Salted Chocolate Buckwheat Cookie

The salted chocolate buckwheat cookies are absolutely out of this world with flavor!! My family's new favorite!

I can't believe how suprizingly good these are!

I swapped the butter for a plant based one to make these vegan and followed the rest of the recipe as directed. Everything still looked pretty textbook up until the point that they went into the oven - I baked these for the minimum 12 minutes flipping halfway through and the spread on them was fairly significant! Still had a little mound in the middle but thinner/ flatter edges.

They still look decent, they smell and taste great. I imagine these are even better with browned butter, so overall I'd make these again but possibly chill again after cutting and check them after 10 minutes.

Made these for guests that were staying at our Inn (Red Brick Inn, Swansboro NC) that we’re gluten free.
They were a HIT. They are the perfect combination of sweet and salty, chewy and crumbly. Second batch I added zest of two oranges to the sugar to give a citrus flare and topped with some candied orange peel. They were DELICIOUS! Great recipe

I've never made a chocolate cookie that I liked as much as this one. It's really a terrific recipe. My husband, who claims not to like chocolate, gobbled up the first batch, pronounced the cookies "addictive" and demanded a second batch. I made these changes, all of which I will continue to make: 1) I replaced half the buckwheat flour with AP flour; 2) added one large egg to the dough; 3) replaced the chocolate chips with 3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate (70 % cacao). I shaped the dough into 3 logs, cut each log into 8 thick slices, and baked for 14 minutes, rotating the pan after 7 minutes. The 14-minute baking time yields tender, cakey cookies that are just moist enough. I found the key to avoiding dryness was to bake the cookies immediately after slicing while the dough is still cold. Allowing the dough to warm and soften before baking (even for just 10-15 minutes) causes it to spread during baking, and the cookies turn out thin, crunchy, and too dry.

I made a lot of alterations: Miyoko's vegan "butter" and subbed out half the brown sugar for Lakanto golden monkfruit-erythritol sugar. So 3/4 cup real sugar and 3/4 cup sugar substitute. I also used 1/2 cup cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips. The dough came together easily and tasted fantastic! I chilled the dough for eight hours and made the suggested 12 cookies (just as shown in the video). They were definitely not done at 12 minute mark, had barely spread. So I gave them 6 more minutes, checking after 3 minute increments. They tasted pretty good initially. Definitely a sandy texture. I put the cookies in tupperware with some apple slices and the next day they were moister and less gritty. I would make these again...as I am vegan, my partner is gluten free and we both trying to avoid too much added sugar.

I made these the other day and they are delicious!! I read some of the reviews about it being dry. Here is my take. For my oven it took more than 15 minutes to make. It took about 25 minutes. When they came out they were firm but soft enough. I tasted on and it still being warm, yes it tasted dry initially. I let them sit then stored them in a tupperware container. That night I had another and it was PERFECT. Soft enough on the inside and when I bit into it, it did not have a dry taste. I also stuck the dough for an hour in the refrigerator. When it came out it was too hard to roll so I warmed it up with my hands and it worked out as I was rolling it.
Give this recipe another chance if it did not work out for you the first time around.

I’ve been making these twice monthly. Took a small learning curve to get them right but these are our favorite cookie.

Use mini chips for ease of slicing and less obvious chunk of chocolate.
Weigh ingredients for consistency
-296 gm buckwheat flour (Bobs red Mill preferred)
-35 g cocoa powder
-280 gm brown sugar
-227gm butter

I use whatever coffee I’ve brewed that day for the liquid.

Let your dough rest and flour hydrate. Makes all the difference.

I slice into 22 -24 cookies.
7 mins in oven, rotate, 7 minutes more. Let them firm up before eating.
The best!

I’m so sad I wasted so much butter on these awful, awful cookies. I’ve truly never made such a terrible cookie, from the texture to the taste. I followed the recipe exactly so I have no idea what the problem was. I could have saved myself some trouble if I’d read all the comments first. Major fail.

