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?! Let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised, then froze a bunch of cookies to save myself.

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.

Chilling Your Cookie Dough
Why chill your cookie dough? Well, it adds flavor and helps keep 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.
Banging Cookies on the Counter
So, I just told you that I like to chill the cookie dough for less spread. Then I go and bang my cookie tray on the counter when they come out of the oven. Well, this technique doesn’t make the cookies spread but flattens them and creates a bit of a crinkly top. It also releases air and prevents the cookies from become cake like in texture.
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!

Tips for Making Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Make sure eggs and butter are at room temperature.
- Use a medium rye flour such as King Arthur Baking Company’s Classic Medium Organic Rye Flour.
- Make sure to beat butter and sugar until its light and fluffy. This should take about 4-5 minutes and will turn pale in color.
- Use a high quality dark chocolate baking bar chopped roughly into small chunks. This is my favorite way to create pools of melted chocolate dispersed through my cookies.
- Use a high quality Bourbon.
- Make sure to chill your cookie dough for at least an hour. You’ll get even better flavor if you chill them overnight.
- Use a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie scoop to evenly measure your dough balls.
- Don’t over bake! Take them out right when you see the edges darkening. I don’t always trust a timer and oven, buy I do trust the way the cookies look.
- Bang that cookie pan on the counter to deflate and crinkle those tops.

Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 Cup (125 grams ) All Purpose Flour
- ½ Cup (96 grams) Organic Rye Flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon Dried Rosemary
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ Cup (8 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 1 Cup (200 grams) Dark Brown Sugar lightly packed
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Large Egg Yolk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2.5 teaspoons Bourbon
- 1 Cup (175 grams) Dark Chocolate rough chopped dark chocolate baking bar
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 light, pale, and fluffy. Medium speed about 4-5 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 wooden spoon.
- Cover bowl and place in fridge to chill for minimum 1-2 hrs or overnight for better flavor.
- Preheat oven to 350 F (176 C). Line two cookies sheets with silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Scoop 1.5 Tablespoon balls of cold cookie dough onto trays. Space 1-2 inches apart.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until edges start look dark and crisp.
- Remove sheets from oven, hold about 4 inches from counter and bang cookie sheet on counter to deflate and crinkle cookies.
- 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!:)
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
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:)