Ok, those of you who know me know I don’t typically recommend cookies for breakfast, so this is a bit of a stretch. But sometimes when you’re rushing out the door or just need a nutrient dense snack, and want to avoid the store bought nutritional zero options out there, or if you’re wanting to offer up an after school snack or healthy cookie option, this might be just the thing for you.
Low in sugar and made with quinoa flour, it’s a great option for gluten sensitive folks. And there are so many different options you can play with to make this nutritious and delicious in so many different ways.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups quinoa flour or you can mix it up to sprouted spelt, mix quinoa and rice or whatever other flour you fancy.
- ¾ cup ground flax/chia
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, softened or you can use a mix of butter and coconut oil
- ½ -3/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups mix of what you want: cranberries, raisins, dates, semi-sweet organic chocolate chips,
- 1 cup chopped nuts or seeds (walnuts, pumpkin seeds, almonds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, whole chia seeds…)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Combine flour, ground flax or chia, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter/coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy (warming it slightly can help as it takes a bit to mix in the maple syrup to smooth consistency). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in nuts, seeds, dried fruit. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto un-greased baking sheets.
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
To turn it into a bar: Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch pan. Spread dough into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 4 dozen.
Holiday Option: you can add ½ tsp of cinnamon and/or dried ginger into the mix with cranberries and walnuts for a more festive winter cookie.
Tip: I rarely cook the whole batch at once so will roll the dough into balls or press into slabs and freeze for later. It’s wonderful for whenever you’re in the mood for a warm cookie, all you have to do is heat the oven, pop a few in and voila, warm tasty goodness in mere minutes! These can be stored up to a few months.
– Angela Warburton, RTCMP, R.Ac