I’ve always been a chocolate chip cookie snob. But back in the day, that meant following the Nestle Tollhouse recipe to a T, including using refined, bleached all-purpose flour, refined white sugar, margarine sticks for “butter,” and Nestle chips.

Let’s just say, things have changed a little. 

Fresh milled einkorn chocolate chip cookies

My chocolate chip cookies these days involve:

• fresh milled, whole grain, ancient einkorn flour (learn all about einkorn here)
• unrefined sugar (coconut sugar) and organic cane sugar
• real butter (browned for extra flavor)
• chocolate chips made with coconut sugar

…And my chocolate chip cookies have never tasted better. Toll house has nothing on my fresh milled einkorn chocolate chip cookies.

What is einkorn?

Depending on who you ask, einkorn is often considered the oldest grain that still exists today.

Einkorn is an ultra nutritious ancient grain. (source) Unlike modern grains that are hybridized for specific traits that increase productivity (and wind up weakening nutrients), einkorn still has the simple genetic makeup that it had in ancient times. 

Einkorn, like other ancient and heritage grains, offers us more carotenoids and phenolic compounds than is found in modern wheat. (source)

Can I use store bought einkorn flour in chocolate chip cookies?

If you don’t have a grain mill, or don’t want to mill your own flour, you can use this einkorn fresh flour.

Another great option if you need a substitute for the einkorn flour in this recipe? This stoneground barley flour.

Although milling your own flour is always best, both of these flours from organic farmers as as close to milling your own as you can get.

What is fresh milled flour?

We all know that flour comes from wheat.

But what lots of folks don’t realize is that the flour they buy at the store is hardly even the same product as the wheat it started out as. Commercial flour has been heated, treated, and sifted until it’s left with just one out of the three parts of a wheat berry.

Commercial flour is just starch, when it should be starch + bran + germ = whole grain flour.

Add on top of that, most flour contains at least 3 additional preservatives, enzymes or dough conditioners, plus synthetic vitamins (made in a lab instead of nature).

Milling your own flour allows you to turn wholegrain wheat berries into the freshest flour in the world. Your body will thank you.

Learn how to mill your own flour here.

What do I need to make fresh milled einkorn chocolate chip cookies?

First, you need a grain mill and einkorn wheat berries. Other than that, these cookies are made with pretty standard ingredients you should have on hand:

• butter
• coconut sugar (or sub brown sugar)
• organic cane sugar 
• vanilla extract
• eggs
• fresh milled einkorn flour
• fresh milled chickpea flour (optional, gives a chewier texture)
• baking soda
• chocolate chips

Grab my free pantry checklist with details and discounts on all my favorite ingredients.

Where should I buy einkorn flour/einkorn wheat berries?

Unfortunately, there are lots of “knockoffs” in the ancient grain world.

Lower-quality grains trying to pass for high-quality ancient grains. I only trust one of my favorite regenerative wheat farmers when I stock up on einkorn wheat berries.

You can check local natural food stores for wholegrain einkorn berries, or purchase from bulk food suppliers like Azure Standard.

If you don’t have a grain mill or don’t want to mill your own flour, you can purchase stoneground, organic einkorn flour (as close to milling your own as you can get!) from one of my favorite regenerative wheat farmers here. Another great option is to substitute barley for einkorn in these cookies. Another favorite small, organic family farm offers fresh milled barley flour.

Tips for baking with einkorn flour

Einkorn has a naturally sweet, buttery flavor, so you might find that you actually add less sugar to anything you make with einkorn.

As with all fresh milled flour, einkorn flour can sometimes hydrate differently than all-purpose flour would. Add flour to all recipes slowly, and don’t be afraid to add more/less einkorn flour than a recipe calls for in order to get to a proper consistency.

If you’re milling your own einkorn flour to make a somewhat “delicate” recipe, consider cooling your freshly milled einkorn flour before using it, so your butter doesn’t warm up too much when mixed with the flour. (This is especially helpful with pie crusts and biscuits; you can stick the flour in the fridge or freezer to cool down before using.)

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fresh milled einkorn chocolate chip cookies

soft, chewy brown butter chocolate chip cookies made with ancient grain einkorn flour

Keyword ancient grain, chocolate chip cookies, einkorn, fresh milled flour

Servings 2 dozen

Equipment

• grain mill

Ingredients

• ¾ cup butter
• 1 cup coconut sugar or sub brown sugar
• ½ cup organic cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups fresh milled einkorn flour (220 grams)
• 2 teaspoons chickpea flour fine and sifted, optional
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ cups chocolate chips

Instructions

• First make your brown butter; in a saucepan over medium/high heat, melt the butter and continue to cook it, stirring frequently, until it foams and you start to see browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
• Pour into a cooled bowl and set it aside to cool down some. Ideally, let it cool until it’s firm.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
• Beat the cooled butter in a stand mixer with the sugars until it all lightens in color and thickens slightly (2-3 minutes).
• Add in the vanilla and eggs, and mix until combined.
• Add in the dry ingredients, adding in the chocolate chips once the dough is the desired texture.
• Form the dough into balls and place on a tray, leaving room for them to spread slightly..
• Bake in your hot oven for 10-12 minutes, until edges are slightly brown.
• Cool cookies on the tray for a few minutes after removing from the oven, then move them to a cooking rack. Enjoy!