These cookies are fairly difficult to get right: which I wouldn't really know if I had not made then correctly AND incorrectly several times to see what works and what makes a weirdly big difference. My son and I joke that it requires a certain number of course words in order to manifest good results just like pie crust. Here is what I have found:

1) The dough is dry. Very dry and very crumbly. Even at high altitude, where you would be tempted to add extra moisture, I have found this to be a mistake. Keep it crumbly, wrap it up in parchment, and curse when it crumbles when you cut it. Otherwise they will spread too much, especially at the edges, and that was not what I wanted.

2) I also have too much dough with this recipe to make a 2 x 10 inch log. I used to keep it 2 inch wide and have a long tube. This was also a mistake. They cook more evenly, (but are more annoying to cut) if you make a 4 x 10 inch log and have flatter, wider cookies.

3) Cooking time should be short: just when they start to spread a teeny bit (usually 11 minutes), take them out. They aren't "done" per we, but leave them on the pan and they will become more firm in about 5 minutes. Also, turn them halfway through. This isn't really because your oven is uneven, but because you let a lot of the heat out (as far as I can tell) and the second half of cooking is lower, keeping them from spreading too much.

4) They are made out of buckwheat. You might not like them, but especially if your flour is old.

In short, when in doubt, do the most annoying thing you can put up with, (ex: crumbly dough, meticulous watching while baking, etc.) and they come out better. The people who measure their ingredients by weight are also probably right: that probably helps a lot too.

I still maintain these are the best cookies ever!!!!

I was hesitant to make these after reading mixed reviews but my BF and I really enjoyed them! I made these exactly as written, aside from the powdered sugar. I made the dough at night, chilled overnight in the fridge, and baked the following afternoon. The dough seemed way too dry but it all came together in the end. Would definitely make again!

Made these with a few revisions:
1) I halved the recipe but still shaped them into 12 cookies. I still baked for 10-12 min.
2) Added a little extra brown sugar plus an egg
3) Softened butter in the microwave so it was a little more liquidy
4) Poured the flour into my measuring cups instead of scooping it

Taste was delicious and the egg held the dough together so it wasn't too crumbly. Texture had a tiny bit of grainyness to it but not something I'd consider to be a negative at all. This was my first time baking with buckwheat and I didn't think it tasted "buckwheaty" at all.

I made these and enjoyed them a great deal. I agree that using mini chips would make them easier to cut into individual cookies. The dough isn't a conventional one, and not the easiest to work with. Baked they have more like a sandy shortbread texture, which isn't bad just unusual. So eat over a plate, or better yet outside!

These chonky cookies were delicious! Things I think contributed to success making these:

- I used a bag of buckwheat flour that I purchased on a trip to France (David Lebovitz talks a bit in this post about American buckwheat flour, which is usually whole grain, versus French buckwheat flour, which tends to be more refined: https://www.davidlebovitz.com/buckwheat-chocolate-chip-cookies-cookie-recipe-lappart-david-lebovitz/)

- I used these weights from Amy W's comment below instead of volume measurements for the dry ingredients:
200g brown sugar
30g cocoa
265g buckwheat flour*
13g baking powder

- I let the dough sit in the fridge overnight, so that the flour hydrated properly

If I were to make these again, I would make sure that the top got a nice, even sprinkling of salt, because I thought the saltier bites were especially delicious.

These are delicious, and similar to Dorie Greenspan's also-delicious World Peace Cookies. The dough came together beautifully for me. I gave it a few gentle hand-kneads - the warmth from my hands was just enough to smooth out the dough and to get it to stick together.

I looked for photos of the Bien Cuit version of these cookies - they are more nugget-shaped than the ones in the photo for this recipe. To get more of that effect, I stuck the shaped cookies into the freezer for a few minutes to avoid spread once they were in the oven.

These cookies would probably be equally lovely without the chocolate chips. That would make them easier to cut from the log. Or, consider using mini chocolate chips.

