, cellular fibers, and metabolic vitamins.

It is naturally packed with complete plant-based protein, fiber, and other natural B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, and B6).

2. High-Quality Protein:

Yeast cells are incredibly rich in protein because their cell walls and internal structures require a massive amount of amino acids to function.

• It contains all nine essential amino acids that your body cannot produce on its own.

• Because it is completely dehydrated, over 50% of the weight of nutritional yeast is pure protein. Just two tablespoons give you the same amount of protein as a large egg or an ounce of beef.

3. Immune-Boosting Fibers (Beta-Glucans): 

The cell walls of nutritional yeast contain unique types of carbohydrates called beta-glucans and alpha-mannans.

These specific fibers are highly beneficial for humans because they act as prebiotics, feeding the good bacteria in your gut. Scientific studies have shown that beta-glucans from yeast can bind to immune cells, helping to prime and strengthen your immune system against infections.

4. Trace Minerals: 

To grow efficiently, yeast cells act like little sponges, absorbing trace elements from the liquid sugarcane or beet molasses they are raised in. As a result, the final product is naturally loaded with vital minerals like zinc, selenium, manganese, and magnesium, which support everything from cellular repair to thyroid function.

5. Low in Calories, Fats and Cholesterol

Nutritional yeast is exceptionally low in both calories and fat. 

Compared to Parmesan Cheese: One tablespoon of Parmesan cheese has about 22 calories and 1.5 grams of fat (mostly saturated). One tablespoon of nutritional yeast has roughly the same calories but triple the protein and almost zero fat.

High Satiety: Because nearly half of its small calorie count comes directly from complete protein and dietary fiber, it helps you feel full and satisfied much longer than processed seasonings.

Luxurious No-Knead Buckwheat Carrot Bread Rolls (Overnight-Rising) (Koldhævede Boghvede Fudkornsboller)

 

The difference between this recipe and the other buckwheat bread roll recipe is the addition of cooked wheat kernels in this recipe, which gives the bread rolls even more flavor and makes it even more nutritious.

This recipe is inspired from Arla (see below video too). https://www.arla.dk/opskrifter/nemme-kernestykker-med-ske/

Makes 30 bread rolls

Ingredients:

1. 10g fresh yeast

2. 10g grove sea salt (2 tsp) 

3. 500g cold distilled water (cooled boiled water)

4. 300g Kefir

5. 125g (400ml) rolled oats

6. 125g (200ml) wholewheat flour (I use the organic Salling Øko wheat flour)

7. 60g (100ml) sunflower seeds

8. 1 TBS to 1/4cup flax seeds as desired (I add 50ml flax seeds)

9. 1 TBS to 1/4cup chia seeds as desired (I add 50ml chia seeds)

10. 100g (1 large carrot) grated, grated squash or grated apple

11. 430g plain wheat flour (I use the organic Salling Øko wheat flour)

12. 70g buckwheat flour (I use Aurion or the organic Salling Øko buckwheat flour)

13. 200ml wheat kernels + 2g salt cooked with 400ml water

14. Optional: 200ml blending of seeds: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, sesame seeds for sprinkling on top of the dough (approx. 60-180g as desired) (You can use rolled oats instead too)

Directions:

Cook the wheat kernels:

1. Bring to boil 1 part whole wheat kernels/ whole rye kernels with 2 parts water. I usually use 200 ml whole wheat kernels and 400 ml water. 

- If you are using whole wheat kernels or rye kernels, once boiling, reduce heat and let it simmer boils for 30 minutes. Then let it soak up the liquid for another 30 minutes. 

- If you are using cracked wheat kernels or cracked rye kernels, once boiling, reduce heat and let it simmer boils for 5 minutes. Then let it soak up the liquid for another 15 minutes. 

3. Set aside. When they are cooled down, you can use them to make the bread. To cool it down quickly, you can spread them onto two plates. It cools down faster this way.

To make the bread:

1. In a big mixing bowl, add water, kefir, yeast, grated carrots, flax seeds, chia seeds, rolled oats and whole-grain flour and mix well.

2. Add sea salt and mix well.

3. In another bowl, add 430g of wheat flour and 70g of buckwheat flour and mix well, as buckwheat flour tends to lump up.

4. Add the buckwheat flour mixture into the dough and mix thoroughly using a wooden spoon—the dough should be moist.

5. Add the cooked wheat kernels and mixed well.

6. Sprinkle the seeds over the top of the dough. Cover the bowl (e.g., with a lid or a plastic bag) and place the dough in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 8 hours. The longer you leave in the fridge to ferment, the more flavorful your bread will be. You can leave the dough in the fridge for up to a maximum of 24 hours. 

7. Pre-heat the oven to 250 degree C and heat up a roasting pan on the bottom rack to heat up.

8. Once the oven is hot, you can prepare the bread rolls by dipping a tablespoon into water and placing 16 heap spoonful of dough as bread rolls onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. If you have a digital thermometer, you can insert it into one of the bread rolls.

9. Immediately place the baking tray with the bread rolls into the oven (otherwise they will deflate) and pour approximately 100ml of water into the hot roasting pan at the bottom of the oven. Close the oven door immediately to trap the steam inside. The steam makes them extra crispy.

