Sometimes you just need a cookie. A cookie that you can eat and actually feel good about it. This is that cookie. These healthier cookies are the perfect way to use up leftover cooked quinoa. If you prefer, they can be made extra sweet with the addition of your favorite sweetener + chocolate chips or chocolate drizzle. Alternatively, they are perfectly nutty + sweet with just the dates + peanut butter. Learning how to make quinoa cookies will be a total game changer for you and your cookie life. Trust me here.
For the Love of Quinoa
Let’s talk for a second about quinoa. Firstly, I love quinoa. Secondly, we here at MVF eat quinoa at least once per week. Third, I sneak quinoa into salads, soups, crackers, cookies, even into chili. Most importantly, I make a big batch of quinoa in my instant pot on Mondays. After that, I always have it on hand for the entire week to toss into whatever I dream up. Not sure you should be eating quinoa? Then you should definitely check out my guide here.
Tara’s Tips for Learning How To Make Quinoa Cookies:
- Use cooked and cooled quinoa. You can easily cook quinoa in your instant pot! Check out my tips here on cooking quinoa in your instant pot.
- I developed this recipe using oat flour. I have not tested it with other flours. However, good alternatives to oat flour are all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, or coconut flour. Alternatively, you can make your own by processing rolled oats in your food processor until you achieve a fine flour.
- Chocolate: to use or not to use. It’s entirely up to you. I am a cookie purist. Therefore, I don’t enjoy a lot of things in my cookies. If you are a chocolate chip kind of person, go for it, fold them in! I really enjoy these cookies with dairy-free chocolate melted and drizzled on top for just a hint. On the other hand, they truly are awesome when they are completely drowned in chocolate. All ways are awesome! Above all, don’t forget to sprinkle coarse sea salt on top 😋
- Sugar: if you like sweet cookies, sweeten them! For instance, you can use only the dates leaving them refined sugar free or you can add in an unrefined sugar such as raw turbinado or coconut palm (that is what we do). If you eat sugar, put some in! These are awesome with brown sugar or cane sugar
- Freeze them! They are easy to freeze in glass containers or ziploc bags. As a result, these little guys are PERFECT for meal prep and can be eaten as a breakfast cookie or as a snack. To sum up, these cuties are awesome to have around. Simply leave them out to thaw at room temperature and they will be perfect!
Need more quinoa ideas?
Try my recipe for Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa which is a FAVORITE in the MVF house and on regular rotation! Some other dinner ideas include Quinoa Stuffed Peppers or Quinoa Vegetable Soup: Instant Pot or Stove-Top. After that, you could make Toasted Quinoa for on top of a salad or soup 😍. Our favorite way to use quinoa in our snacks are Quinoa Crackers. For breakfast we love thisInstant Pot Quinoa Breakfast Bowl.Similarly, we love our Pumpkin Quinoa Breakfast Bowl.
Happy Cookie Making 🍪
How To Make Quinoa Cookies
A healthier cookie you can enjoy for breakfast, dessert, or as a snack. Perfect way to use up leftover cooked quinoa! These cookies are nutty + just sweet enough + can be made with or without the chocolate drizzle!
Ingredients
- 10 dates
- 1 flax egg (1tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water) {sub one regular egg if not vegan OR 1 vegan egg replacer}
- 3/4 cup oat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sugar of choice (raw turbinado, coconut palm, cane sugar, or brown sugar)
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
- 3/4 cup dairy free chocolate chips and/or chopped peanuts (optional, to taste)
- 1 cup dairy free chocolate gems/broken up cacoa bar/chocolate chips (for melting) {I used Hu Chocolate baking gems}
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Step 2 Place dates on a small bowl and fill bowl with enough hot water to cover the dates, soak for 10 minutes, do not discard the water.
- Step 3 While dates are soaking, proceed with making flax egg: combine 1 tbsp ground flax with 3 tbsp water, stir, set aside to form a gel (about 5 minutes).
- Step 4 After dates have soaked for 10 minutes, place them in a high powered blender or food processor and blend adding the reserved soaking water as needed to fully blend into a thick paste consistency.
- Step 5 In the bowl of a stand mixer mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Once combined add in the vanilla, processed dates, peanut butter, and flax egg. Mix on low until ingredients are fully incorporated. Add the reserved date water as necessary if batter too dry (add 1 tbsp at a time but no more than 3 tbsp).
- Step 6 Finally, fold in the cooked quinoa and stir by hand until completely mixed in. If you are adding chocolate chips, do so at this time.
- Step 7 Using a cookie scoop or 1 1/2 tbsp measure, scoop out evenly sized portions of batter.
- Step 8 After that, roll each portion into a ball and place them one inch apart on a parchment paper or silicone baking sheet lined baking sheet.
- Step 9 Gently flatten each of the balls with your hand and then use a fork to make a crisscross on top of each cookie.
- Step 10 Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes until cookies are golden brown around the edges.
- Step 11 Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Step 12 For the chocolate drizzle: While cooling, place chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave in 30 second increments stirring frequently until melted and smooth – be careful not to overheat.
- Step 13 Dunk each cookie in chocolate or apply chocolate drizzle to taste. Place cookies in refrigerator or freezer to allow chocolate to set.
- Step 14 Enjoy or serve immediately.Leftovers can be placed in individual containers to unfreeze for snack or breakfast meal prep.
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