When I started grinding my own grain and even before,learning about fresh ground flour, I worried that I’d have to sacrifice delicious baked goods like these Barley Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Which was more important? Yummy, soft cookies or amazing health benefits?

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Despite reading (and hearing) over and over again that fresh ground is not the same as store bought wheat… I was still a bit skeptic.

Skeptic and I still invested in a mill? Yes. That is how important the nutrition was to me. After I read about the benefits and what white flour is really doing to our bodies… I couldn’t turn a blind eye, my family deserved better.

Fast forward, I found a great deal on a used mill and bought some grain! I was pleasantly surprised with the first couple yeast breads I made and decided I’d test out a cookie recipe.

What’s the worst that could happen? The chickens could have cookies for a meal and I wouldn’t have to feed them any grain that day.

This recipe originally came from their website- check them out for awesome fresh ground flour recipes, tips, and tricks! Bread Beckers

All I had was hulled barley and their recipe called for unhulled. Let me tell you, that stuff is hard to find. I decided to just go for it. A little more nutrition in the hulls, right? Sounds good to me. The hulled barley added a little more texture, unhulled barley cookies would probably be a bit smoother but I think the added texture is nice!

I whipped up the first batch and, naturally, snuck a little taste of the batter. Woah. Woah…. Absolutely delicious!

After they came out of the oven I barely let them cool before I dug in. Mind blown! These cookies are, dare I say it, even better than my favorite all-purpose flour cookie recipe!!!!

Do they taste the same? No, these do not taste like your traditional chocolate chip cookies that you are used to. They have a deeper, almost nutty flavor. Even kind of oatmeal cookie-ish. Trust me, they are wonderful!

The first batch was made for a family weekend at a hotel and they were almost all gone the first night! My family inhaled them and I didn’t feel guilty at all!

Healthy, delicious chocolate chip cookies? Yes please!

This recipe does use fresh ground flour but if that is not an option for you, you can substitute store-bought barley flour. It won’t have as much of the nutrients as fresh ground but it’s an option.