I’ve already said my piece about healthwashing cookies. I think cookies should be cookies, no matter how “healthy” they may be.
That being said, I’ve wanted to make these Peanut Butter Chocolate Quinoa Cookies ever since I saw them on Kids Eat Right. Grain-of-the-moment quinoa in cookies? For real?
Turns out, these are rather delicious. Will making them with my kids convince them to eat quinoa on their dinner plates? I don’t know, but it’s worth a shot.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Quinoa Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 cup old fashioned oats, I put the oats through my mini food processor to get a finer texture
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, or more to taste
Instructions
- Combine quinoa, peanut butter, and honey in large bowl.
- Mix in oats, flaxseed, and salt.
- Add chocolate chips and stir.
- Drop by tablespoons onto an ungreased baking sheet lined with parchment or a non-stick baking mat.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown.
- After you remove them from the oven, use the bottom of a glass to press down the tops of the cookies so they're flat.
Go here for more Kids Eat Right recipes and here for more recipes from dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner.
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Sweet and Savvy says
I have always wanted to bake cookies with real quinoa!! These look Amazing. 🙂 Definitely making these ASAP!
Sally says
Great, let me know how they turn out!
Lauren says
These look great! My husband and I are travelling soon, and I was looking for a recipe for a snack that is healthy, yummy & will keep us feeling full. As quinoa & PB are good sources of protein – these may be the answer. Thanks!
I also have a great ‘Healthy Cookie’ recipe that you might be interested in. They are really easy, healthy and you can freeze them!
http://theotherbigo.ca/2011/07/26/healthy-cookie-recipe/
Regan @ The Professional Palate says
Would you mind submitting these to Healthy Aperture? I think they’d be quite popular 😉
kris says
I tried these and they are delicious!!! Thanx for the recipe!!! The only thing is that I may have done something wrong…..they kind of fall apart, do you know why that may be? Im 100% new to baking, etc. =) Thank you again!
Sally says
Glad you liked them! You might want to try adding more peanut butter to the batter next time to get the right consistency. Let me know how it goes!
Shawn says
These are superb. I used 365 creamy almond butter (from Whole Foods) and Ghirardelli Chocolate 72% Cacao chips. Everyone really enjoyed them and I cannot think of a healthier “cookie.” Perhaps 1/8 cup honey, but that would be pushing it! Great holiday treat and kind of fun to make.
Sally says
Awesome! Glad they turned out for you. And I love the almond butter substitution.
J says
just made these, i halved the recipe and it made 12 cookies.
i used whole flax seeds and didnt put the oats through a food processor and added some coconut. they are pretty soft like another person previosly said i think next time i will squish and roll into balls before baking.
i have only made a few dishes with quinoa and i think this one is my favorite (probably thanks to the chocolate hehe).
thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe!
*currently eating them with some milk yumm*
Sally says
I’m so glad you liked them! Yes, chocolate definitely sweetens the deal for me when it comes to quinoa. 🙂 One thing: You may want to consider grinding your flaxseed first. It’s my understanding that you may not derive the nutrients from the whole flaxseed–that it may actually pass through undigested, so you wouldn’t reap the benefits of the healthy fats inside the seeds. Though perhaps you eat both whole and ground seeds and get the perks anyway. Just wanted to mention it. Thanks for reading my blog!
Riley says
I LOVE this recipe. The first time we got a little generous with the chocolate chips, which made them fall apart pretty easy – still delicious! The second time I mixed the quinoa fresh off the stove. This means the chocolate chips melt into the mix, giving it the look of no bake cookies. These were my favorite! Even my worst critics enjoyed them. Thanks so much!
Sally says
Riley–so glad you liked them and that they were a big hit! Great tip on adding the chocolate chips while the quinoa is still warm. No-bakes are one of my favorites so I’m sure I’d love that.
Wendy says
Just cooked them but due to nut allergies had to substitute the peanut butter.. used coconut oil instead. They are amazing cookies and the kids LOVED them (hubby too!). Thanks for the great healthy cookie recipe!
Sally says
Wendy–so glad you liked them and were able to find a good substitute for the peanut butter!
