Not just a cookie, this treat comes with a fun activity to do with your friends – it’s called, “name the secret ingredient” I had to give clues, the last one being that it was a grain that starts with a “Q”. This goes to show just how delicious and non-quinoa tasting these babies are!
Quinoa (Keen wah) is a grain (technically a seed) I started using in my cooking classes almost 5Â years ago – at first the kids looked at me like I was nuts but as the years went by I’d find that more and more kids not only recognized it but had eaten it before. It’s considered a “super grain” because it has all 9 essential amino acids (usually found only in animal products). Bottom line, it’s fantastic for you (as are all whole grains!) I personally enjoy the taste of quinoa, but its faint bitterness throws off my husband. For this cookie (originally in Bon Appetit) I cooked the grains in sweet almond milk; I found it nixed the bitterness completely.
The texture of this cookie is rather cakey, which made me treat it more as a snack/breakfast than a dessert. My daughter LOVED them and I actually felt okay giving them to her for breakfast (I felt it was my duty to take out and eat the chocolate chips first – being a good mom and all hehe). Make a batch of these, leaving several out for the next few days and freezing the rest in bunches of 4. Portion control at it’s finest. Due to the rate my daughter took them down, I will most definitely be making them again soon.
Quinoa Cookies with Almonds, Cranberries and Dark Chocolate Chunks
Makes 2 dozen
Adapted from Bon Appetit
1 1/2 c. white whole wheat (or regular whole wheat flour)
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
6 tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. honey
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 c. cooked quinoa (cooked in milk)*
1 c. oats
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. bittersweet choco chips
1/2 c. chopped roasted almonds
*If you start with 1/3 c. quinoa to 2/3 c. milk, the seed should triple in size to give you 1 c. total. I used vanilla almond milk but soy or regular milk would work fine.
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
3. Whisk butter, sugar, brown sugar, honey until combined.
4. Add eggs and whisk till combined. Add vanilla and almond extracts, whisk till combined.
5. Add quinoa to wet mixture and stir to combine.
6. Add dries to wet and fold till just barely mixed.
7. Add oats, cranberries, chocolate and nuts and fold till just combined.
8. Line a heavy baking sheet with parchment paper (or spray with nonstick spray).
9. Drop batter in 1 tbsp. amounts onto sheet spacing at least 2 inches from each other and the sides.
10. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden on the bottoms and set.
Hmmmm…I just made these! They taste like a muffin top!!! Not really sure what you meant by let them set (step 10), but I like them. I didn’t have eggs so I used egg whites and I didn’t have oats so I just made them without oats. Does that kind of Improvising usually work? Couple of questions: Can quinoa be made in the microwave? I followed the directions on the package to make them on the stove and it was laborious and messy. Also, how do you chop almonds? I have been using the chop setting on my food processor but it works so quickly to make the almonds practically unrecognizable and mostly powder.
Hey Liz! Yes nice and soft like a muffin top – its the butter in a cookie that makes it crunchy or chewy. Improvising with baked goods is usually a no-no, just because the right kind of chemistry needs to happen – that being said it sounds like these still worked for you with the improvising!
Not sure if quinoa can be made in microwave but im thinking no (unless you found a package that specifically steams in the micro). It needs to simmer. So, place lid on pot of water and put the heat on high – when it reaches a boil add the quinoa and reduce heat to low. Simmer (little bubbles gently breaking the surface) until the water is absorbed and the grain looks like it has a little tail and is translucent. As for almonds, just place them on a cutting board and using a large santoku or chefs knife just chop them! You want each almond to be broken up into three or four pieces, if that makes sense to you size-wise. One of those slap choppers would work but i woulndt food process – technically you are grinding your almonds which is different than chopping. glad you liked them, anyways.. and i love the questions! ask away!