I wanted smaller cookies, and shaped them into pieces that were about 1-inch round x .5-inch high. My testers had a burned edge, so I reduced the temperature and baking time slightly.

Buckwheat does have a noticeable flavor. If that is not your thing, this recipe is probably not for you. Dorie has you covered with the abovementioned World Peace Cookies - hop on over to that recipe, where buckwheat-free bliss awaits.

I was suspect of a couple things, mostly the size of these cookies! A 1/2 pound of butter in 12 cookies is outrageous. There are some good bones here, but the butter needs to be cut and the dough needs a binder. If I make them again I will add 2 eggs and cut the butter in half. That should create a texture perfect for drop cookies - no rolling or waiting necessary!

I reviewed this recipe as a definite thumbs down. I read through many of the reviews stating “disappointing results, awful, looks nothing like the photo, grainy texture, bitter, waste, etc”. Based on the reviews how does this recipe wind up with 4 stars??

Is there anything worse than high expectations dashed?! I made 2 batches of dough as I planned to serve at a Memorial Day Bbq. I would be embarrassed to take these because my friends might feel they should eat them to be courteous. Could it be that an ingredient was left out of the recipe....one could only hope.

I made these cookies to the recipe and thought they were the best ever!!!!! My husband's and mine very favorite cookie

Immediately I thought the 1 Tablespoon of baking powder seemed suspect.
I wonder if some of the problems people are having with bitterness is the amount of baking powder. 1 Tablespoon is a crazy amount. I used 1/2 teaspoon (!) and added an egg and these were yummy

I had great pause after reading the reviews but the buckwheat flour was purchased so, what the heck. I don't like cookies but love shortbread. My husband loves cookies but is dealing with some refined flour intolerance. This recipe is flipping am! My only changes were wrapping in wax paper and refrigerated overnight, making 18 cookies and sprinkled apricot salt from Austria. They weren't bitter. They were soft and chewy. Thanks!

I love buckwheat, but these were inedible. Kinda like munching on plastic-y volcanic ash (and no, I didn't burn them) studded with chocolate chips.

Really vague recipe in places (lightly packed brown sugar - who on Earth measures brown sugar like that?!), has you turn the oven on even though you chill them first, etc.

Think the guy doesn't want people nailing his recipe so he withheld a few things. The dough is also super dry and hard to work with (and I'm a very good baker, I think croissants are easy).

wait so does each cookie have like a quarter stick of butter in it?.

I made these cookies exactly as directed using bitter sweet chocolate chips. I had no problem with the dough or with baking the cookies. I took them out of the oven just after they began to crack. We are used to buckwheat baking as we make an apple cake with buckwheat. Although not bitter, as another reviewer said, you have to like buckwheat. The cookies are beautiful after cooling, especially with a second dusting of sugar. As we have a family member with celiac, we are always looking for gluten free recipes. Thanks.

Sorry, I hate to write this, but these are just terrible. This is the only thing I've ever made from Food52 that was not good. I had reservations when I saw a gluten free cookie with only one type of flour... and the most bitter flour of any I've used, but it was a featured recipe so I threw caution to the wind and tried it. Unfortunately, they were crumbly and bitter (surprise). My guests wouldn't even eat them. I had to throw them all away, it was very embarassing. I was really hoping for an "a ha" moment.... but alas, no.

The first time I made this with volume measurements, I had a crumbly dough that still came together after some kneading. This dough, I had mixed by hand. These baked up as I believe they should have (minimal spreading, cracked tops).

My second attempt, I also measured by volume but took extra care to spoon the ingredients into the measuring cups to weigh each and used my stand mixer. The butter, I believe was slightly softer this time around and the butter creamed with the sugar was much lighter. The resulting dough was stiff but much more workable than the first. I baked off a couple

For anyone interested, here are the weights I came up with.

