Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

At times, I can be very domestic. I spend more time in the kitchen than anyone really should. Baking, cooking, eating, I love it all. I am a part of the rare breed that actually enjoys grocery shopping. If you catch me in the right mood, I don't even mind cleaning.

But, I will never be a true domestic because I am awful at laundry.

First off, I hate laundry. I normally don't use the word "hate" but for laundry I'm making an exception. In the past, I have strategically arranged my clothing so I can go as long as humanly possible without doing laundry. My record is 5 weeks. Everything in my entire wardrobe was worn. Old shirts from high school band, free over-sized t-shirts from radio stations and organizations I know nothing about, the horribly outdated pants I bought 8 years ago that still fit so I can't justify getting rid of them—nothing is safe.

I have gone out in public looking like a far less fashionable Kelly Kapowski from Saved by the Bell. Now, that is just how much I hate laundry.

Since ironing is an extra step in the laundry process, it's a skill I've avoided learning. I don't iron. If I happen to buy clothes that wrinkle more than a Shar Pei puppy, I wear my wrinkled clothing in stride. I try to convince the world that wrinkled dresses are the new black (though I'm not sure it's quite working).

Nevertheless, last week I tried to teach myself the art of the iron. I received a fancy (expensive) pair of shorts for my birthday, but they were wrinkled past the point where even I wouldn't consider wearing them. So, I sucked it up, took out the iron, and went to work. Well, I melted the shorts. Literally, melted a hole straight through the fabric. That definitely didn't help my loathing for laundry.

From now on, I should just stick to what I do best—baking cookies.

These Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies are one good cookie. Even though they are made with whole wheat flour, you might not guess it when eating them. These cookies are a little heartier than your average chocolate chip cookie, with a subtle boost from oats and sliced almonds. You can optionally add a touch of orange zest to spice up the flavor (chocolate and orange will always be one of my favorite flavor combinations). The hint of orange adds a unique touch and brings something new to the classic chocolate chip cookie.

One Year Ago: Bittersweet Chocolate Sherbet with Coconut Rum Sauce (The perfect dessert for bittersweet chocolate lovers)

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Kiss My Spatula

Yields about 20 medium sized cookies

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, almonds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar with a heavy spatula. Add the egg and continue mixing until well blended. Stir in the vanilla extract. Fold in the dry ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips and orange zest.

Drop by the spoonful onto a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. The longer you bake them, the crunchier they will get. Immediately transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. These cookies have a tendency to stick to the baking sheet if not removed promptly. To avoid this, you could also line your baking sheet in parchment.

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Serve with a tall glass of milk.

Comments

[Blog is the New Black]

These look hearty and delicious!

[Dianna @ The Kitchen Prep]

I nodded my head emphatically as I read about your struggle with laundry. I have never been much of a fan. I happen to have married a man that somehow manages to change outfits about 3 times a day, which has quadrupled the amount of laundry I have to do. I dread adding children to the equation in the future for fear that I will just be inundated with laundry. ;) Can I confess that I have enstated a rule in our home that dirty darks bypass the hamper & go directly into the washing machine, just so I can skip the extra few minutes it takes to sort everything? (As a side note, I stink at ironing as well. My husband irons his work shirts and occasionally an article or two of my clothing when I am in dire need.)

I'm totally with you on staying out of the laundry room and sticking to my place in the kitchen. :) Lovely cookie recipe, will have to try it out.

[Kristin Rosenau]

Dianna-- I am not the only one! I don't even want to imagine the laundry mess children would bring. Cleaning up after myself is exhausting enough!

[KS]

Looks nice!

[Allyson Roach]

Have you tried Downy Wrinkle Release spray? It's actually pretty amazing. While I prefer to iron, our laundry room is in the basement and I am not keen on running up and down the steps to get out a small wrinkle. So, before I get ready, I pick out my clothes, put it on a hanger (if it already isn't), spray, tug a little, let dry. By the time I'm ready to change, the wrinkles are gone! Another trick I use for small, easy to reach wrinkles it using my flat iron- it's on anyways to straighten my hair, might as well get double duty!

[sugarpie project]

your stories *and* recipes bring such a smile. thanks.

[Heidi]

Haha, I love this post. I love grocery shopping too. And cleaning gets done whether I enjoy it or not, but I don't like laundry. Although I do end up doing it fairly frequently. I put it off as long as possible, but with kids it's impossible to put off too long :( Too bad because I would really never miss it.
Love these cookies. I've been looking for a good chocolate chip cookie recipe using whole wheat flour :)

[Casey]

These look amazing! I actually just made whole wheat cookies for the first time the other day, shockingly delicious!!

[KS]

In a lazy way, back in the old days people were laying the cloth under the bed, So everything was fine when they wanted in the next morning. They could sleep very well ! :)

[Maria]

I love whole wheat cookies. Your photos are stunning!

[Tee]

These look great! The photos are beautiful as well. I look forward to trying these ones, hopefully tomorrow! Thanks for sharing. x

[Jill @ Dulce Dough]

I hate laundry and ironing too! So sorry you ruined your shorts! I have a clothes steamer which isn't quite the same as ironing but is so much easier.

I love these cookies! I bet the orange zest and the almond slices add such great flavors! Congrats on being in the Top 9!

[Regan @ The Professional Palate]

These look SO good! I had a pretty sad failure w/ww choc chip a few weeks back... either too much liquid, too much beating or too little flour. They spread entirely too much. I am going to give your recipe a try!

[Molly]

Hello! I am a new reader, and have just recently stumbled upon your site. Though I can't bake or cook nearly as well as you can, I truly believe I have found a kindred spirit in you— at least when it comes to homemaking! Laundry, ironing, ugh all of that is simply the worst. You know it's bad when I too go out to the grocery store in my old band shirts :) Love your site, and am looking forward to trying your recipes!

[beckythebaker]

i love ur blog! ur so funny and down to earth! and the recipes aint too bad either :)

[dred]

delicious cookies ^_^

[jennymac]

I just found your site after searching for a whole wheat chocolate chip cookie recipe. These cookies were so good. My husband just ate four. Love the addition of the almonds. I am about to browse your other recipes; they look wonderful.

[Malin]

I have it the same way, only with cleaning.... I don´t mind laundry, but dusting or washing floors....I DO mind! But I feel I make up for it for the amount of time I spend in the kitchen! Which is a lot of time.... ;)

[Melissa]

Hi! I've been searching for the last 2 weeks, trying different cookie recipe's...then I stumbled upon yours. Thank you!!! Finally found the perfect recipe. I can't wait to view the rest of your recipes on the website :)

[Lucy]

I loved these cookies! Great recipe.

[Olivia]

I feel you on the grocery shopping. Wagh, going through all the aisles of tea and flour and fresh produce!

I tried this recipe but substituted half of the butter with some mashed banana, and the cookies tasted fantastic. Thank you for the lovely recipe :D