Healthy Double Chocolate Chip Ragi Cookies.The name is almost a conundrum right?
It should instead be nutritious Double Chocolate Chip Ragi Cookies.
Why do I say its Nutritious?Because it has
-Ragi(Finger Millet) and Whole Wheat flour* instead of Refined Flour(Maida)
-Jaggery Instead of Refined Sugar
Added Bonus-These are Eggfree and take 15 minutes to put together including the time taken for baking.
Read more about millets and how they compare with wheat and rice on my how to introduce Millets in our diets.
What is Ragi / Finger Millet?
Ragi is a millet which has been touted as the super grain of india when infant its a very ancient grain which has been cultivated from centuries.It is quite a staple in the southern part of India.Its used extensively in Karnataka in making dosas, flatbreads and Muddes(ragi balls) along with sambhar and chuteny. It has a lot of local names in India- Its called Nachani or Mandua in the North India,Kezhvaragu in Tamil Nadu.
It is a very small brown grain and because its too small to be polished or processed its usually consumed in its most natural form.It's one of the first foods given to babies in the southern regions of India because of its high nutritious value.It's an excellent source of natural Iron and Calcium and because of its low glycemic index it also controls diabetes.It's known as Nachni or Finger millet in other parts of India.
Finger Millet is a difficult grain to bake with but the health benefits are such that you want to incorporate this grain in your daily diet.Usually baking with Ragi results in a very sandy texture which crumbles the minute you bite into it(in a bad way).The taste is also not very palatable.Read more about millets and how they compare with wheat and rice on my how to introduce Millets in our diets.
But these cookies are not the second rated option you have to adopt in the name of health.These are as delicious as they are healthy.
Crunchy on the outside and soft inside.Perfect for those lazy chais in the balcony and more importantly for your Childs tiffin boxMy child doesn't go to school yet but if and when he did I am sure these along with these Healthy Cheese Muffins & Healthy Chocolate Bliss Balls will be in my everyday snack tiffin.
What can be used as an alternative to Jaggery to make these Healthy Millet Cookies?
You can use jaggery, palm sugar or coconut sugar.The jaggery acts as a binding agent for these cookies so its important you don't substitute it with refined sugar.Using coconut sugar gives it a dark decadent taste which enhances the chocolate in the cookie and if you can get your hands on it then its a better option.
To make these Healthy Double Chocolate Chip Ragi Cookies
You need to use fresh ragi flour for this.As Ragi is unprocessed, the shelf life of the flour is very less, less than a month, hence its imperative that your flour is fresh.
The other important point of make or break is in the dough.It should be pliable and sticky enough to make soft balls.If your dough isn't coming together but instead is very crumbly then either the butter-jaggery mix was too hot when you mixed it in or it just needs a little bit more milk.
Only difficulty while making these cookies are ,that they burn easily so you should be on a lookout for them from the 8th minute in the oven.
Alternatives and Variants to this Finger Millet Cookie
You can make these cookies even more nutrient rich by adding almonds and walnuts to it.Soft dried fruits like dates, cranberries and raisins will also work very well in this recipe.
How and where to buy Ragi/Finger Millet
All of your organic shops and local kinara shops should have these.You can also order the from Bigbasket and amazon.I usually order Urban Platter Toasted Ragi Flour
and 24 Mantra Organic Ragi Flour
from amazon once every month.If you are based out of Bangalore Healthy Buddha Organics is also a great option for organic produce.
Before you dive into this recipe- I have bookmarked some more healthy, easy to make kid friendly recipes which are high on nutrient and loved by all kids- Healthy Cheese Muffins | Healthy Chocolate Bliss Balls | Healthy Oats and Raisin Cookies | Healthy Banana Raisin Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Ragi Flour/Finger Millet Flour
- ¼ cup Wheat Flour
- 1 tablespoon Corn Flour
- 1 tablespoon Cocoa Powder
- ½ Cup Palm Sugar/Jaggery/Coconut Sugar
- ½ Cup Butter
- 2 tablespoon Milk
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven to 180 degrees.
- In a saucepan ,heat the Jaggery and Butter together till its all liquid and all the jaggery lumps have dissolved.Add the Milk too.IMPORTANT-Do not Boil & Let this mixture cool down.
- In another bowl Mix together-Ragi flour,wheat flour, corn flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon Powder and Baking Powder.
- Slowly add the butter jaggery mix into the flour mix.Use a spatula to make a soft dough.
- Last add the chocolate chips.