200g brown sugar
30g cocoa
265g buckwheat flour*
13g baking powder

*prior to using the flour in the dough, I played around with how the flour gets weighed out, if you "fluff and scoop" the flour, 1 cup weighs significantly more than if you "lightly spoon" the flour into the cup.

Buckwheat flour was a very fine, stone ground from a windmill in Illinois that I had picked up as a souvenir on a trip.
All other ingredients were generic store brand.

Any chance of getting a weight measure for the flour? I had some buckwheat groats lying around so made flour in my blender - which results in a super airy flour. My cookies spread into lacy discs so I'm guessing my 2 c wasn't the same amount. Thanks! The flavor is great and I love the use of buckwheat.

I loved these! Very crumbly but in a good way. I made sure my butter was room temp and followed the directions and ended up with a pretty solid log of dough. I'm wonder if the variance has to do with the absorption of buckwheat flour or cocoa - Arrowhead buckwheat flour and dutched cocoa powder worked for me. Good luck, all! Very worthwhile for GF and honestly I wouldn't have known if I hadn't made them myself.
P.S. These made a mean cookies and cream milkshake ; )

Oh, these are really very good and they came out looking just like the photo! This is my first time baking with buckwheat flour (I used Anita's Organic Mill Sprouted Buckwheat Flour, the only brand at my local grocery store) and followed the recipe exactly except for the addition of a scant ½ teaspoon each of salt and xanthan gum. The former because the batter tasted a little flat without it and the latter because, well, just because. I also used Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips and a generous pinch of Maldon sea salt on top, plus a bit more of a dusting of confectioners sugar after the cookies had cooled. I'll definitely be baking these again!

So tasty! Good on the buckwheat haters for trying it out, but don't say it's gross just because it's not your taste. Personally I love buckwheat, and it's so good in this! I would warn to be careful not to overcook or it gets a bit bitter.

These cookies, in my opinion, were the BEST EVER! I used chocolate buttons instead of chocolate chips and they were divine!

Would this recipe work if I used all-purpose flour instead of buckwheat?

They worked for me! I did refrigerate overnight, and I made the 12 cookies as directed, and they are huge. I cut them in to quarters because they are soft, and I like them with a little bit of crunchy peanut-butter on top. Although not overwhelming, you do have to like the flavor of buckwheat flour. I would make them again especially if I need to bring a special treat to a gluten-free friend.

I prefer smaller cookies, but after reading the comments, I was afraid to make any changes! The recipe said 12 cookies from a 10" roll so I sliced them a little less than an inch thick. (I got 14 cookies) After 12 minutes, they still looked the same; I wound up baking them for about 20 minutes and the tops cracked, but they still had vertical sides. Anyway, they taste great! A little crunchy, chewy, sweet and salty, and very chocolatey. Next time I will dare to make them smaller. btw, I used Miyoko's cultured vegan butter.

Wow! It's amazing that this recipe got such varying results. Perhaps we need a super specific recipe to have repeatable success. Weight, rather than volume measurements for ingredients might help, brand/type of brown sugar, brand of flour, etc. But humidity, elevation and temperature of dough are perhaps factors we haven't considered and can't do much to compensate for. Keep experimenting, dear cooks and new recipe creaters. A recipe failure now and then is a pretty small loss in comparison to other hobby flubs we've all had! Thanks, Megan, for trying to solve our problems!

I don't know what I've done wrong. When I made the dough, it was a crumbly mess that kept falling apart while I was trying to fall apart. I finally got it to hold together enough so I could get plastic wrap around it. After overnight in the fridge, it was just like a (very short) baseball bat that crumbled when I tried to slice it. Any thoughts?

ICK! these cookies are possibly the worst that have come out of my cookie-happy kitchen in 20 years. I got sucked in by the story of the woman crossing a bridge to get these... but the buckwheat is not very tasty at all (even with a whole lot of my good quality chocolate chips). 3 friends tried them and we all spit them out - this is a super disappointing recipe.

