Soft Einkorn Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

All-purpose einkorn is the easier starting point. There is a whole-einkorn version in the options below once you know what these should look like.

• 170g (¾ cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 165g (¾ cup) light or dark brown sugar, packed
• 100g (½ cup) granulated sugar
• 50g (1 large) large egg
• 18g (1 yolk) large egg yolk
• 10g (2 tsp) vanilla extract
• 260g (2¼ cups) all-purpose einkorn flour
• 4g (¾ tsp) baking soda
• 4g (¾ tsp) fine sea salt
• 200g (1¼ cups) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2g (½ tsp) flaky salt, for finishing

Total flour: 260g

Hydration: not applicable

Pro tip: Einkorn absorbs water slowly and holds less of it than modern wheat. That is the whole reason for the chill. Thirty minutes in the fridge lets the flour catch up with the liquid, and it is the difference between a cookie and a puddle.

Equipment

Method

Heat the Oven and Line the Pans

Get the oven on before you mix so the dough is not sitting around warming up while it preheats.

1. Preheat. Heat the oven to 350F (175C) with a rack in the center.
2. Line two sheet pans. Parchment on both. No greasing, no silicone mats, since mats slow the bottoms and these want a little browning.

Tip: Oven thermometers are eight dollars and most home ovens run 15 to 25 degrees off. On a ten-minute bake, that gap decides whether the cookie is soft or crunchy.

Whisk the Butter and Sugars

Melted butter, not creamed. It gives you the chewy, caramel-edged cookie instead of the cakey one, and it means no mixer.

1. Whisk one minute. Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl for about a minute, until glossy and mostly smooth.

Tip: Let the butter cool until it is warm rather than hot. Hot butter starts cooking the egg when it goes in next.

Whisk in the Egg, Yolk, and Vanilla

The extra yolk is doing real work here. Einkorn dough is softer than wheat dough, and the yolk adds richness and structure without adding more liquid.

1. Whisk until it thickens. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and whisk until the mixture looks smooth and slightly thicker, about 30 seconds.

Tip: Save the leftover white in a covered jar. It keeps a week in the fridge and goes into an omelet without anyone noticing.

Fold in the Flour

Einkorn gluten behaves differently from modern wheat. It will not toughen the way bread flour does, but folding gently still gives you the softest cookie.

1. Whisk the dry ingredients. In a second bowl, whisk the einkorn flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. Fold until a few streaks remain. Fold the dry into the wet with a spatula and stop while a little flour is still showing.
3. Fold in the chocolate. Add the chopped chocolate and fold just until it is spread through. That last folding finishes the flour for you. Hold back a small handful if you want pieces on top.

Tip: Weigh the flour. Einkorn is lighter than wheat flour per cup and settles hard in the bag, so a scooped cup can be off by a lot. If you are working in cups, spoon and level it.

Chill 30 Minutes

This is the step people skip and then write to me about. Einkorn hydrates slowly, and a warm dough made with melted butter spreads into a sheet if it goes straight into the oven.

1. Cover and refrigerate. Cover the bowl and chill 30 minutes. The dough will firm up and look drier, which is exactly right.

Wait: PT30M

Tip: You can hold the dough in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Flavor improves, and you will need to let it sit out about 15 minutes before it scoops cleanly.

Scoop the Dough

Forty grams a cookie, and real space between them. These spread more than a bread-flour cookie does.

1. Scoop 40g portions. About 2 tablespoons each, rolled loosely into mounds rather than packed tight.
2. Space them out. Leave at least 3 inches (7.5cm) between mounds. Eight to a half sheet pan, no more.
3. Top with chocolate. Press a few reserved chocolate pieces onto each mound if you want the bakery look.

Tip: Keep the second pan's dough in the fridge while the first bakes. Warm dough on a hot pan spreads before the edges have a chance to set.

Bake One Pan at a Time

Ten to twelve minutes at 350F (175C). Pull them while the centers still look underdone, because einkorn cookies firm up hard as they cool.

1. Bake. One pan at a time on the center rack, 10 to 12 minutes. Rotate the pan at the halfway mark.
2. Read the edges. Edges golden and set, centers pale and puffed and looking a minute short. That is done.
3. Finish with salt. Sprinkle flaky salt over the tops the moment the pan comes out, while the surface is still tacky.

Tip: If you want perfectly round cookies, swirl a wide glass or a round cutter around each one within about 30 seconds of pulling the pan.

Cool on the Pan, Then the Rack

The centers finish setting on the hot pan. Move them too early and they tear in the middle.

1. Ten minutes on the pan. Leave them undisturbed on the sheet pan for 10 minutes.
2. Then to a rack. Transfer to a cooling rack and let them come to room temperature before you judge the texture.

Wait: PT10M

Tip: A cookie that seems too soft warm and too firm cold usually means it went a minute long. Try eleven minutes instead of twelve on the next pan.

