Mineral-Rich Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chewy in the middle, crisp and caramelised at the edges, deeply chocolatey and made with mineral-rich whole foods.

Chocolate chip cookies are one of my earliest memories in the kitchen, making them with Mum from the edmonds cookbook and they’ve somehow followed me through every food season of my life no matter what the ‘diet’ protocol was.

Over the decades, the recipe has evolved like me.

This is my current version: wholemeal spelt and rye, golden ghee, blackstrap molasses, hemp hearts, dark chocolate and warming spices. Ingredients chosen not to make a “healthy” imitation of a cookie but to make an exceptional one that brings fibre, minerals, good fats and whole-food nourishment along with the innate pleasure of this tasty morsel.

This is still a cookie lets keep it real. It contains sugar, chocolate and fat and I'm not interested in pretending otherwise, but what makes it different is what is added to this to make it deeply rich in minerals to offset the treat aspect.

Nutritional Highlights

These cookies naturally provide: Magnesium • Manganese • Phosphorus • Iron • Copper • Zinc • Fibre • Protein • Essential Fatty Acids • B Vitamins • Cocoa Polyphenols

The greatest mineral contribution comes from the whole grains, hemp hearts, dark chocolate and blackstrap molasses.

For me, this is simply a different philosophy of treating yourself: keep the pleasure but choose ingredients that have something to give back to you.

The Recipe

Makes approximately 10–12 cookies

Ingredients

• 120g ghee, very soft or gently melted
• 110g dark muscovado or dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses
• 1 whole egg
• 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
• 150g wholemeal spelt flour
• 20g wholemeal rye flour
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon or more
• ½ tsp ground ginger or more
• ¼ tsp ground cardamom
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Pinch of mixed spice
• 15g hemp hearts
• 130–150g good dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Method

1. Warm the ghee until very soft and fluid, but not hot.
2. Stir through the brown sugar and blackstrap molasses.
3. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until glossy and combined.
4. Add the spelt, rye, baking soda, salt and spices. Fold gently until just combined.
5. Fold through the hemp hearts and chopped dark chocolate.
6. Chill for 30–45 minutes or overnight.
7. Heat the oven to 180°C bake
8. Shape into generous balls and place on a lined baking tray, leaving room to spread. I add some salt here.
9. Bake for 9–11 minutes, depeding on how your oven performs. Cook until the edges are set and lightly caramelised but the centres still look soft.
10. Leave on the baking tray for 10–15 minutes before moving. Patience sensei. They'll continue cooking and develop their chewy centre as they settle.

The secret is not to overbake them. If the centre looks completely cooked when you take them from the oven, you've probably gone a little too far. Let it look glossy and slightly under and once its cooled with its caramelised crispy edges your inner child will be reeling with joy.

Wholemeal Spelt + Rye

Using the organic, no GMO and clean milled whole grain retains the bran and germ that refined white flour removes, bringing fibre, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and B vitamins. Rye also gives these cookies their beautiful earthy, malty depth. I got mine from the Bin Inn.

Blackstrap Molasses

One of my favourite additions. Blackstrap has an intense, almost smoky sweetness and contains naturally occurring iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. A small spoonful gives the cookie both mineral depth and flavour.

Hemp Hearts

Small but nutritionally dense, hemp hearts provide complete plant protein, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, iron and essential omega-3 and omega-6 fats.

Dark Chocolate

Good dark chocolate is naturally rich in cocoa polyphenols, alongside magnesium, copper, manganese and iron. I prefer minimum 70% cacao, more cocoa depth and less sweetness.

Ghee

Ghee has been treasured in Ayurvedic cooking for thousands of years. With the milk solids and most of the water removed, it's a beautiful cooking fat that brings richness and that unmistakable golden, almost caramelised flavour. Cleaner on digestion.

Warming Spices

I’m a spicy broad at heart and know these deeply support our inner fire so adding a bunch of spices like cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, clove and nutmeg aren't just there for flavour. They're rich in aromatic plant compounds and have long histories of traditional culinary use alongside rich foods and for supporting our digestion.

Substitutions + Notes

No ghee?
Use 120g unsalted butter. Butter contains more water than ghee, so the texture and spread may vary slightly, but it will still be delicious.

No rye?
Leave it out and use 170g wholemeal spelt flour in total. The rye brings malty depth but isn't essential.

No spelt?
Wholemeal wheat flour can be substituted 1:1. It has stronger gluten, so expect a slightly different texture.

No hemp hearts?
Simply omit them, or replace with chopped walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds.

No blackstrap molasses?
You can replace it with approximately 1 additional tablespoon of dark muscovado sugar, although you'll lose some of the mineral richness and deep flavour.

Spices
Use what you have. Cinnamon alone works beautifully, but the full combination of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, clove and nutmeg creates the warm, layered character of this recipe.

Make ahead
The dough can be portioned and refrigerated before baking. You can also freeze the dough and bake cookies as you want them, adding a little extra baking time from frozen. I slice it from the log with a sharp knife.

And finally... I don't believe we need to earn a cookie, burn off a cookie, or make one nutritionally perfect before we're allowed to enjoy it.

This one just happens to be built differently. Whole grains. Minerals. Seeds. Ancient spices. Dark chocolate. Ghee. And a lot of pleasure. No deprivation. No imitation. No guilt required. Enjoy. Let me know how you get on.

Yum yum. Lauren xo