I confess: When it comes to cookies–I get in a rut.
I’ve been making my low fat banana oatmeal chocolate chips cookies, A LOT, for a couple of years now, and they really are so good. But I wanted to put some healthy ingredients together to come up with a new go-to cookie for our family. It’s time for a new cookie-rut.
I have zeroed in on making a cookie from quinoa, because we use so much of it, (like in This Salad, and in These meatballs,) and it seems like there is always just a couple of cups leftover. Clearly it makes sense to to turn leftovers into cookies. amiright?
After many attempts, I finally did it. I mean–I really DID IT! These cookies are absolutely delicious…and I’m happy to tell you that they have no bad fats or processed sugars.
Introducing the new It-Cookie in my household:
it took me many tries to nail these cookies because: Quinoa…well, it does have its own unique texture, doesn’t it? You can’t just toss quinoa into any old cookie and have it turn out well.
It turns out that the secret to this quinoa cookie success is using both real maple syrup, and chopped dates. These hold their shape, are moist, and full of flavor.
Side note: If you happen to NOT be a date lover– (first: what’s wrong with you?) it will be ok. These CAN BE done without the dates. They just might turn out a tiny bit more crumbly. (and not nearly as delicious–but we can agree to disagree.)
If you’ve got cooked quinoa on hand, these are actually really quick and easy to make. And the good news is–there isn’t anything in them to feel bad about.
Unless you feel bad about things like mini vegan dark chocolate chips, in which case we should probably have a little talk.
Mini dark chocolate morsels are like mini-love-nuggets from heaven.
I hope you’ll try these! Your family will thank you for making amazing cookies, and you’ll feel good about them too.
Side note #2: If you must leave out the chocolate chips, no problem. (I made a batch when I accidentally ran out of the chips. and they were still very tasty!)
*Just do not–I repeat–do not, leave out both the dates and the chocolate chips because then we maybe can’t be friends.
Like anything with chocolate chips, these are best served with cold milk. On a sunny lanai.
Have a great week!
I’ll be battening down the hatches (or whatever you do) in anticipation of a couple hurricanes that are reportedly headed our way. We are all hoping it turns to a tropical storm which passes mildly, except my boys, who are all like “YAY!! BIG STORM–BRING IT!” Haha.
Talk to you soon!
Aloha,
monica
PS Pinning and Sharing help spread the ALOHA…Thank you so much!!
Quinoa, Peanut Butter, and Oat Cookies.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 Tbsp. real maple syrup
- 1/3 cup chopped dates pitted ๐
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips I used vegan dark chocolate.
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees
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Combine quinoa, peanut butter, maple syrup, chopped dates, oats, and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix on low-medium until well combined.
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Stir in vanilla and chocolate chips. Place rounded scoops onto a baking sheet (option to line it with parchment paper.)
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Bake 15-20 minutes, let sit for 5-10 minutes on the baking sheet, then cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator.
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ENJOY!
These look amazing… can’t wait to try it. I’ve just learned to LOVE dates, and now I have to control myself not to eat the whole bag at once.
I’m with ya–I love dates–they’re a great dessert on their own!
These sound so yummy…I love the idea of cookies with quinoa! And I’m a date lover all the way, so yeah. These will be happening as soon as I can cook again ๐
YumyumyumyumyumyumYUM! These look so good! As soon as I pick up some vanilla, chocolate chips, and dates, these are so happening! ๐
I’m still in the process of reintroducing foods from my sensitivity list, and peanuts haven’t returned yet. Do you think that the recipe would suffer if I substituted almond butter for the peanut butter and raw honey for the maple syrup? Or are they essential for the cohesion of the ingredients once plopped onto a cookie sheet? (Though, if I were being completely honest, I’m not sure how much of this recipe would make it past the batter stage… ๐ )
Hope y’all stay safe during the weather craziness! May the storms pass by harmlessly and leave only the best surfing waves in their respective wakes! ๐
haha–Thanks Rennie! Yes, I would imagine almond butter would be perfectly fine in there! And honey–should do the job. If you do it, plz let me know though so I can go back and make a note in the recipe for others! ๐ Great thoughts on the storm–waves are a great byproduct of a storm!
Awesome possum! I’ll definitely let you know what happens with the new ingredients. Let the kitchen adventures commence! ๐
Baking protip: Triple-check your dates to ensure that you are, in fact, purchasing pitted dates. The vague labeling and visual inspections can lead to much weeping and gnashing of teeth. ๐
I finally baked these cookies! ๐ Or, more accurately, I made these cookies’ eccentric relatives. I made the following revisions based on both time and what I had on hand:
1. I cooked the quinoa right before I added it to the recipe. Predictably, this led to the chocolate chips melting in the batter instead of remaining chippy. So they’re more like chocolate cookies than chocolate chip cookies (but they still taste good ‘n’ chocolatey!). I posted pictures of them on Instagram, and there’s only a bit of a family resemblance to your pretty cookies. ๐
2. I used steel-cut oats instead of rolled. This move made the cookies sorta like mini, fused Dippin’ Dots, since quinoa is already tiny and round. (I think rolled oats are the better choice, if you have both types in your pantry and are mulling over which to use.)
3. Instead of maple syrup, and instead of raw honey, I substituted agave nectar. Legit. I suspect it leads to a different overall flavor, however subtle.
4. For once in my life, I did NOT have almond butter in my house! I used sunflower butter. I give it a thumbs up.
5. I doubled the recipe. What possessed me to do this remains a mystery for the ages. But there you have it.
These alterations led to some pretty intense cookies, LOL! I think they may be the vegan biker cousin of the original recipe. ๐ But El Husbandero enjoyed them, and so did I! I’ll be taking a batch to work tomorrow to share with my coworkers.
I’d say this is a winning recipe. High fives, Monica!
Wow! Quinoa in a cookie–gotta try making these, thanks! Sending prayers that your family and home make it safely thru the storms!
Thank you Wendy. It’s kinda weird not knowing what to expect…Not a whole lot of bad weather around here–we are used to this! ๐ haha. Bless you and hope you try the cookies!
I love you dear friend but can’t tolerate dates. bluck! So I might have to pass on this one. I bet they are good for date lovers though. We LOVE your quinoa salad though, Major hit with the whole family!
Haha…Thank you Teresa! You really can go w/out dates (there are a few recipes on Pinterest very similar w/ no dates.) Mine just crumbled a little==Still totally edible though, I promise! ๐ Try em!
aloha and hugs
that looks so so delicious
i’m definitely gonna try it
thanks