Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies Chewy Healthy Wellplated Com

Chocolate chip cookies are a source of (mostly) good-spirited debate in our household. Which is the greatest chocolate chip cookie?

Is it chewy or crispy?Fluffy or flat?Nuts or no nuts?Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?

Though I know you are narrating a declarative answer to each of these questions in your head, today I’m excited to tell you about my second favorite chocolate chip cookie of all time: chocolate chip walnut cookies. They are:

Gratifyingly chewyNot too thick and not too thinPunctuated with toasty walnuts (you’ll like ’em!)Dark chocolate is the only chocolate that has business in my cookie dough

While I am no stranger to gussying up a chocolate chip cookie (Banana Oatmeal Cookies with chocolate chips, Zucchini Cookies with chocolate chips, and Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are three faves) or doubling up on the chocolate (hello, Dark Chocolate Cookies), I adore classic chocolate chip cookies with all of my heart. Those cookies are the world’s best and worth a copy alone. YES, I SAID IT. If you are a fan of soft, chewy cookies made with more nutritious ingredients, you’ll fall for them too!

How to Make Chewy Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

This recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip walnut cookies is inspired by the thick, chewy DoubleTree Hotel chocolate chip oatmeal cookies (if you’ve stayed at a DoubleTree, you know the ones). I revamped the original recipe to suit my ideal cookie preferences.

They are ooey-gooey (sorry thin, crispy cookie-lovers; these are for my fellow chewy fans).Use all butter (key for the fullest flavor).Have more brown sugar than white (for extra softness).As with my full lineup of healthy cookie recipes, I used whole grains, without sacrificing taste or an ounce of cookie softness.

The Ingredients

Oats + Flour. Regular readers know I’m a serious advocate for incorporating whole grains wherever possible, but never at the expense of taste. These cookies are 100% whole grain, thanks to a combination of ground oats, which give the cookies extra body and chewiness (think the DoubleTree Hotel cookie) and white whole wheat flour.Butter. We’re going all in with the butter in this recipe. It’s critical for achieving the perfect flavor and texture. (Prefer a chocolate chip cookie made without butter? Check out my Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies or Healthy Oatmeal Cookies.)Dark Brown Sugar. Makes our cookies deliciously sweet, moist, and chewy. Espresso. Though you can’t taste the coffee flavor in the cookies, the espresso intensifies the chocolate flavor (as these Brownie Cookies prove). It is magical and well worth trying! Cinnamon. A pinch for extra warmth. It’s subtle, but completely delectable and adds another dimension of flavor.Vanilla. Vanilla anchors the chocolate and espresso, so no imitators please! We are baking cookies from scratch, so let’s use real, pure vanilla extract and do them justice shall we?Apple Cider Vinegar. This ingredient sounds odd, but trust. It keeps the cookies from being too sweet and tempers the taste of the whole grains.Dark Chocolate Chips. Good quality chocolate chips are very important to creating the best-possible chocolate chip cookie. After all, what’s a chocolate chip cookie without the melt-in-your-mouth chocolatey goodness?Walnuts. Old fashioned chocolate chip cookies with walnuts are a classic for a reason. Finely chopped, walnuts add an extra richness and toastiness to the cookies without overpowering them.

The Directions

Storage Tips

To Store. Leftover cookies will keep in an airtight storage container at room temperature for up to 1 week.To Freeze. Freeze baked cookies in an airtight freezer-safe storage container or ziptop bag for up to 3 months. Thaw and enjoy as desired.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Baking Sheet. Great for making cookies and so much more.Mixing Bowls. Mixing bowls are a must-have for making cookie dough.Food Processor. Perfect for grinding the oats.

OK, now that I’ve given you the full spectrum of what makes these chocolate chip walnut cookies my idea of the perfect chocolate chip cookie, here is what you actually need to know: these cookies are out-of-control amazing.

Allowing the dough to chill overnight in the fridge gives the flavors time to get friendly, allows the wet and dry ingredients to fully incorporate, and results in a cookie of superior taste and texture.

Prepare the cookie dough, and drop it as directed onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Freeze until solid.Transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to an airtight freezer-safe storage container or ziptop bag.Bake directly from frozen on demand, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.

Pumpkin Milkshake

5 mins

Healthy Hot Chocolate

5 mins

Avocado Ice Cream

4 hrs 10 mins I’m sorry, that wasn’t very food bloggerish of me. I should have written you a beautiful description about how these cookies have a perfectly soft and lightly chewy texture from the ground oats and brown sugar, deep dark chocolate flavor intensified by espresso, plus warmth from the cinnamon, toasted walnuts, and good quality vanilla—all while being not overly sweet and 100% whole grain. Like I said, out-of-control-amazing. Though I know you have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe of your own, I sincerely hope that you give these chocolate chip walnut cookies (or the World’s Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies from my cookbook) a try very soon! Leave a rating below in the comments and let me know how you liked the recipe.