While I'm licking the melted chocolate from my fingers I want to introduce you to my little Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies creation. These aren't your ordinary chocolate chip cookies. Nope, they are made with rye flour with hints of bourbon and rosemary. And they're' freaking delicious!
I wanted to make a batch of cookies with rye flour and decided to experiment. I mean bourbon and dark chocolate go well together. Plus, the combo of dark brown sugar, rosemary, and cardamom is pretty tasty too. So why not mix them all together?!
🌿 Ingredients You'll Need
- All Purpose Flour creates the base of the cookie dough structure.
- Rye Flour lends a lovely nutty flavor to these chocolate chip cookies. Use a medium rye flour such as King Arthur Baking Company's Classic Medium Organic Rye Flour.
- Unsalted Butter enhances the overall flavor of the cookies.
- Egg and Egg Yolk add structure additional moisture to the cookies.
- Dark Chocolate is the bitter contrast needed for the cookie dough’s sugary sweetness. I prefer to chop quality dark chocolate bars into small chunks as it disperses little chocolate flecks throughout the dough. Dark chocolate chips also work too.
- Dark Brown Sugar creates a softer chewy texture that makes a cookie melt in your mouth. Plus, the caramel and toffee notes from the added molasses are what we came for!
- Bourbon imparts a nice warming note to the overall flavor. Use a high quality brand.
- Fresh Rosemary is the perfect herb to pair with rye and dark chocolate. I promise you'll love this flavor combo!
- Cardamom and Cinnamon add a little spice to make everything nice.
- Vanilla Bean or Pure Vanilla Extract to enhance the cookie dough flavor with classic vanilla notes.
Baking With Rye Flour
Rye Flour comes in different varieties from dark to light. Each one bringing a different flavor and texture to the recipe. For these cookies I used an organic medium rye flour that offers a nice robust flavor and slight nuttiness.
I love the moisture that rye flour brings to the cookies. This gives a nice soft chew to the cookie texture. The texture is perfectly snackable, not being to soft nor crunchy.
These are some of my favorite Rye Flours to use for this recipe:
- King Arthur Flour Medium Rye Flour
- Bob's Red Mill Dark Rye Flour - cookies will be darker but still super delish!
Chilling Your Cookie Dough
Why chill your cookie dough? Well, it adds flavor along with keeping these moist morsels from spreading too much in the oven. I let this particular cookie dough chill in the fridge over night to let the bourbon, rosemary, and spices develop. Plus the fat in this recipe is good old butter. Chilled fat in cookie dough takes longer to melt in the oven and helps them stay a bit thicker.
What Makes Cookies More Moist?
The moist chewy texture of these rye chocolate chip cookies comes from the addition of an extra egg yolk and the brown sugar!
Baking Tips
Weigh Your Ingredients:
My recipes are all tested by weighing ingredient in grams to be the most accurate. By using a kitchen scale, your recipe will turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. This is the kitchen scale I use everyday.
Mix the Dough Just Enough:
When adding in the flour, mix until just combined. Add in the chocolate chunks for a a couple of spins on the mixer, or fold in by hand with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Over mixing the dough increases gluten formation which leads to tougher cookies.
Scoop Before You Chill:
Use a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie scoop to evenly measure your dough balls.
Scoop the cookie dough into balls while the dough is at room temperature. Then place the cookie dough balls in a single layer on a parchment paper lined air tight container. Place container in the fridge to chill the dough.
Chill Cookie Dough:
Make sure to chill your cookie dough for at two hours. You'll get even better flavor if you chill them overnight. When its time to bake the cookie dough balls, remove them from the fridge and gently pack each dough ball between cupped hands before placing them on the tray. Cookie dough should be super cold and firm when it goes into the oven.
Line Your Baking Pans or Cookie Sheets:
Make sure to use a fresh sheet of parchment paper and a room temperature or cold baking tray. I also line my baking pan with a silicone baking mat for even baking, then a layer of parchment paper. If the parchment paper becomes buttery between batches, flip it over or replace.
DO NOT OVER BAKE the cookies:
Once you seem them start to brown on the edges, take them out of the oven. A little soft in the center and firming on the edges is the sign of a perfectly baked cookie. The cookies will continue to firm as they cool. I don't always trust a timer and an oven, but I do trust the way the cookies look. In my oven these cookie bake perfectly at 11.5 minutes.
Troubleshooting Cookies
If your cookies are flattening too much during baking or the second batch is flatter than the first tray, try these tips.
- Do Not over mix the cookie dough.
- Make sure the cookie dough balls are cold before tray goes into the oven.
- Keep dough you are not using in the fridge to stay cold.
- Always place cookie dough balls on a room temperature or cool baking tray.
- If you're using the same pan, let it cool between batches. Always use a fresh sheet of parchment paper.
- You can even use frozen cookie dough balls or chill the tray with cookie dough balls for 10 minutes in the fridge before baking.
- Check the temperature of your oven to make sure it doesn't increase to a higher heat the longer its on. Use an oven thermometer to properly gauge your oven's exact temperature while baking.
