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Comparing packaged vs. bulk costs for a recipe

Chocolate Chip Walnut CookiesYou can save a lot by shopping in bulk!

Let’s compare how much it costs to buy packaged compared to mostly bulk ingredients for a chocolate chip walnut cookie recipe. We’ll add up the cost of full packages for everything we need and only the amount of bulk products needed for the recipe. While you would have leftover product from the packaged ingredients, how long will it take you to go through the rest of the bag of walnuts or the rest of the whole wheat pastry flour? Using bulk ingredients lets you get the amount you need, plus - if you fill your own sanitized containers - there’s no packaging waste!

Learn more about shopping in bulk and check out our bulk resources on our Departments page.

PACKAGED PRODUCTS

cookie recipe packaged items

  • Field Day Organic Whole Wheat Flour 80 oz: $6.49
  • King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 80 oz: $8.79
  • Arm & Hammer Baking Soda: $1.29
  • Field Day Mediterranean Fine Sea Salt: $1.99
  • Organic Valley Organic Unsalted Butter: $7.99
  • Field Day Organic Cane Sugar: $3.49
  • Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Dark Brown Sugar: $6.79
  • Yuppie Hill Poultry Grade A Large Eggs: $4.79
  • Frontier Co-op Organic Vanilla Extract: $12.49
  • Diamond Chopped Walnuts: $6.29
  • Equal Exchange Organic Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: $5.99

Total cost: $66.39 for all (mostly organic) ingredients needed

MOSTLY BULK PRODUCTS 

cookie recipe bulk items

  • 3/4 cup organic bulk whole wheat pastry flour: $0.27
  • 1/2 cup organic bulk unbleached flour: $0.25
  • 1/2 teaspoon bulk baking soda: $0.05
  • 1/2 teaspoon bulk salt: $0.05
  • Organic Valley Organic Unsalted Butter: $7.99
  • Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Dark Brown Sugar: $6.79
  • 1/2 cup bulk sugar: $0.55
  • Yuppie Hill Poultry Grade A Large Eggs: $4.79
  • Frontier Co-op Organic Vanilla Extract: $12.49
  • 1/2 cup bulk walnuts: $0.60
  • 10oz. Equal Exchange Organic Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: $5.30

Total cost: $39.13 for all (mostly organic) ingredients needed

You can save 40% by using bulk ingredients for this recipe!

Costs calculated on 3/13/23 using non-sale prices. We used similar quality of ingredients for the packaged vs. bulk items. Not all products may be available at all three Willy Street Co-op stores.

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie Recipe

From grocery.coop.

Total Time: 40 minutes; 20 minutes active

Servings: 28

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup unbleached flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1 package chocolate chips

Preparation

  1. In a medium bowl, mix the pastry flour, unbleached flour, baking soda and salt, reserve. Preheat the oven to 375⁰F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a stand mixer with the batter paddle, or in large bowl, using a fork, cream the butter with the brown and white sugars. Beat until fluffy.
  3. Beat in the egg, salt and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix until thoroughly combined, then stir in the flour mixture. When almost fully incorporated, add the nuts and chocolate chips and stir just until combined.
  4. Use heaping tablespoon-sized portions to form balls of dough, and place them on the prepared pans with two inches in between.
  5. Bake for 6 minutes, then switch the position of the pans between upper and lower oven racks - and bake for 6 minutes longer. Remove the pans from the oven, and allow them to cool on racks for five minutes before using a spatula to transfer the cookies to the rack. Cool completely.
  6. These keep for a week, tightly covered, at room temperature.

Tips & Notes

Plan ahead and bake up an extra batch or two to store in the freezer to enjoy later. 

Freezing baked cookies

Place cooled cookies in a freezer bag or other freezer container, remove as much air as possible, and freeze for up to 3 months. Simply remove cookies from the freezer and allow to them to thaw before eating. Individual cookies can also be thawed in the microwave.

Freezing cookie dough

Follow the preparation instructions through step 4. Place the cookie sheets in the freezer and freeze for approximately 6 hours, or until the cookie dough is frozen solid. Then transfer the frozen cookie dough balls into a freezer bag or other freezer container, remove as much air as possible, and store for up to three months. When you're ready to bake your cookies, follow the baking directions as noted above, placing the frozen dough balls two inches apart, and add a minute or two of extra baking time to adjust for thawing. 

Nutritional Information

110 calories, 4.5 g. fat, 10 mg. cholesterol, 75 mg. sodium, 15 g. carbohydrate, 1 g. fiber, 2 g. protein