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Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies
We’ve eaten plenty of Toll House chocolate chip cookies. And while they’re good, we wanted something different—a more complex cookie with a robust flavor that could balance the sugar and chocolate. We found inspiration on a visit to Claire Ptak’s Violet bakery in London, where she’s a fan of switching things up. Think rye flour for an apricot upside-down cake. Rye is a little bitter, a little savory, and it makes the perfect counterpoint for the sugary high notes of a chocolate chip cookie. First, though, we had to make a few adjustments. Rye has less gluten than all-purpose flour so it bakes differently and requires more liquid. We decided to go almost equal parts rye and all-purpose flours and recommend that you weigh for best results. Toasting the rye flour added complex, nutty flavor that balanced the sweetness of the cookies. Rye flour texture and flavor varies from brand to brand; we we preferred the cookies' spread and chew when made with Arrowhead Mills Organic Rye, with Bob's Red Mill Dark Rye as a close second. A touch of molasses deepened the flavor and added slight bitterness. These cookies continue to firm up after they come out of the oven; it is best to check them early and err on the side of under-baking.
24
cookies
Tip
Don’t use coarsely ground rye flour, as it absorbs moisture differently than finely ground, causing these cookies to spread too much during baking. Unfortunately, labels usually do not specify, but if the flour is visible in its packaging, coarsely ground has a granularity similar to cornmeal; finely ground rye has a powderiness much like all-purpose flour. We found Hodgson Mills rye flour, which is widely available, to be too coarse.
1 hour
20 minutes active
Ingredients
-
130
grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour
-
¼
teaspoon table salt
Directions
-
01Heat the oven to 350ºF with a rack in the middle position. Line 2 baking sheets with kitchen parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt and baking soda. In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, toast the rye flour until fragrant and a shade or two darker, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the skillet from the heat, then add the butter and stir until melted.
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February 11, 2024
So delicious, I made them twice in fairly rapid succession.
A wonderful play on the traditional! Everyone I challenged to try one gave them big rounded eyes of surprise because no one expected them to be so delicious. They do not taste like rye flour, in case anyone is wondering. The sugar & butter slurry is an interesting twist in the preparation. I took my second batch out a bit early to see how they faired as slightly underbaked and they did maintain a chewier texture.
December 29, 2023
delish!
Didn't change a thing, loved it! A classy twist on a classic.
December 8, 2023
My new staple cookies to make
I have made these cookies dozens of times. They make chocolate chip cookies taste bland, and I adore the balance of salty and sweet. There is a risk of them flattening out too much - I have found that not only is it really important to let the rye/butter mix cool to the touch before adding to the egg mix, but I also refrigerate my dough for up to 20 minutes before baking to ensure that they don't turn into pancake cookies.
February 3, 2023
I'm giving it a 5 because they were very good
I made these based on the reviews thinking they would be a game changer. While they were excellent cookies, I didn't think they were any better than my favorite regular chocolate chip cookies. Considering the extra work and cost, I won't make them again.
January 30, 2023
amy g.
This was a delightful chocolate chip cookie and really raised the bar! The texture was a perfect ratio of crunch to tender, and the flavor was outstanding and so well balanced. This will be the go-to chocolate chip cookie for us.
I usually see brown sugar in chocolate chip cookie recipes; what is the benefit of white sugar in this recipe?
You have changed the recipe. I printed a copy in June 2020. Today I went back on line to watch the beginning step of browning the flour and noticed the increase in all purpose flour and sugar. The recipe from June turned out good. I took the cookies along with me on a wine tasting trip and my friends gobbled them up. Why the change?
Hi Connie -
I believe the change you may be seeing is due to us updating our standards weights for flour and sugar per cup after doing some additional testing. The new weights should not have changed the volume measurements.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
I would like to suggest adding weight for sticky items like molasses. I found it easier to put the bowl on the scale and slowly pour the molasses until I hit 18 grams versus measuring with a spoon and dealing with stuff still on it.
This was also a great recipe. Loved the flavors. The cookie batter is very tasty.
I would like to suggest adding weight for sticky items like molasses. I found it easier to put the bowl on the scale and slowly pour the molasses until I hit 18 grams versus measuring with a spoon and dealing with stuff still on it.
This was also a great recipe. Loved the flavors. The cookie batter is very tasty.
hey Chris, BIG difference between the video and the words in the recipe, "turn off the heat" but I see boiling butter --> which will reduce the moisture content on the final dough. Also, MOST important is the brand of butter, had great success with P and all others fail; looking online for the amount of water in the butters, guess which one has the least water and the most fat?? This is a great recipe that should be updated for more precision, baking after all is all about the percentage of weights between the wet and the dry and how long you wish to let them hydrolyze.
If my grocery doesn't carry rye flour, is there an appropriate substitute (apart from regular flour)? Although, now I wonder what would be the point of making rye cookies when there's no rye...
Hi Jarrod -
Since we developed this recipe specifically to use a combination of rye and white wheat flour, we didn't test it with other flours. Each flour behaves slightly differently - different amounts of protein, absorption rates, etc. - so it's often not a 1:1 substitution.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
These cookies did not hold together well for me, so it was very difficult to get them onto the wire rack. It may have had to do with using Ghirardelli, which are larger chips. I also recommend toasting the rye flour first thing, as it took a while for the rye flour-butter mixture to cool, assuming we’re supposed to leave it in the skillet.
This is a great recipe with a sophisticated flavor. I make these on a regular basis and give them as gifts and everyone always raves about them. The last time I made them I sprinkled a little Maldon salt on them right after taking them out of the oven and I thought it added a nice savory profile to the sweetness.
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I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, and they turned out too sweet for me. I should have cut the qty in half.