Amanda says
My kids helped me make them… the whole time saying “ew quinoa… ew flax seed..” After trying them they “love” them. It could be the chocolate chips! lol Definatley doing them again! I’m happy to read that they fell apart for other people too… it wasn’t just me! More PB next time!
Lauren says
These did not turn out well for me at all:( Granted I was trying to whip them up pretty quickly before a get-together so I’d have something to bring, but the chocolate chips melted due to the quinoa being hot when I mixed it in (so they look like brown lumpy you-know-whats), and they’re all falling apart. I even added extra peanut butter to try and glue the batter together. Guess I’ll be going to the get-together empty-handed. Serves me right for waiting til the last minute!
michelle says
Hi There – I have been trying to make these without the peanut butter and the flaxseed and im not having any luck. They are falling apart 🙁
My son has a high nut allergy and i dont like flaxseed. I swapped the peanut butter with regular butter, after my research showed to swap 1 for 1.
Any suggestions?
i should add that coconut and coconut oil, etc are also out of the question, due to allergies.
Thanks for your suggestions!
Sally says
So sorry to hear you’re both having trouble with them falling apart. You definitely have to adjust ingredients in the batter stage to get just the right consistency–the peanut butter does act as the “glue” in this recipe, so I’m not surprised to hear that butter didn’t work, Michelle. It doesn’t have that same sticky quality. Would any nut or seed butters work–such as soy nut butter or sunflower seed butter, or are they all out? Another option: I read a blog recently (can’t remember which, or I’d link to it) where her quinoa cookies were falling apart so she just went with it–baked it as crumbles and served it in a bowl with milk! I thought that sounded pretty yummy. Now that wouldn’t really work for a party, Lauren, but would be good at home!
Rita says
My husband follow the recipe except he put quick oatmeal and he used them the way they are. He also used mini chocolate chips. The cookie did come out soft but really good tasting more like a non baked cookie! But because we wanted to put them in a container for lunch he put them on a cookie sheets put them back in an oven at 300 degree for 15 minutes they came out a golden brown and dryer little more chew, very good nutty taste I loved them I just hope that I have control not eating all of them at once! LOL
Michelle says
Thanks Sally!!
The second time, i tried to cook them in a mini muffin pan… and since it all crumbled, i dumped it all in a bowl and called it “Dessert Quinoa.”
My whole family loved it… specifically my 21 month old son 🙂
thanks for the recipe!
Sally says
Glad to hear it, Michelle! 🙂
Janet says
Heh…I made these last night…and missed the part about COOKED quinoa. Still, pretty tasty but fall apart like crazy. I’m making them again right now with the cooked quinoa.
Also, don’t have flax seeds, but replaced them with chia seeds. Seems to work nicely.
teri says
What did I do wrong? These look great and taste good but absolutely fell apart into crumbs while removing them from the cookie sheet. I was so stoked to have a truly good for me cookie. Now…granola. The only thing I didn’t follow exactly is the peanut butter. Used Peter Pan crunchy. Suggestions?
Sally says
Teri–so sorry to hear your cookies fell apart. You have to play around with the consistency a bit as you’re mixing the dough. Be sure your dough doesn’t seem dry. If it does, add some more peanut butter (and perhaps the Peter Pan crunchy had something to do with it, I always use natural). Don’t overbake them–watch them and be sure they’re not getting overly brown. Then you have to very carefully remove them from the sheet or they will crumble a bit. If you try again, I hope you have better luck! Even as granola, though, they are good! 🙂
Katy says
I can’t wait to make these!
I feel like the ground flax might be structurally important–I mean since so many vegan bakers use it as an egg replacer. Maybe upping the ground flax might make them sturdier?
Anyway, I’m making them! I am so glad I came across this site. Thanks to Subtracting Additives!
Sally says
Katy–let me know how they turn out! Glad you found my site too. 🙂
Annette says
I have had these bookmarked for a long time and FINALLY had 1) enough quinoa leftover and 2) had made the quinoa with water instead of broth. I really enjoyed them, and so did my husband and two-year-old. I see them as a good mid-day snack or even a breakfast for those “it’s going to be a chocolate kind of day” days 😉 Thanks for sharing!
Sally says
Thanks great to hear!
Amy says
These are fantastic! I added a dash of vanilla and cinnamon. Perfect. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Sally says
Amy–those sound like great additions. Glad you liked them!