- Add 2 more tablespoons of flour to the batter the next time you make the recipe. This won't matter if you use all purpose or rye, either one is fine.
How to Store Chocolate Chip Cookies
Place cooled cookies in an air tight container. To keep these semi-soft cookies from getting hard, add a slice of white sandwich bread to the container. These rye cookies are full of brown sugar and the moisture from the bread works to maintain the soft cookie texture. Store your cookies at room temperature for up to a week of freshness.
You can also wrap the cookies in freezer safe plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Just pull out a cookie or two at a time and microwave for 15 seconds and enjoy!
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Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 grams ) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (64 grams) organic medium white rye flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ Cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 Cup (200 grams) dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon Bourbon
- 1 cup (168 grams) dark chocolate , chopped into small pieces
Instructions
- Hand whisk together flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, and rosemary in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment or large bowl and a hand mixer beat the butter and dark brown sugar until a paste is formed. Medium speed about 1-2 minutes. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
- Add egg, yolk, vanilla, and bourbon to creamed butter and sugar. Mix until incorporated.
- Add flour a ⅓ at a time until mixed.
- Fold in chocolate chunks with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon. Fold just enough to distribute. The chocolate crumbs from chopping the bars will slightly darken the cookie dough.
- Use a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to scoop the room temperature dough into balls. Place the cookie dough balls in a single layer inside a parchment paper lined air tight container.
- Place the container of cookie dough balls into the fridge and chill for a minimum of 2 hrs. This will allow the butter to firm, flavors to develop, and prevent spreading when the cold cookie dough is baked. You can also chill the cookie dough overnight for 8-12 hours for a richer flavor.
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Line two large rimmed cookies sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- When its time to bake the cookie dough balls, remove them from the fridge and gently pack each dough ball between cupped hands before placing them on the tray.
- Place cold cookie dough balls 1-2 inches apart on room temperature rimmed baking trays. Bake one tray at time. There should be about 9 cookie dough balls per tray. Keep the rest of the dough in the fridge until ready to bake.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until edges start look dark and crisp.
- Place cookie sheet onto cooling rack for 10 minutes. Cookies will finish baking as they cool.
- Remove cookies from sheet and place directly onto cooling rack.
- Eat and enjoy!
Jen
I haven't tried these yet, but THANK YOU! for the tip to bang the tray on the counter after baking! I don't know how many cakey cookies I've been disappointed by, and I can't wait to try this tip with this recipe!
Jenn
Please let me know when you make them!:)
Taylor
These are delish. Everyone in my household loves them. The only thing is I have so much spread in my cookies. They don't look as fluffy or get that crinkled look. What am I doing wrong ?
Jenn
Hi Taylor,
so glad you like them! Did you chill the cookie dough before baking? Warm cookie dough will spread more than cold.
Taylor
Yes. I have chilled them for days-- even froze them! The only way I can get this look is to cook the cookies a little and then add another ball of cookie dough on top while and then fully bake through.. gives it more hight and a little crinkle. Can I be over mixing butter and sugar ?
Liesl
I don’t have rye flour, is it going to be a big deal? Does it change much?
Heather Thomas
Made these today and they’re wonderful!! I didn’t have rosemary, but the spices and bourbon give these a great flavor on their own. I’ll add the rosemary next time, i’m sure it will be great with the cardamom
Kim
What a unique and complex tasting cookie with great texture! I am a cookie enthusiast and am always up for something new and different. This is a homerun recipe!
Jen
Just took these out of the oven and what a wonderfully unique, adult tasting cookie! I used a couple of small extra dark chocolate bars that have been in my pantry for months (99% and 96% cocoa) and filled out the rest with 72% chips. I made it exactly as written and I have to say, that was a very well written recipe. I used the weight measurements and had EXACTLY 2 dozen cookies with no leftover dough. This is my first time finding your blog and I’m excited to check out your other recipes!
Jenn
Yay!! I'm so glad you like them!! Thanks for the feedback:)
Rachael
Would love to make these but I can’t find rye flour. Can I just use all purpose flour instead ? Thank you !
Tina
I couldn’t find rye flour either. I used all purpose flour, and they turned out great!
Jo
I love the interesting flavor of these cookies. They are wonderfully soft and chewy. Delicious, this is a keeper recipe. Thank you!
L. C.
I love this recipe, its delicious! I added a bit of molasses to my second batch, and thats good too, but don't add too much like I did. This is going to be my new go to cookie recipe, I love the complexity of flavor the rye and rosemary give it with the salt and chocolate!
Jenn
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you love these, they're a favorite of mine too! Might try the molasses 🙂
Ann
I’m quite interested in making this recipe, but I’m only finding dark rye at the grocery store, and I’m not sure I want to order online something I’ll only use for one recipe. Can you sub dark rye flour for this?
Jenn
Hi Ann, The dark flour can be used, but may affect the cookies final texture with a slightly stronger rye flavor. I haven't yet tested the recipe using dark rye flour. Please let me know how it goes.