Thick, fudgy, and rich, these whole wheat chocolate fudge cookies are a chocolate lover’s dream come true.
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Would you believe me if I told you that this cookie recipe gets more compliments than any other dessert I make? That’s right, a cookie recipe using whole wheat flour is my claim to fame.
This recipe is a result of an intense craving for a big, puffy chocolate cookie, and poor planning. I have been obsessed with these cookies ever since Lindsay blogged about them, so naturally, I decided to make them immediately.
Problem was, I had already melted my butter when I realized I was out of white flour. I decided to do the unthinkable – replace the white flour entirely with whole wheat flour. I know that whole wheat flour can make baked goods a little dry, so I decreased the overall amount of flour and used brown sugar to pump up the moisture.
The result? Big, puffy, cookies with the perfect fudgy texture and decadent chocolate taste.
Ingredients
- Butter
- Granulated sugar
- Dark brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Whole wheat flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Semisweet Chocolate Chips
How to make whole wheat chocolate fudge cookies
- Place one stick of butter on the kitchen counter to soften. Place the other stick of butter in a microwave safe bowl and melt completely in the microwave. Allow the butter to cool to a semisoft texture either on the counter or in the refrigerator.
- Cream the softened butter, microwaved butter, and both sugars until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs and mix briefly until just incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Cover the top of the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
- When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Roll the dough into balls slightly larger than a golf ball and place two inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat (affiliate link). Bake 8-9 minutes. The cookies should be puffy and soft. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Top tips
Alternatives to whole wheat flour
The wheat flour in this recipe gives it a really nice, nutty taste. However, if you don’t have wheat flour or don’t want to use it, simply swap it for white whole wheat flour, which has a finer texture and less pronounced taste.
You could also swap it for all-purpose flour, but would need to increase the amount to 2 ⅔ cups of flour since wheat flour absorbs more liquid.
The best whole wheat flour for baking
I love North Dakota Mill‘s whole wheat flour, but you may not be able to find that everywhere. King Arthur Flour is another high quality brand that is readily available at most grocery stores.
How to know when your cookies are done
This recipe is best baked by time, rather than sight. The cookies will still appear underbaked on the top when you pull them out of the oven, but should solidify as they cool.
Since all ovens are different, bake your first batch for 8 minutes, allow them to cool, and then adjust the baking time as needed for future batches. You want your cookies to be soft but still hold together when you pick them up after cooling.
How to store whole wheat chocolate fudge cookies
Allow your cookies to cool completely, then store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days. They stay surprisingly soft for a cookie! Cookies can also be frozen in a freezer zip top bag for up to 6 months.
Tips for customizing
- Swap the chocolate chips for dark chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter, or any favorite combination of baking chips
- Skip the chilling for a flatter cookie
- Swap the wheat flour for white flour, increasing the amount to 2 ⅔ cups
- Bake into bars. I haven’t tested this, but would guess that in a 9×13 pan you should test for doneness around 25 minutes.
FAQ
Chilling cookie dough before baking is an optional step that will improve both the flavor and texture of your finished cookie. Specifically, that is what gives this cookie a little height and a “puffier” texture.
If you prefer, or time does not allow for chilling, you can skip this step.
Melting half the butter creates a specific texture when mixing the cookie dough that I find irresistible. If you prefer to melt all the butter, or work with all softened butter, you will still get a delicious cookie, just with a slightly different texture.
Most bakers swear by unsalted butter for baking cookies. I don’t usually have unsalted butter on hand and usually use salted.
You can use either, just keep in mind that if you use unsalted butter you’ll want to add some salt to the dough yourself (up to 1 teaspoon), and if you use salted butter you will only need to add a pinch or maybe none at all.
More cookie recipes
- Buttery Bourbon Cherry Cookies
- Christmas Cut Out Cookies
- Nutmeg Ginger Apple Snaps
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Single Vegan Chocolate Brownie Cookie
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie for One
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Giant Ginger Cookies with Icing
- Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Whole Wheat Chocolate Fudge Cookies
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Sandwich Cookies
- Spicy Pistachio and Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
- Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Whole Wheat Chocolate Fudge Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- Coarse salt, for topping, optional
Instructions
- Place one stick of butter on the kitchen counter to soften. Place the other stick of butter in a microwave safe bowl and melt completely in the microwave. Allow the butter to cool to a semisoft texture either on the counter or in the refrigerator, about 30 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the softened butter, microwaved butter, and both sugars until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs and mix briefly until just incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine until you cannot see any more dry flour. The dough should be sticky but you should be able to touch it with your hands without it being too messy.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Cover the top of the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
- When you're ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Roll the dough into balls slightly larger than a golf ball and place two inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Top with a pinch of coarse or flaky salt if desired.
- Bake 8-9 minutes, depending on how cold your dough is. The cookies should be puffy and soft. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely (or be devoured).
liz | carpé season says
Made Lindsay’s version last weekend because I couldn’t hold out anymore! This post makes me want to whip up another batch tonight…you know, to celebrate…because it’s Friday!
Lindsay Moe says
Yes! I still want to try the original and see how it matches up to the whole wheat version!
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough says
I am thisclose to licking my computer screen. SO MUCH YUM.
Lindsay Moe says
You definitely need to try them!!
Kendra says
Now those look like they would have been worth the 45 minute trip when I was having a chocolate attack. Can’t wait to try them.
Lindsay Moe says
Ummm, yeah, I wasn’t kidding!
