Sometimes you just want a cookie. But how do you make a cookie not so bad? A common answer would be, “remove all the sugar.” But let’s face it… if you remove all the sugar, who would want it?

The answer? Compromise!

When I bake I usually reduce sugar content by ½ and incorporate natural sweeteners. Then I load up whatever I’m making with gluten free whole grains, keeping the ingredients organic whenever possible.

This Quinoa Ginger Molasses Cookie fits the bill. And it is the perfect Autumn treat. I started with a recipe from Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood and added a few personal tweaks.

These cookies are perfect with tea on a chilly fall afternoon!

 

Quinoa Ginger Molasses Cookie

Makes 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter ( organic preferred)
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 2 cups quinoa flour*
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup organic dried cane sugar (to roll cookies in)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper
3. Cream butter and brown sugar
4. Add molasses and egg and beat, set aside
5. Mix flour, baking soda, salt and spices
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, dough should be soft and smooth
7. Roll into 1 to 1½ inch balls
8. Roll in sugar to lightly coat and place 2″ apart on prepared sheet
9. Bake in center rack 8 – 10 min, should be slightly brown on bottom

*NOTE: If desired you can substitute 1 cup of gluten free flour for one of the cups of quinoa flour.

Make Your Own Quinoa Flour

For the adventurous baker out there, you can make your own quinoa flour. You will need a high power blender like a Vitamax to grind the whole quinoa seed. A food processor will only become a quinoa-go-round as the small seeds will not be affected by the blade. You could do small batches in a coffee mill, but creating 2 cups of quinoa flour will take a LONG time using that method. Be sure to use prewashed quinoa for this purpose, otherwise the bitter saponins will affect the taste of the cookie.

If all this is too much of a hassle, you can also find quinoa flour at a reasonable price on Vitacost.