10. Bake for 15–20 minutes at 250°C (fan-assisted) or until the core of the bread rolls reaches 96 - 98 degree C. 

11. Transfer the hot bread rolls onto a wire rack and let them cool down before slicing.

12. If there are any leftover dough, save the remaining dough for the next day, or bake another batch of rolls with the rest of the dough.

Video Demonstration by Arla:

https://youtu.be/ccr-D0o3des

Additional Information:

Buckwheat flour enhances the flavour and nutritional value of breads and bread rolls. In this recipe, we add about 15% of buckwheat flour (70g) to the recipe and take away 15% of the wheatflour from 500g to 430g.

These bread rolls contain protein and calcium from the fermented Arla's A38 milk, beta carotene from the carrot. The carrot also gives the bread rolls the natural sweetness and helps the bread rolls stay moist. The sunflower seeds, flax seeds and chia seeds are all jammed packed with nutrients and good energy source. 

The dough should be quite wet and sticky, but it should hold its form and not runny. If your rolls flattens out, it means you have added too little flour. Adjust with more flour bit-by-bit. You can use grated apple, squash, etc. instead of carrot. 

If you don't have the time to leave the dough to rise overnight, you can leave it in room temperature to rise for 3-4 hours and it will double in size within that time.

You do not need an electric mixer for this, as there is no kneading required. The dough is very forgiving and can be easily combined with using a ladle or spoon. 

You can use water instead of distilled water. I am using distilled water because the Danish water is hard. Thus, for me using softer distilled water gives an evern better result.

I recommend using sea salt, as it gives the best result as table salt is usually enriched with iodine, which makes the bread rolls a tiny bit less chewy.

Although the beneficial probiotic bacteria in acidophilus fermented milk will die during baking, use it anyway because it:

1. Improves Texture & Crumb: The natural acidity in yogurt breaks down gluten strands slightly. This yields a much softer, more tender, and pillowy interior crumb.

2. Enhances Flavor: Even though the bacteria die, the lactic acid they produced before baking remains in the dough. This injects a complex, tangy, sourdough-like flavor into a quick yeast bread.

3. Extends Shelf Life: The increased acidity from the yogurt acts as a natural preservative. It slows down the staling process and keeps your bread fresh and mold-free for days longer.

4. Boosts Nutrition: Yogurt adds protein, calcium, and pre-digested nutrients to your dough. Furthermore, the dead probiotic cells themselves (known as paraprobiotics or heat-killed probiotics) can still interact positively with your immune system and gut lining.

Hope your children and teenagers will like these bread rolls as much as mine do :-)

References:

https://www.arla.dk/opskrifter/nemme-kernestykker-med-ske/

https://www.valdemarsro.dk/koldhaevede-boller/

https://madenimitliv.dk/2015/08/koldhaevede-boller/

Organic buckwheat flour from Urterhuset

Organic buckwheat flour from Føtex

Salling organic wheat flour available from Føtex supermarket

Salling wholewheat flour available from Føtex supermarket.

Kefir available from Netto or Føtex.

Sea salt from Netto or Føtex.

Fresh yeast available from Netto or Føtex Supermarket

Add 200ml of wheat kernels (approx. 150g) in a pot (Apology, this picture is showing oat kernels, but it is the same concept and step for wheat kernels)

Add 400ml of water and  slowly bring it to boil on high heat.

Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

After simmering for 30 minutes, you can add 1 teaspoon salt to taste (optional, I usually don't add a teaspoon, but just a tiny tiny bit, or not at all, as it is tasty on its own)

Off the fire, cover and let the wheat kernels to cool down and absorb the water for another 30 minutes.

Now it is done :-) Drain off any excess liquid.

In a large mixing bowl, add 500g of cold distilled water (boiled cooled and refrigerated water)

Add 10g of fresh yeast.

Mix well.

Add 300g kefir.

Mix well.

Add 400ml rolled oats (125g) and mix well.

Add 200 ml (125g) wholewheat flour.

Mix well.

Add 2 teaspoons (10g) of sea salt and mix well.

Add 1 tablespoon to 1/4 cup of flaxseeds as desired (optional) and mix well.

Add 60g (100ml) sunflowers seeds and mix well.

Add 1 large carrot (grated) 100-150g and mix well.

Add 1 tablespoon to 1/4 cup of chia seeds as desired (optional) and mix well.

In a separate bowl, add 430g of organic wheat flour and 70g of buckwheat flour (15% of total of these two of 500g) and mix well, as buckwheat flour can lump up.

Don't add the flour all at once, but add the 500g of flour mixture in three different batches, stir and mix well.

Add the cooked wheat kernels and mix well.

Now it's done :-) 

The dough should be quite wet and sticky, but hold its form and not runny.

Sprinkle 50ml of chia seeds on top of the dough. 

Sprinkle 50ml of flaxseeds on top of the dough. 

Sprinkle 50ml of sunflower seeds on top of the dough. 

Sprinkle 50ml of pumpkin seeds on top of the dough. 

Sprinkle a total of 200ml of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame, chia seeds and/or flax seeds as desired on top of the dough. You can also use sesame seeds or nuts instead as you prefer.

Now it is done :-)

Cover and

Let it rest in the fridge overnight.

It has grown into double its size in the morning.

Wet a spoon and scoop a portion onto a parchment paper one at a time.

 

Place in the oven and pour a glass of water into the empty baking tray. 

Close the oven door.

Bake for 20 minutes until the buns turn golden.

The buckwheat carrot bread rolls are done :-)