Einkorn cookies have been taking center stage in our home these days. I don’t know about you, but we almost always have a bag of homemade cookies residing in the freezer. More recently they are usually an einkorn cookie variety.
What else can I say about these infamous freezer cookies? Well, they almost always have some chocolate chips in them. And 9 times out of ten they are a variation on a cowboy cookie. I’ve settled on my favorite combo of oats, nuts and chocolate chips that just hit the spot every time you are reaching for a cookie. I also really like swapping in a banana or some applesauce for some of the butter. It makes me feel just a little less guilty when I reach for that freezer door 😉
Why einkorn cookies?
Why einkorn you may ask? Or maybe you’re still stuck on the fact that I substitute out some of the BUTTER in my cookies?? I’ll get to that … but let’s address the einkorn question first.
If you are not familiar with it, einkorn is one of the ancient grains. It has a different type of gluten which for many people is easier to digest than the gluten in commercial wheat. Einkorn is also more nutrient dense, with a higher protein and vitamin content than commercial wheat. It also tastes amazing, with a rich depth of flavor you don’t get from all purpose flour. I’ve also found I can cut back the sugar in my einkorn cookies even further. I can’t say for sure, but I have a hunch it could be due to the rich complexity of flavors they have going on.
If you’re not convinced yet, I’d suggest that you just give these einkorn cookies a try. After you’ve tasted, decide if you think it’s worth the switch 🙂 For us it is, and so we’ve “made the switch” and all our cookies are einkorn cookies these days. Other baked goods are moving to einkorn too, but we’re just focused on cookies right now, right?
If you want to read more about einkorn grain, and milling your own flour, you can find my article focused on that topic here.
What makes these einkorn cookies cowboy cookies?
In my growing up years, cowboy cookies were always the ones that were jam packed full of what seemed like everything one could think of to put inside a cookie. I always liked to think of them as a “stick to your ribs” type of cookie. Now I have nothing against a pure chocolate chip cookie. In fact just to prove it to you I’ll share my traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe – updated with an einkorn twist 😀
But maybe it’s as I’ve grown a little older and … *ahem* wiser? I want to make sure that what I’m putting into my mouth counts. So today I like a cookie that has a little something to it. A cookie that will satisfy my sweet tooth but could alllllmost pass as a mid-afternoon snack. You get the idea. That’s where these einkorn cowboy cookies come in!
Other ingredient substitutions
I’ve tweaked this recipe to have the ingredients that I love in a cookie, and to leave out the ones that I don’t love. (You’ll notice these don’t have raisins. I’m really not a raisin kind of girl, really not in anything.) But the great thing about baking your OWN cookies is that you can adjust the recipe to have the ingredients YOU like the best! If you like raisins, add them in! Prefer pecans over walnuts? Use them! If you like seeds in your cookies try adding in some pumpkin seeds. Use the chocolate chip combo you prefer. And on and on, I think you get my point.
Swap out some of the butter
OK, back to that BUTTER question! That’s one of the levers I adjust in my einkorn cowboy cookie recipe to make that cookie count just a little more when I eat it, and I’m not talking about counting more calories! I’ve discovered that we love swapping some of the butter in a cookie recipe for a ripe mashed banana, or some plain applesauce. I keep both on hand in my freezer for when the baking bug hits 🙂 In cookies, I sub one mashed ripe banana, or 1/2 cup of applesauce, for 1/2 cup of unsalted butter.
Go forth and bake!
At the end of the day, I hope this recipe provides a jumping off point for you to create a new family favorite. One that you will have a hard time keeping stocked in your freezer 😉 I’ve laid out the basics here, now I leave the rest up to you!
Don’t have einkorn flour? Don’t worry – I’ve got you covered with a couple other “healthy” cookie recipes that use all purpose flour.
Equipment
- Half sheet pan or other cookie sheet of choice
- Grain mill or whole grain einkorn flour
Ingredients
- 250 g einkorn berries, milled to fine flour
- 95 g oatmeal (I use old fashioned)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 113 g unsalted butter (½ cup)
- 60 g granulated sugar
- 60 g light or dark brown sugar
- 1 ripe banana (mashed)
- 100 g walnuts (roughly chopped)
- 75 g chocolate chips (semi sweet, dark, or a combo)
- 75 g butterscotch chips (or sub with more chocolate chips)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Mill the einkorn berries to a fine flour, or measure out the same amount by weight of whole wheat einkorn flour.
- Add the rest of the dry ingredents to the flour, and whisk to combine.
- Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of the mixer.
- Mix with the paddle attachment until well blended, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix til blended.
- Add the vanilla and mix til blended.
- Add the mashed banana and mix well until batter is smooth and slightly lightened in color.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 stages, mixing on low between each addition until nearly incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer stand.
- Add the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and walnuts to the dough, and mix in by hand until evenly distributed.
- If desired, chill the dough for at least 1 hour, but up to 3 days.
- Use a 1.5 tbsp scoop to portion the cookie dough onto a half sheet pan or cookie sheet.
- Bake at 375°F for about 9 minutes, until the cookies are just done in the center.
Notes
- These are pretty chocolate chippy! You could easily add a few less and they would still be delicious – go by feel and what you prefer.
- These cookies won’t spread much during baking so you can pack a few more onto your baking sheets if you’d like. I can fit 15 on a half sheet pan or 8 on a quarter sheet pan without any trouble.
- I testing baking these with both chilled and unchilled dough. Overall they baked up pretty similarly, not enough difference for me recommend chilling as a must. If you do bake from chilled, you’ll just have to leave them in the oven for a couple extra minutes.
Einkorn Newbie
I am going to make these as my first-ever einkorn recipe! What would you suggest doing to make them dairy free? I wonder if it would work to use applesauce and banana together and no butter, or perhaps if I should swap the butter out for coconut oil (or another oil you’d recommend). Any recommendations?
Kristi
Hi There! You can actually do either of the substitutions you mentioned, I’ve tried both in different recipes! You essentially just want to end up with the same total volume of “fat.” For some more ideas on “healthy” substitutions for fats, dairy, etc you can also take a look at this other cookie recipe: https://www.cookcraftcultivate.com/healthy-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe/ Happy Baking!