Need a grain mill?

Here’s a Complete Guide to Choosing a Grain Mill to help you decide which one is the best for your family.

More like fresh milled einkorn chocolate chip cookies:

• Kamut chocolate chip cookies
• Einkorn 101: history, milling, flaking, cooking & more
• Crumbl copycat strawberry pretzel pie cookies
• Fresh milled sourdough sandwich bread recipe

The post Fresh Milled Einkorn Chocolate Chip Cookies first appeared on Souly Rested.

And I love using a deeply delicious all-natural sugar in these bars to  give the lemon flavor a perfect tartness.

Lemon Bars With Fresh Flour

INGREDIENTS

2 ½ cups (350 g) einkorn flour, divided

1 cup butter, cubed

2 ½ cups sugar, divided (I use this sugar; see notes)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

6 eggs

1 cup lemon juice

Confectioner’s sugar (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 and line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper.
2. Add butter, ½ cup of the sugar, vanilla extract, and salt to mixing bowl and combine. Remove 6 TB of flour and set aside. Add the rest of the flour to your mixing bowl and mix again.
3. Press the dough into your prepared pan. No need for it to be “pretty” (the dough will be thick and hard to spread out), but try to get it spread out evenly.
4. Bake until the edges are brown, about 20 minutes.
5. While the crust is baking, mix your filling ingredients: Mix the remaining 2 cups of sugar and 6 TB of flour. Whisk in eggs and lemon juice.
6. After removing crust from the oven, pour the lemon filling over the crust and place your pan back in the oven for another 20 minutes, or until the center is set.
7. Let cool to room temperature before serving (I know, it’s hard. I like most desserts nice and warm, but this one has to sit and cool). I like to dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

Notes about baking Lemon Bars with fresh einkorn flour

• Because I use coconut sugar for all the sugar in this recipe, it doesn’t turn out as “pretty” as if I used lighter-colored cane sugar. If I did, you would notice a color difference in the crust and the filling and the filling would be a much brighter yellow color. But I love the flavor of the earthier coconut sugar in this recipe. (By the way, coconut sugar is made from nectar from the coconut tree blooms… it’s delicious and tastes nothing like coconut.) It really gives the lemon a perfect tartness.
• Don’t be tempted to scrimp on the sugar in this recipe. The sugar works in tandem with the eggs to make the filling set well. If you scrimp on your sugar, your filling will be watery. (But using coconut sugar reduces the sweetness and makes your bars slightly more tart tasting.)
• Feel free to use store-bought lemon juice for this recipe, but if you can get your hands on fresh lemons, the flavor is amazing… you’ll definitely be glad you did. My lemon tree was in full production mode this month, so these lemon bars were made with just-picked fresh-squeezed lemon juice on the coldest day in January in New England. Needless to say, they were extra delicious.

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Lemon Bars with Fresh Flour

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups 250 g einkorn flour, divided
• 1 cup butter cubed
• 2 ½ cups sugar divided
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup lemon juice about 4 lemons
• Confectioner’s sugar for dusting optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 and line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper.
• Add butter, ½ cup of the sugar, vanilla extract, and salt to mixing bowl and combine. Remove 6 TB of flour and set aside. Add the rest of the flour to your mixing bowl and mix again.
• Press the dough into your prepared pan. No need for it to be “pretty” (the dough will be thick and hard to spread out), but try to get it spread out evenly.
• Bake until the edges are brown, about 20 minutes.
• While the crust is baking, mix your filling ingredients: Mix the remaining 2 cups of sugar and 6 TB of flour. Whisk in eggs and lemon juice.
• After removing crust from the oven, pour the lemon filling over the crust and place your pan back in the oven for another 20 minutes, or until the center is set.
• Let cool to room temperature before serving (I know, it’s hard. I like most desserts nice and warm, but this one has to sit and cool). I like to dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

Notes

• Because I use coconut sugar for all the sugar in this recipe, it doesn’t turn out as “pretty” as if I used lighter-colored cane sugar. If I did, you would notice a color difference in the crust and the filling and the filling would be a much brighter yellow color. But I love the flavor of the earthier coconut sugar in this recipe. It really gives the lemon a perfect tartness.
• Don’t be tempted to scrimp on the sugar in this recipe. The sugar works in tandem with the eggs to make the filling set well. If you scrimp on your sugar, your filling will be watery. (But using coconut sugar reduces the sweetness and makes your bars slightly more tart tasting.)
• Feel free to use store-bought lemon juice for this recipe, but if you can get your hands on fresh lemons, the flavor is amazing… you’ll definitely be glad you did.

Ingredients I use to make Lemon Bars

More fresh flour recipes and resources you’ll love

Fluffy dinner rolls made with fresh flour

Copycat Crumbl Strawberry Pretzel cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies made with fresh kamut flour

Grab lots of tips for baking with fresh milled flour & more recipes here

The post The Best Lemon Bars Made with Fresh Flour first appeared on Souly Rested.