Gluten free, Vegan Ragi Cookies

Prep Time: 5 minutes, Cook Time: 30 minutes

If I say that I have tried every single healthy snack available in the market, I am not kidding at all. I try to eat healthy and avoid sugar and palm oil from my snacks and that eleminates most of them. The other snacks usually are made with dates as their base and although I love dates, they can get too overpowering. 

I find it really imporatant to have healthy snacks around if you are looking at losing weight because you can intake loads of uncounted calories just by snacking. This has led me into trying out recipes that will be healthy while not compromising on the taste. For this particular recipe, I have used Ragi.

What is Ragi?

Ragi flour used in this recipe is derived from Ragi or Finger Millet. You can find it in any Asian store. It is a gluten-free and high fibre millet that aids in weight loss and controlling diabetes. It is a wonderful source of good carbohydrates, B vitamins and minerals such as Potassium and Iron. It is most commonly used in the ground up version and can be eaten as porridges, drinks, pancakes or cookies. Once roasted, it has a beautiful nutty flavour with a hint of bitterness.

How to make cookies without sugar and butter?

Most of the cookies recipes that I have followed use a lot of butter and sugar. It might seem that it is impossible to make delicious cookies without using these 2 ingredients. The best way to avoid these 2 ingredients is by finding suitable substitues. Butter can be substituted with nut butters, banana and sugar can be substituted with coconut sugar or honey. 

Recipe (makes around 8 cookies):

I made these cookies and instantly fell in love with them. Do keep in mind that there is a slight bitterness to Ragi, if you want to avoid that, you can use 50% ragi flour and 50% oat flour. I personally love the bitter taste, it is like a 80% chocolate. For this simple and delicious cookie, you will need:

Ragi flour - 3/4 cup

1 ripe mashed banana

2 tbsp tahini (I used dark tahini, you can use normal as well)

2 tbsp chunky peanut butter

2 tbsp honey

Method:

Mix all the ingredients and heat in the microwave for 1 minutes - this will make it easier to combine. Mix well to incorporate all flavours well. Make into 8 tiny balls and press down to make the cookies. Preheat an oven to 180 degrees. Bake the cookies for 30 minutes. Turn the baking tray in the middle to cook evenly. Enjoy with a glass of milk or as a side to your oatmeal!