Ways to Scoop Them

Same dough, three finishes. The scoop size and the chill time decide whether you get a thin, chewy cookie or a thick bakery one.

Standard 40g Scoop (recommended)

The version above. Crisp edge, soft middle, about 3 inches across when baked.

1. Scoop and bake. 40g mounds, 3 inches apart, 10 to 12 minutes at 350F (175C).

Thick Bakery Style

Taller, softer center with a gooier middle. The extra chill is what holds the height.

1. Scoop first, then chill. Portion 60g mounds onto a plate and chill them 60 to 90 minutes.
2. Bake longer. 13 to 15 minutes at 350F (175C), pulling while the centers still look soft.

Whole Einkorn

More grain flavor and a slightly darker, denser cookie. Whole einkorn drinks a little differently, so the formula shifts.

1. Swap the flour. Use 250g (2 cups) whole einkorn flour in place of the 260g all-purpose einkorn.
2. Add a little liquid. Whisk 15g (1 tbsp) milk in with the egg and yolk, then chill and bake as written.

Proof test: Press a scooped mound with your thumb. Chilled dough should dent and hold the dent without feeling greasy. If your thumb comes away buttery, the dough needs another 15 minutes in the fridge before it goes near a hot pan.

Bake

Moderate oven, one pan at a time, pulled early. Einkorn carries over more than wheat does.

Oven: 175°C / 350°F. Internal temperature when done: 88°C / 190°F.

Sheet Pan with Parchment (recommended)

Light-colored aluminum sheet pan and parchment. The standard, and the most predictable.

Equipment: Half sheet pan, parchment paper

1. Center rack, one pan. 350F (175C), center rack, eight cookies to a pan.
2. Rotate at halfway. Turn the pan front to back at 5 or 6 minutes.
3. Pull early. 10 to 12 minutes, when edges are set and centers still look soft.

Dark Nonstick Pan

Works, but dark metal runs hotter and the bottoms darken fast. Drop the oven 25 degrees and check two minutes early.

Equipment: Dark nonstick sheet pan, parchment paper

1. Lower the heat. 325F (165C) instead of 350F (175C).
2. Check early. Start looking at 9 minutes.

Note: There is no temperature you have to hit here. If you want to check, a done cookie reads about 190F (88C) in the center, but the edges tell you more than a thermometer will.

Storage

• Room temperature: Airtight for up to 4 days. A slice of sandwich bread in the container keeps them soft.
• Refrigerated: Not recommended for baked cookies. The fridge dries them out.
• Frozen: Baked cookies 2 months. Scooped raw dough 2 months, baked from frozen with 1 to 2 extra minutes.
• Refresh: 8 seconds in the microwave, or 4 minutes at 300F (150C) to bring back the just-baked texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use whole einkorn flour instead of all-purpose einkorn?

Yes. Use 250g (2 cups) whole einkorn and add 15g (1 tbsp) of milk with the egg and yolk. The cookie comes out a little darker and denser with more grain flavor, which some people prefer once they have tasted both.

My cookies spread into one giant sheet. What went wrong?

Warm dough, nearly every time. Einkorn hydrates slowly and does not hold liquid the way modern wheat does, so a dough made with melted butter has to chill. If the first pan spread, put the remaining dough back in the fridge for another 20 minutes before the next tray.

Can I substitute regular all-purpose wheat flour?

It will work, but it is a different cookie. Wheat flour takes more liquid, so the dough will run drier and bake up cakier. If that is what you have, add 15g (1 tbsp) of milk and expect less of the nutty flavor that einkorn brings.

Why melted butter instead of creamed?

Creaming beats air into the butter and gives you a cakey cookie. Melted butter gives you the dense, chewy one with caramelized edges, and it means you can make the whole thing with a whisk and a bowl in the time it takes the oven to preheat.

Can I freeze the dough?

Yes, and this is the best way to have cookies on demand. Scoop the portions, freeze them solid on a plate, then bag them for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen and add 1 to 2 minutes.

Is einkorn gluten-free?

No. Einkorn is the oldest cultivated wheat and it contains gluten. Its gluten structure is different from modern wheat, which is why it behaves differently in a dough, but it is not safe for celiac disease or a wheat allergy.

Do I have to use chopped chocolate instead of chips?

Chips are fine. Chopped chocolate melts into shards and pools, and chips hold their shape. If you use chips, stay at 200g by weight rather than by cup.

Can I add nuts?

Swap up to 75g (½ cup) of the chocolate for toasted pecans or walnuts. Toast them first and let them cool, or the warm nuts soften the dough right where you are trying to keep it cold.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 cookie (about 42g)): 190 calories, 25g carbohydrates, 2g protein, 10g fat, 1g fiber, 115mg sodium. Makes 23 servings.