“If all we had were roses, would the thorns then be beautiful?” – Kamand Kojouri.
I’ll be honest: you probably thought it when you first saw the pictures—these cookies look a little rough around the edges. But appearance aside, they taste fantastic. They’re egg-free, made with whole wheat, quick to mix (no resting required), and forgiving to bake. Because they taste great, I’m not going to let looks get in the way.
After my first batch I turned the second batch into cookie bars. Cookie bars are convenient: no shaping, one-pan baking, easy storage, and they look tidier. Still the same flavours you want—crunchy wholewheat cookie texture with pockets of melty dark chocolate.
These eggless wholewheat chocolate chunk cookies are based on a recipe I adapted from King Arthur Flour, but I halved the quantities, reduced the sugar, omitted the egg, and added a splash of milk. The result: a crunchy cookie when fully baked, or crunchy on the outside and slightly crumbly inside if you pull them out early—either way delicious. Those larger chocolate chunks give satisfying molten bites amid the wholewheat crunch.
Eggless Wholewheat Chocolate Chunk Cookies (or Cookie Bars)
Ingredients
- 135 grams (about 1 cup) wholewheat flour
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
- 28 grams (2 tbsp) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 50 grams (1/4 cup packed) brown sugar
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon (1 1/2 tsp) vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons milk at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chocolate chunks or chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment (for cookies) or line an 8-inch square pan with parchment (for bars).
- Using an electric mixer or a wooden spoon, beat the oil, butter, salt, vanilla, and both sugars until light and fluffy.
- Add the milk, vinegar, baking soda, and baking powder and mix until combined.
- Stir in the wholewheat flour until incorporated.
- Fold in the chocolate chunks or chips.
- For cookies: drop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto the lined sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each. They won’t be perfectly smooth—avoid overworking them or the cookies will be tough.
- For cookie bars: press the dough evenly into the lined pan to a layer about 1/4 inch thick. Use the bottom of a glass to smooth if needed.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 18–22 minutes for cookies, or 20–25 minutes for bars, until nicely browned.
- Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- If you made bars, slice them while still slightly warm with a sharp knife, then let them cool completely.
Notes
This recipe yields about 24–30 cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to five days. In my tests I used Aashirwad atta, safflower oil, and dark chocolate chunks; full-fat milk and regular vinegar work well. I bake on the middle rack with both top and bottom elements on. If using a convection oven, rotate the baking sheet front to back about halfway through. My measuring cup is 240 ml.
If you prefer a chewier cookie, try a chewy-style recipe instead. For a crisper, more buttery slice-and-bake result, use a slice-and-bake method. You can also swap chocolate chunks for chips if you want neater-looking cookies—chunks deliver larger, gooier bites, but chips will make the finished cookies more uniform in appearance.
