Quinoa Flour Spice Cookies

These Quinoa Flour Spice Cookies are gluten-free and packed with protein. They have a nutty flavor and make a wonderful tea biscuit. Sponsored by Mockmill.

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I love to bake and have a serious sweet tooth. But because I have no self-control, I try to limit my baking or give it away. Lately, I have been enjoying some healthier options, like baking with almond meal. Another flour alternative, whether you are allergic to gluten or want to add more protein to your diet, is to use quinoa flour.

Quinoa flour is finely ground quinoa. And quinoa is a seed and not a grain. I love adding fluffy quinoa to my meals, and I even made my husband a quinoa-convert. It is high in fiber, protein and gives you lots of energy. So why not add it to my baked goods?

Why this recipe is so awesome

Specialty flours aren’t cheap. So when Mockmill offered me their grain mill attachment to try out, I said yes. This flour grinder attachment fits beautifully on my KitchenAid mixer.

By grinding your own flour and get all of, you receive the nutritious whole-kernel goodness and natural flavor that is missing from most already-made flours. The Mockmill allows you to vary how fine you want your grain, from coarse to fine. And you can grind most any dry ingredients – even make your own quinoa flour.

I had red quinoa in the pantry, so I decided to mill and make red quinoa flour. White quinoa flour will produce a lighter color cookie.

Now quinoa flour can be used as a replacement for all-purpose flour. BUT, understand that quinoa flour has a distinct flavor. It is nuttier and can have a bitterness to it. But the flavor varies depending on prep and personal taste.

The cookies are also really easy to prepare. They are made solely with quinoa flour and have a very distinct flavor. If you aren’t too keen on the flavor of quinoa, but want to add more protein to your diet, then start with 50% all-purpose flour and 50% quinoa flour.

Ingredients you need

• Quinoa flour: You can use already ground quinoa flour or grind it yourselves. My video and directions below show you how to grind your own quinoa flour.
• Pantry staples: Granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, salt and vanilla extract
• Extra virgin olive oil: Again, I am a huge fan of baking with olive oil. You can choose a mild flavored oil or one with more peppery tones. Taste the oil first and if you like the flavor, use it!
• Egg: I use one large egg in this recipe. To make it vegan, you can substitute with a flax egg (1 tablespoon of flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons of water).

Step-by-step directions

1. Most quinoa that is in the market has the bitter saponin removed. But, not all of it is removed. By toasting the quinoa, you can remove the bitterness and produce a nuttier quinoa flour. I toasted my quinoa easily in a pan over medium heat. When you hear a little sizzle and smell a nutty aroma, you are done!

2. Using your mill, set the coarseness level to fine, poured in the cooled quinoa and flipped the switch. The machine will then grind your quinoa into flour. It is now ready to use.

3. In a bowl, whisk together quinoa flour, cinnamon, cloves and salt.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil and sugar until combined. Mix in egg and vanilla extract.

5. Add flour mixture to olive oil mixture and stir until combined and a ball is formed.

6. Transfer cookie dough to flat surface, covered with a silicone mat. Place another silicone mat over the dough, and roll flat to ½-cm thickness.

7. Cut cookies to desired shape. Using a small metal spatula, slide under the cut cookie, gently separate from the baking mat and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Repeat with the rest of the cookies and roll dough again to cut out all the cookies.

8. Bake at 375ºF until just barely golden, about 12 minutes. Let cookies sit on the pan for 3 minutes, then using a small spatula transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe tips and FAQs

These quinoa cookies remind me a bit of gingerbread cookies, with its nuttiness and touch of spice. If you use red quinoa, you will have a dark color, similar to dark gingerbread.

Again, to make these cookies vegan, you can substitute the egg with a flax. Mix together 1 tablespoon of flax seeds with 3 tablespoons of water.

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Disclosure: I was given a Mockmill grain mill to test out. I was not compensated in any other way for this post. There are affiliate links in this post. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t blog about it.