Last week I made a trip to our local Farmer’s Market in Copley Square for the first time this season. In addition to the incredible asparagus, abundance of wild mushrooms, and fresh cut flowers to peruse, I was on a mission to treat myself to a bag of my very favorite oatmeal cookies from the Siena Farms/Sofra Bakery stand. However, after browsing the usual selection to no avail, I was sadly informed that they had discontinued that particular cookie.

Heartbroken, I went ahead and purchased their Earthquakes: dense chocolate covered in powdered sugar, but no whole grains to be found. And while all of their baked goods are incredibly delicious, the chocolate treats just didn’t hit the spot like my beloved oatmeal cookies that I had been waiting for all winter long. 

My misfortune had me thinking about the ways in which whole grains can be overlooked in baked goods. I never craved oatmeal cookies – until I had a cookie like this. Whole grains can take your desserts to a whole new level. Don’t knock it until you try it!

Baking experts explain that you can usually substitute up to 50% of the all-purpose flour in a recipe with whole wheat flour, without making other adjustments, and still enjoy a comparable taste and texture! To make the transition even easier, we recommend using white whole wheat flour in place of the typical refined flour. White whole wheat flour isn’t bleached or refined; it has merely been milled from white wheat, rather than the more common red wheat, resulting in a lighter color and a milder flavor but still offering all of the whole grain benefits. When baking cookies specifically, you could even choose to use only whole grain flour without running in to trouble. Because cookies do not need to rise, and they typically contain larger amounts of butter and sugar, you can bake with 100% whole grain flours without noticing the difference!

Still skeptical? Try one of these awesome whole grain cookie recipes below and let us know what you think!

Whole Grain Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Power Boosting Oatmeal Cookies

Molasses Sorghum Cookies

Barley Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

King Arthur’s Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Harley)