Whole wheat chocolate chip cookies

I have been totally craving homemade, warm and chewy chocolate chip cookies for about 2 months now!  I just haven't had the gumption or time to make a fresh batch until today.   The original whole wheat version by Kim Boyce at http://www.finecooking.com/ is worth every second it takes to make them (not that it takes very long but you still have to get everything out, mix it up, bake them and then clean up  - I mean, it's a process!!).  I have, as usual, slightly modified the original version.

These cookies have everything I love in a cookie with some healthy whole grains included.  The edges are crisp while the center remains chewy and the chocolate chunks are the perfect melty addition.  The next time you want some chocolate chip cookies and you want your family to have some whole grains without knowing it, try this recipe.  Fireman just came home and gave them a huge thumbs-up !!

Whole wheat chocolate chip cookies

3 cups whole wheat flour, I used Bob's Red Mill Stone Ground Wheat Flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoons salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup sugar

2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Place two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment or spray with non-stick spray.  Keep in mind that the chocolate chunks may stick to the pan without the parchment.

Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl.  In another bowl, mix butter and both sugars for about 2 minutes or until creamed together.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well with each addition.  Mix in the vanilla.  Add the flour mixture to the bowl and blend on low speed until the flour is barely combined.  Add the chocolate chunks and mix with your hands until everything is well incorporated and dough has formed together.  This dough is a bit more crumbly than some doughs but it comes together well and bakes up beautifully.

Scoop mounds of dough (about 1 1/2 tablespoons, about the size of a walnut in the shell) onto baking sheets leaving about 3 inches between cookies.   I used 11x17" baking sheets and got 12 cookies per sheet. 

Bake cookies for about 16-18 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the cookies are evenly brown.  Let cookies cool for about 2 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.  Repeat procedure with remaining dough.  Yields about 44 3" cookies.

Nutrition info per 3" cookie:  137 calories; 6.1g fat; 3.6g sat fat; 21mg cholesterol; 106mg sodium; 18.7g carbs; 1g fiber; 1.8g protein