I ended up with one huge cookie--all the cookies became formless, melting into eachother and covering the whole pan. I cut them into squares. They are like chewy brownies. I wonder if there is a misprint in the amount of sugar, or if the chocolate chips need to be a specific brand for these to hold their shape.

These cookies are so wonderful! I did refrigerate them overnight as I did not have time to bake them the same day that I mixed up the dough. Baked them for 13 minutes in my convection oven at 375 and I think they just lovely! Especially with a glass of red wine! Monica D.

I was also disappointed with how my cookies turned out. I did everything according to the recipe. I’m wondering if it could be the brand of cocoa powder? I recently read how different fat, ph and starch levels in cocoa powders can greatly affect the results. I’m not sure I can even describe how they turned out. Nothing like shortbread. I would love to try them again if I could figure out what went wrong!

I too had these cookies turn out thin and not at all like the pictures. Such a waste pop ingredients. If a European style butter is necessary the recipe should include this information.

I'm happy to report that when you are not paying 100% attention and you add 1 1/3 cup of cocoa powder and then add 2 eggs to account for all the extra dry ingredients, these are still delicious.

Do you have a calorie estimate per cookie assuming 12 are made?

This looks delicious! Can I substitute vegan butter in same amount for a vegan cookie, or are other adjustments needed?

Exclusively using volume measurement in baking recipes will invariably lead to materially different results. Weights are much more precise and should always be included for dry and solid ingredients (i.e. sugar, flour, cocoa, butter, & chocolate chips/chunks). Moreover, once you acclimate yourself to weighing, it's faster with few things to wash when done.

I baked mine for 13 min. Yes, the dough crumbles a bit when you cut it; just smash it back together. Amazing. So chewy, salty...yum!

I just made these cookies. Absolutely divine! So good! Yes, it makes more than the recipe says but that was a good thing:) best chocolate cookie recipe that I’ve made. For those if you that had issues w them bring runny, bubbly, make sure you use high quality butter. I used Plugra unsalted. Mine turned out with a perfect amount of moisture. Not dry, just a bit crumbly/shortbread like.

I'm questioning the 12 cookies - how can this be? For that amount of flour, sugar, and butter it seems like you'd get a heck of a lot more cookies... Other recipes with these proportions make 3 or 4 times as many cookies. Any thoughts?

I'm so confused by this recipe. I was extremely careful to follow it exactly and I ended up with double the dough to make a 2" x 10" log. They barely expanded at all in the oven and they are extremely dry. They mostly still look like the shape they were when I put them in. Are the quantities definitely correct in the recipe? If it matters, I used Bob's Red Mill whole wheat buckwheat flour.

These cookies sound giant. will portioning them into 24 mess with the recipe too badly?

I just made these and followed the recipe exactly and the cookies look nothing like the picture. They are runny/bubbly on the edges : ( Also, my log was MUCH longer than 10" at 2" diameter, so I had nearly twice as much batter. Is it possible that one of the ingredients is incorrect in the reprinted recipe??

I'm not sure if these turned out the way they are intended.. I didn't have buckwheat flour so I ground 2 cups of raw ruckwheat hulls in my Vitamix. I didn't measure again once I'd ground it and my batter was very dry/powdery. I added a bit more oil (1/4 cup), sugar and cocoa powder in case I had accidentally used too much flour. The batter was still dryish but I was able to form it into a log. It crumbled when I tried to slice the dough so I reformed the dough and baked as directed. They turned out alright, just a bit crumbly when we bite into it. Is that the desired texture for these?

Delicious nutty tasting chocolatey shortbread! Love them!

Thanks so much for this, I LOVE these cookies and am psyched to be able to make them at home!

Do I have to use buckwheat flour? If I want to substitute all-purpose, can I just swap out equal amounts?

Wow! This just popped up in my feed - I’ve never seen a recipe use only buckwheat before. It’s the only flour I use, but usually I have to edit recipes that call for wheat flour and hope for the best! Can’t wait to try these!

Espresso powder?? Liquid?? Not mentioned in the ingredient list...