Healthy Cookies

Just out of the oven

Last weekend My friend K (from Cooking and Schoolwork was in town from Toronto and we decided to cook and bake a couple of things). I love this recipe from Quinoa 365. We did make a few substitutions that make it slightly less healthy and more delicious. Thanks to K, this cookies actually look like small regular sized cookies. She has a lot of baking experience, and explained that the reason I usually end up with one giant cookie, is because I put way too many on a baking sheet at once. She also recommends using a silicone baking sheet instead of parchment paper (cheaper and better for the environment). I will have to look into getting one.

Ingredients
2/3 cups water
1/3 quinoa
1 cup butter, softened
1  1/3 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1  1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour
1  1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1  1/4 quick cooking rolled oats
1 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup flax (ground or whole seeds)
1/3 sesame seeds

I didn't have any sunflower seeds, flax or sesame seeds on hand, so I used chocolate and caramel chips.. yes I know, I know.. but what can I say, I am a chocoholic with a major sweet tooth.

Bring the water and quinoa to a boil in a small saucepan.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 10 min. Turn the heat off and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for 6 min. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool.  (We made extra quinoa to have enough for a Quinoa Salad).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter with the brown sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl.  Add the oats, cooked quinoa, coconut, sunflower seeds, flax and sesame seeds to the flour mixture and stir until well mixed.  Combine with the butter mixture.

Roll the dough in 1 1/2" balls.  Place 2" apart on a baking sheet. Flatten each cookie slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake on centre rack for 8-10 min. until bottoms are light brown.  Allow cookies to completely cool on the baking sheet.

K snapped a photo of me taking the cookies out of the oven.. as you can see I didn't dress up for the occasion

Sporting my favourite sweat pants