Salted Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Did you know you can easily save your favorite recipes? Create an account or log in to get started.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Welcome to your new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe! A healthier cookie loaded with chocolate chunks, a toasty hit of whole grain buckwheat flour and flaky sea salt.

I adore chocolate, but it’s been forever since I’ve fallen head over heels in love for a chocolate chip cookie.

Don’t get me wrong — when a craving for cookies hits, it’s often a perfectly chewy-crunchy chocolate chip cookie that hits the sweet spot.

Or, if it’s gotta be nothing but chocolate, then Double Chocolate Whoppers are the only cookie for the job.

But — these salty-sweet chunky cookies, jam-packed with big, melty chocolate discs and whole grain buckwheat flour are something else.

The recipe is based on one from Umber Ahmad, whose New York City bakery, Mah-Ze-Dahr is a little jewel-box of exquisite sweet confections.

Her creations from pastries, breads and cakes, all seem to have a special twist of spice and fragrance beyond the expected.

When I first saw these cookies, I was immediately Intrigued by the flecks of buckwheat grain and the sparkling shards of salt sprinkled on top.

They’re out-of-this-world delicious, with just the right chewy-tender crumb and beautiful rustic-looking appearance.

It’s one of the rare cookie dough recipes I’ve made that didn’t require any tweaking.

I’ve been baking batches of these over the past few months, and the cookies never fail to impress.

Buckwheat flour in chocolate chip cookies

Buckwheat flour in cookies adds a subtle nutty flavor and texture, as well as beautiful flecks of color.

In baked goods, the flour lends a fabulous rich flavor, almost like dark caramel with a slightly bitter undertone.

I keep a bag of buckwheat flour in my freezer to make Buckwheat Pancakes, but was so happy to find another treat to bake with this healthy whole grain flour.

Can buckwheat flour be substituted for all-purpose flour?

Buckwheat is a popular substitute for all-purpose flour, especially in some gluten-free cookie recipes.

But for this particular cookie, I don’t recommend replacing the all-purpose wheat flour called for with buckwheat flour.

That’s because buckwheat flour is milled from the buckwheat groat, which is technically a seed or “pseudo-grain.”

The flour is a powerhouse of nutrients, full of fiber and healthy antioxidants.

In baking, buckwheat flour typically performs best when it’s combined with other softer grain flours, which help make a perfectly textured cookie.

Chocolate wafers for baking chocolate chip cookies

Regular chocolate chips are made with additives such as emulsifiers that help them keep their shape after baking.

Instead of chocolate chips, I often use whole chocolate bars chopped into chunks when I bake chocolate chip cookies or my favorite Bittersweet Chocolate Rosemary Olive Oil Quick Bread.

The chunkier texture and oozy meltiness you get with chocolate chunks is a small detail that’s so worth it.

Chocolate wafers are my latest discovery, and I’m completely hooked on them

Chocolate wafers make extra-oozy chocolate chip cookies.

They deliver the same luscious chocolate texture as a chopped-up bar of chocolate, only they’re conveniently shaped for baking on the fly.

My favorite brand of chocolate wafers is made by Guittard, and they’re what I used in these cookies.

You can order them from Target or Amazon (affiliate links).

Of course, it’s not necessary to use chocolate wafers to make these cookies – I would hate for you to miss out on how special they are!

Please just use your favorite brand of chocolate chips or chunks and carry on.

Buckwheat chocolate chip cookies pro tips:

• Take the butter out of the fridge to soften before mixing the dough. Depending on the temperature of the room this could take 20 minutes to 1 hour. To test, gently press your finger onto the butter. It should feel cool to the touch, and leave an indentation (but not sink right in, which is too soft).
• The basic equipment you need: Two mixing bowls, an electric mixer, rimmed baking sheets and parchment paper. A stainless steel scoop is perfect to make evenly sized mounds.
• Gather and measure your dry ingredients: Flours, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda, kosher salt and flaky salt.
• Plan on chilling the cookie dough for at least 2 hours before baking. Why chill cookie dough? A cooling period re-solidifies the butter and helps the cookies spread less in the hot oven. Hello thick, chunky cookies!
• Preheat the oven for 20 minutes to be sure it’s reached proper temperature. For all every day baking, I highly recommend using an inexpensive oven thermometer to make sure your oven is accurate.