- Make small balls and place on the cookie sheet/tray lined with parchment paper.Lightly press the cookie down.
- Bake in the preheater oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes till you see cracks on the cookie.
Notes
If you don't have parchment or baking paper lightly butter the tray you are using for baking.
These cookies don't spread or rise much so the shape you put on the sheet while baking will remain.
These cookies will Harden once out of the oven.
Read more about millets and how they compare with wheat and rice on my how to introduce Millets in our diets.
For more everyday Millet recipe inspirations- follow my millet board on PINTREST
Spoorthy says
I made the cookies yesterday and they came out amazing! I’ve been sitting on a jar of Ragi flour for weeks now. I usually make Ragi java but that is of no interest to my 3 year old or my husband. However, they just gulped down these cookies. Right amount of sweetness and perfect with my coffee… I do admit that I was super careful not to boil the butter jaggery mix at the same time making sure the jaggery melts all the way through. I’ll use a heavy bottomed sauce pan next time, will make it easier as my jaggery was boiling even on low flame. I’ll be making another batch for the weekend ?
foodcow says
Thankyou Spoorthy for the incredible review!
I am so happy that both Myra and Mayank liked this.I made myself a batch of this today too..:D
Pallavee says
These cookies are amazing! After tasting these, my mum was surprised to know that these are ragi cookies and do not use flour! It will be difficult to keep my hands off these and leave some for my son! I added pieces of a chocolate bar rather than chips and I guess they made the cookies chocolatey and fudgy, just the way I like them. And they are really easy to put together, took me only 15 min - which is an added bonus! Looks like these are going to be a regular feature in our kitchen going forward. Thanks for this recipe, Chhavi.
Pallavee says
These cookies are amazing - chocolatey and fudgy, just the way cookies should be! In fact, after tasting these cookies, my mum was surprised to know that these are Ragi cookies and do not use any flour / refined sugar. I’m completely floored by the taste and the ease of making these cookies - it took me a total of 15 min to put them together and 10 min of baking time. Considering that my son is know fully aware of the lure of chocolates and cookies, I know that these are going to become a regular feature in my kitchen. Thanks for sharing this recipe Chhavi, it’s a keeper!
foodcow says
Hey hey!!Thankyou so much for a great review!
I am so so so happy Avi loves them!
Saloni Bansal says
How can I make these cookies without oven?
foodcow says
Hey Saloni..I haven't really tried making anything without an oven..
Faseeha Yaseen says
Can u pls mention ingrdients in grams
chhavi says
Hey Faseeha..Will do that..
Zee says
Hi... if I am using coconut sugar I still need to heat the butter and sugar together?
chhavi says
Yes you should, to maintain the liquid ratio.
Kenessa Pereira says
I tried this recipe and it turned out to be simply amazing. Tried it exactly as mentioned in the recipe and the cookies have turned out perfect and delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe.
chhavi says
Thankyou so much!
Anu says
Hi, I made this double chocolate ragi cookies today, and mine look and taste a bit different from your description and reviews. Could you please help me troubleshoot? I did make the recipe exactly according to the instructions. The cookies did not crack at the top at the end of 10 mins, 'looked' more moist, as did the batter. I baked it an extra 5 mins. The cookies were done well, though the cracks didn't come. Also, they were slightly bitter. My ragi flour has been on my shelf for a few months, but still has a year until expiry date. What could have caused the bitterness?
chhavi says
Hey Anu,
Ragi becomes rancid very fast. It's better to use Ragi flour not older than a couple of months.
Also, while baking the temperature of ovens can vary so if you feel the cookies are underdone, just bake it more.
chhavi says
This could be due to 3 reasons
1- Ragi flour turns rancid within 2-3 months.So dont go by the expiry date.The bitterness mostly is from the flour.
2- Looks like your baking powder was old.
3- Did you preheat the oven? Sometimes home ovens temperatures can be way off too.Do check that..
Chetna Bhansali says
Recipie for Raagi cookies seems to be tooo yummy and I am going to try out. My only question to is , can I replace wheat flour for almond meal or flour and sugar and jaggery with soaked and crushed black currants ,soaked and crushed dry figs or soaked and crushed dry apricots.?? Please reply, so that I can make it soon. Thankyou for sharing this recipe
chhavi says
Hi Chetna,
This would change the texture and integrity far too much.
I cant say whether it will work.
Whole wheat flour adds gluten in this recipe because ragi doesnt have any of its own.
Soaked/pureed sugar substitute will change the moisture/liquid content and will probably need a whole recipe overhaul.
Hope this helps..