A girlfriend of mine lives a gluten-free diet. One of her little girls is also gluten-free and her other little girl is egg-free. Every time I visit, I try to bring a little something. These special diets are a relatively recent development, so it was a little challenging for a baker like me to come up with something without gluten and egg. Then, I remembered a little gem sitting on my shelf, Bob’s Red Mill Everyday Gluten-Free Cookbook: 281 Delicious Whole-Grain Recipes. I thumbed through and finally landed on something I thought would be tasty, quick, and fun! Behold, chocolate chocolate chip gluten-free quinoa cookies.
The quinoa is held together with sunflower seed butter, honey, and coconut oil. All yummy ingredients! Did I mention that they are also no bake? Comes in handy during these sweltering months :) Now, I know you must be wondering what they taste like. Well, they are nothing like the cookie crumb you’ve come to expect. To me, the texture is reminiscent of rice pudding, if rice pudding were turned into a thick and chewy mound. These are also chock full of chocolate flavor, are partial to what you’d expect from energy bites, and melt in your mouth almost immediately. They are “baked” in the refrigerator until they’re set and then eaten cold. For those who enjoy cold pizza and cold cookies, here ya go!
For you skeptics out there, I dare you to give these a try :)
Begin by rinsing and cooking quinoa according to package instructions. Set aside to cool.
Heat cocoa powder, honey, and coconut oil over medium heat and stir until combined and smooth. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Off the heat and add sea salt, sunflower seed butter, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
Pour over the quinoa and mix until incorporated.
Drop scoops of the “dough” onto a silicon mat or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. They can be left as is, or you can shape them however you like. I preferred a traditional cookie shape, so I just slightly pat each mound down. Then, add chocolate chips or any toppings you’d like (e.g. nuts, m&m’s, etc.).
Refrigerate for 2-3 hours to allow to set.
Store in an airtight container, separating each layer with parchment paper.
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Gluten-Free Quinoa Cookies
Yields about 24 cookies
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Ingredients
1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil, slightly warmed to liquefy
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups quinoa, cooked, drained, and cooled.*
Toppings (optional) (chocolate chips, nuts, m&m’s, etc.)
Directions
- Heat the cocoa powder, honey, and coconut oil over medium heat and stir until combined and smooth. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 1 minute. Off the heat and add the sea salt, sunflower seed butter, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
- In a large bowl, pour the mixture over the cooked quinoa and mix until incorporated.
- Drop scoops of the “dough” onto a silicon mat or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Shape into desired shape (optional). Top with toppings (if any).
- Refrigerate for 2-3 hours until set.
Storage
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container, separating each layer with parchment paper.
Notes
*1 cup of uncooked quinoa will yield 3 cups of cooked quinoa. Follow the directions on the packaging or see below to see how I prepared my quinoa.
How I prepared the quinoa:
First rinse 1 cup of quinoa. Then, combine with 1 2/3 cups water in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and lower the heat to low. Cover and allow to simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Off the heat and let sit covered for 9 minutes.
Adapted and modified from Bob’s Red Mill Everyday Gluten-Free Cookbook: 281 Delicious Whole-Grain Recipes
surprisingly delicious! i crave them all the time!
Make a batch! :D
Can you substitute almond butter for the sunflower seed butter??
Hi Michelle! Thank you for the comment. Absolutely, almond butter can be used in place of sunflower seed butter :)
These look great but where can I find the measurements of the ingredients?
Thanks!
Hi Karen! Thank you for the comment. Are you using an iPad? It seems the recipes don’t show up on iPads, but does show up on all other devices. I will send you a PDF copy of the recipe shortly. Thank you for reading!
Thank you! Yes an iPad. I was wondering and reread the posting a few times looking for the measurements lol. I received the email. Thank you! Looking forward to trying these!
I am using an iPad also and the measurements are not showing up…. They look delish!
Hi Karen, thank you for your comment! I’ve updated the post and you should now be able to view the recipe on your iPad. Additionally, if you click on the “Printer friendly version” link within the recipe, you’ll be directed to a PDF version of the recipe. Please let me know if you run into any other glitches. Happy “baking!”