I eat these chocolate chip cookies whenever I want. And it’s not because they’re sugar free.

The whole wheat chocolate chip cookie you never knew you needed.

Weekly Digest No.3

Welcome! If you're here from Instagram, you probably saw the whole-wheat chocolate chip cookies I made. You might be surprised to learn that cookies don't have to be bad for you. It's actually more about the quality of ingredients than the sugar.

I'm a bioinformatics scientist who has left the conventional 9-5 and dedicated my life to showing you how to reclaim your health by changing your lifestyle, not by following restrictive or fad diets. The secret is adding fiber back into our food, even in things like pastries, breads, and cookies by using real whole grain, home-milled whole wheat flour. This simple change can help restore your missing microbes and your gut’s mucosal lining.

Each week, I share five of my favorite recipes. Three for free and all 5 for my paid subscribers. This week we’re making some delicious recipes with home-milled whole-wheat flour. Each recipe is made with your health in mind without sacrificing sugar, carbs or taste. If you don't have a flour mill yet, I hope I can convince you to invest in one. It’s honestly a game-changer.

On the menu this week:

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mango Crumble

Whole Wheat Home-Milled Focaccia

Whole Wheat Home-Milled Sourdough Bagels

Poblano Gruyère Spiral Sourdough

If you find what I share valuable, please make sure you’re subscribed and consider becoming a paid subscriber ♥ support my mission in helping women heal and thrive.

🍪 Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

These might be my most proud chocolate chip cookie. They’re made with fresh-milled flour ( I used soft white wheat and rye). They're deeply caramelly, chewy in the center, crisp on the edges, and honestly perfect for a September movie night. I love a rom com, one of these freshly baked, and a glass of cold A2 milk.

What you need

• 227g (1 cup) salted Kerrygold butter, softened

• 150g muscovado sugar

• 90g brown sugar, packed

• 100g organic cane sugar

• 2 tbsp vanilla extract

• 1 large egg + 1 extra yolk

• 100g rye flour (fresh-milled)

• 300g soft white wheat flour (fresh-milled)

• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 ½ to 2 tsp fine sea salt

• 5 tbsp whole milk

• 1 cup high quality bittersweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate

Method

1. Mill your flour fresh if you haven’t already. You’ll need 100g rye and 300g soft white wheat. Set it aside.

2. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter with all three sugars (muscovado, brown, and cane) until light, fluffy, and slightly glossy — about 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add your egg + yolk and vanilla. Beat until creamy and smooth.

4. In another bowl, whisk together your flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two parts. Mix just until it comes together and make sure you don’t overwork the dough. Use a wooden spoon to avoid over mixing. You don’t want gluten to develop here.

6. Pour in the milk and stir again. The dough should be thick but scoopable. Fold in your chocolate at the end.

7. Chill the dough. at least 1 hour or overnight if you can. This is what gives the cookies their chewy texture and rich nutty flavor.

8. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment.

9. Scoop into ~2 tbsp dough balls. If you’re not baking them all right away, this is the moment to freeze the balls. Just place them on a tray to firm up, then transfer to a freezer bag or container.

10. Bake for 10 minutes not a minute more! You want golden edges and soft, gooey centers. Let them rest on the baking tray for 5 minutes before moving to a rack (or your mouth).

I keep these dough balls in the freezer so I can bake off 2 or 3 whenever the mood hits. No need to thaw just pop them straight into a preheated oven and add 1 minute to the bake time.

🥭 Mango Crumble

What you need

For the filling:

• 3–4 ripe mangoes (about 4 cups, sliced)

• 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup

• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour (to thicken juices)

• Pinch of salt

For the crumble topping:

• 120 g (1 cup) whole wheat flour (fresh-milled)

• 100 g (1 cup) rolled oats

• 100 g (½ cup) coconut sugar, brown sugar, or maple sugar

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• ½ tsp ginger

• Pinch of salt

• 115 g (½ cup, 1 stick) cold Kerrygold butter, cut into cubed

How to make it

1. Prepare the filling: In a mixing bowl, toss mango slices with honey, lime juice, vanilla, flour, and salt until coated. Spread evenly in a buttered baking dish.

2. Make the crumble topping: In another bowl, mix flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Cut in the cold Kerrygold butter with your hands or a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits of butter.

3. Assemble: Scatter the crumble evenly over the mango filling. Gently press down with your hands so the topping holds together as it bakes.

4. Bake: Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35–40 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the mango juices bubble up.

5. Serve: Let cool slightly so the juices thicken. Top with sliced fresh mango, a dollop of yogurt, or vanilla ice cream!

🍞 Whole Wheat Home-Milled Focaccia

What you need

• 500 g whole wheat flour (fresh-milled; sift once if you want it lighter and airier)

• 400–420 g water (80–84% hydration; adjust depending on flour absorption)

• 100 g active sourdough starter (100% hydration, bubbly) or 5 g instant yeast for a quicker version

• 12 g salt

• 20 g extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)

• Optional: fresh herbs rosemary, thyme, flaky salt, garlic, cherry tomatoes, olives, caramelized onions

How to make it

Mix & Autolyse

1. In a bowl, combine flour and 380 g water. Mix until shaggy. Rest 30–45 minutes.

2. Add starter (or yeast if using), salt, olive oil, and the remaining water as needed. Mix well until dough comes together.

Bulk Fermentation

1. Cover and rest at room temp 4–6 hours (sourdough) or 1–2 hours (yeast). During the first 2 hours, perform 3–4 sets of stretch-and-folds every 30 minutes. Dough should be bubbly and airy by the end.

Cold Retard

1. Transfer dough to a well-oiled container. Cover and refrigerate overnight (8–16 hours). This deepens the flavor and makes it more digestible too!

Bake Day

1. Remove dough from fridge, and place into an oiled cast iron pan or glass rectangle baking dish. Let come to room temp 1–2 hours until puffy.

2. With oiled fingers, dimple the surface all over. Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle flaky salt and herbs or toppings.

3. Bake at 450°F (230°C) for 25–30 minutes until deep golden and crisp on the edges

Notes

• Fresh-milled flour is a bit thirstier than store bought white flour but too much water makes focaccia gummy. So start lower and add more if dough feels too stiff

🥯 Whole Wheat Home-Milled Sourdough Bagels

What you need