Quinoa Cookies

Butter, brown sugar, and Quinoa .... huh? Yup. I've been on a healthy kick lately. OK, a "healthier" kick. Sheena and I were in the kitchen this week trying to come up with a "Healthy" cookie and I think we got something worth talking about.

Now I wouldn't consider these dessert cookies. If I had to compare these to something I would say they are more like a super squishy scone. The dark chocolate berries are obviously amazing and really not healthy, so of course I recommend leaving them in ... although you could sub for some dried cranberries and nuts. The rest of the cookie isn't very sweet and you can definitely taste the quinoa. If you leave out the chocolate berries it would make for a great breakfast snack. I tested these cookies out on four of my friends last night and every single one of them said they were amazing. Now I will admit that everyone came over to spray tan (yeah we live in 100 degree so Cal but we were were having a spray tan party) so everyone was absolutely starving. No one had eaten all day for fear of being judged in their bikini. So of course we all spray tanned then went on to consume 3-4 cookies each. But hey, these are quinoa cookies! You can totally eat the whole batch : ) And I did. Wow, I look so much better with a tan.
 

Quinoa Cookies

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or King Arthur white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar (or 1/4 cup Agave syrup)
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup raw quinoa, (cook before using in recipe)
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 (Heaping) cup Brookside dark chocolate Acai Blueberries (optional)
1/4 (Heaping) cup Brookside dark chocolate covered Pomegranate Berries (optional)

Directions
1. Cook 1 cup of quinoa in a pan (according to directions on bag: 1 cup + 2 cups of water). Let cool. Set aside. 

2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Use a silpat or line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Whisk flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl. In another bowl use an electric mixer to beat butter, sugars, vanilla, and honey until light and fluffy; about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and beat for 2 more minutes. Stir in flour mixture, all of the cooked quinoa and oats.

4. Stir in your chocolate berries. Spoon dough in 2-tablespoon balls onto prepared sheets about 1 inch apart. These don't expand much when they cook. 

5. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes. These look like crunchy cookies but they are actually very moist from the quinoa so they are best when refrigerated.