Crunchy Whole-Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies

By KimberlyB

Light and crisp, absolutely packed with chocolate chips, this is the quintessential crunchy chocolate chip cookie. The addition of barley flour to the dough gives the cookies a pleasant, mild taste. To ensure crunchiness, be sure to bake these cookies thoroughly; they should be golden brown all over, without any hint of softness in the center.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup whole barley flour*
• 1 cup King Arthur whole wheat flour, Traditional or White Whole Wheat
• 2 2/3 cups (16 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• Or substitute whole wheat flour for the barley flour

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, oil, sugars, vanilla, espresso powder, and salt till smooth. Beat in the vinegar, egg, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir in the barley flour and whole wheat flour, then the chocolate chips. The dough will appear oily, and because of the quantity of chocolate chips, it won't be completely cohesive; that's OK.

Drop the dough, by tablespoonfuls, onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until the cookies are an even golden brown. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Yield: 33 cookies.