Alex says
These are great! I refrigerated the dough for about a half hour (as long as I could wait), and they came out perfect! Thanks. I will definetly be having fun with this recipe. 🙂
Lindsay Moe says
Thanks Alex, I’m glad you enjoyed them!
peggy says
I’m sure I’m not the only one to appreciate that the only measuring utensils needed for this recipe are a half cup measure and a teaspoon. That was great! Fudge cookies with little cleanup! Thanks <3
Dawn says
Love love love this recipe. I had wheat flour on hand that I didn’t know what to do with and this was perfect!
I buttered muffin tins and used an ice cream scoop because I like the uniformity. I love the cookies to cool before removing them from the pans.
The cookies came out like mini brownie bites.
Dawn says
Oops, I forgot to 5 star this recipe. Moderator please do this for me.
Lindsay Moe says
Killer idea! Thanks for sharing!
Ruth Music says
I would have been a lot more successfu had I read through the recipe before making it. The stick of butter that I was instructed to leave sitting on the counter was still on the counter when all was blended. Changing the directions to “cream all of the butter” would have helped. Fortunately, the cookies were still very good when I added the counter butter in at the end!
Lindsay Moe says
I’m so sorry you had trouble with the recipe. I have updated the wording to hopefully eliminate this issue. I’m glad you were still able to enjoy the cookies!
Pooja says
Such a great recipe, thank you thank you so much… I just made with a little less sugar as we like a little less sweet and the cookies were awesom so that my husband wants more n more. I made these last Friday and all of the cookies got over in less than 3 days 😀 baking more today 🙂
Lindsay Moe says
Yay! I totally support making cookies more than once a week.
Mamakitty says
Do you happen to know the “scientific” reason for melting half of the butter and letting it slightly harden? It seemed like my cookies were too crispy on the bottom, like the butter sort of fell to the bottom. Maybe the butter didn’t solidify enough? I have never seen a recipe that instructs you to do something like that. (I also over-cooked the first batch… Hard to tell when a chocolate cookie is done because it can’t get much browner than it naturally is in its raw state! :-D)
Lindsay Moe says
It does affect the texture. If they were too crisp on the bottom I would first check your oven temp and that the rack was in the middle of the oven, then maybe let it cool and solidify a bit more before mixing. This is definitely a cookie that needs to bake by time, not sight, they will appear a little underdone when you pull them out but firm up as they cool.
Vickie jones says
Can you use no calorie sweetener in place of sugar ?
Lindsay Moe says
I don’t use no calorie sweeteners, so I really can’t say for sure. I imagine the texture would come out a little different but would still taste good. If you experiment with it and they seem dry, perhaps add an extra egg yolk.
Isabella says
I’ve made this recipe biweekly since February, haha! It’s a great way to procrastinate on school work and it yields delicious results. They genuinely are the best cookies, and the longer the dough is left in the fridge the more chunky and soft they are after baked. I’ve recently been adding toffee chips in addition to the chocolate chips, and they are a neighborhood favorite. Thank you for this recipe!
Lindsay Moe says
This comment is the best! I’m so glad you’re loving this recipe, the toffee chips sound like a great idea!!
Carly says
These were sooooo delicious. I made a half batch because I just wanted a little treat, and they came out perfectly. I followed the directions exactly (cut back maybe a couple tablespoons of sugar) and they were puffy, soft, and rich. Will definitely be making again.
Lindsay Moe says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Carly! They are definitely a favorite of mine as well!
H R says
Hi,
I made these cookies but somehow they turned out a bit too dry. I was short on cocoa powder so I added a bit more flour. I still have half the batter in the fridge.
Any ideas how to use the remaining dough with a better result? Should I add a spoon of milk to the dough?
Lindsay Moe says
Yes, I would try adding a splash of milk to see if that helps. In the future, if short on cocoa powder, I would probably leave the rest of the ingredients as is rather than substituting flour. I hope they turn out well for you!
Joni Ferrier says
I love baking but don’t really like eating what I bake. This is one of the cookies I definitely eat!
I make this slightly smaller because they tend to spread too much. Maybe it’s because I don’t wait for the melted butter to cool down? Will try to do that next time. I’m too impatient!
Carla says
I love these and have made them over and over for my family and our guests. We usually have whole wheat flour, so they’re convenient but also SO GOOD! They stay soft and, unlike other cookies, taste as good (or better) after being saved in the refrigerator.
Himika says
Absolutely yummy and delicious! My son loved it. Thank you so much 😊
Rhea says
Cookies turned out great, they were super fudgey and tasty
JCO says
Love the recipe – mine were undercooked at 9 minutes though, so kept them in for an additional 2-3 minutes. Still came out soft and moist.
Annie says
Hi Lindsay, I’m finding it very difficult to time the bake. Nine minute bake they came out very soft and squidgy and after cooling I thought they were still a bit raw in the middle. Rightly or wrongly I popped them back for a further 5 and then another 5 mins. I’m from UK and set my fan oven at 160C.
They taste great, I just can’t seem to know when they’re done. Also I had to swap in some white flour cos I ran out of w/meal. I’m loving your recipes, thankx
Lindsay Moe says
I’m sorry to hear you were having trouble with this. The cookies are a bit soft in the middle after nine minutes of baking, however they should set up nicely as they cool. If substituting some of the whole wheat flour for white flour, it may be best to add a little extra as well since white flour doesn’t absorb liquid as much as wheat flour does.
Susan says
I don’t have a stand mixer, can I just use a whisk or wooden spoon?
Lindsay Moe says
You definitely can, it will just be hard work!
Amy says
Total waste, don’t bother making these.
Lindsay Moe says
This is a very surprising comment since everyone I’ve known who has tried them really loves them. Maybe a little more context would help people be better informed.