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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 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 (preferably blackstrap, if available) 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 underbaking.
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.
1 hour
20 minutes active
Ingredients
-
140
grams (1 cup) rye flour (see headnote)
-
170
grams (12 tablespoons) cold salted butter, cut into 6 to 8 pieces
Directions
-
01Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Line 2 baking sheets with kitchen parchment. In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, toast the rye flour, stirring constantly, until fragrant and darkened by several shades, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the butter and stir until melted, then transfer to a small bowl. Let the mixture cool until barely warm to the touch, about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt.
Reviews
September 22, 2026
Insanely good - slight inconsistencies to note
The first time I made these they came out perfect! I did not use nuts. Anyone who ate one literally said it was the best cookie they ever had. I followed the directions exactly and the only thing I added was some Maldon Sea Salt flakes before baking. A+
The second time I made them, they came out great but not as great. I am puzzled as to why. I did all of the steps the same and cooked them in the same oven, on the same pans for exactly 13 minutes like the first time. The flavor was there but the texture was a little softer and the cookies were visually flatter. The only thing I can think of was I used a different brand of rye flour, but it was still powdery in texture, not coarse. I also used a different brand of chocolate chips. The first time I used Trader Joes 72% chocolate chips and the second time I used Gheradelli 72% chocolate chips. The Gheradelli were larger and flatter chips so maybe that was the cause? The only other thing I can think of I cooked the rye flour in a nonstick pan the first time and in a copper pan the second time. If anyone has any thoughts, I'd love to hear them because I really want to get this recipe back to PERFECT!
July 23, 2026
Great cookies recipe
I've never used rye flour in cookies before, let alone toasting it. The cookie dough tasted fantastic. I did refrigerate the cookie dough overnight before portioning and baking it. I used King Arthur Organic All Purpose flour, which has a high protein content than other flours, so that gave it a nice height. I baked them about 12-13 minutes. They look beautiful and I'm excited to try it baked.
December 2, 2025
best cookie ever
Added the oats from the other recipe and chopped dates. they have the best chew. Real substance. Almost like one of those granola energy bars but tastes really good.
April 22, 2025
Best Chocolate Chip Cookie - Indeed!
No mixer needed! Toasted rye flour! Game changer!!! You gotta try these !!!!!
March 24, 2025
Beats normal chocolate Chip cookies by a landslide!!
These cookies are incredibly good. My favorite part is actually the texture between the chocolate, nuts and a tad coarser rye flour. There is something just slightly different about their flavor that adds more depth than a regular chocolate chip cookie recipe. My only critique would be that it seems easier to toast the flour in the oven and I will do that next time.
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.