Quinoa Tahini Cookies

"These cookies resemble oatmeal cookies, but they are crispier and have a unique taste. They don't contain any wheat, gluten, common headache triggers, milk or eggs. They're a nice treat for someone on a restrictive diet like mine, but I think they'll appeal to others too. (It didn't take long for my husband to ask for a second one, and he can eat anything.) I've only made this recipe at high altitude (5200 feet), so you'll have to test my low altitude suggestions."
 
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photo by limeandspoontt photo by limeandspoontt
photo by limeandspoontt
photo by limeandspoontt photo by limeandspoontt
photo by limeandspoontt photo by limeandspoontt
photo by Lalaloula photo by Lalaloula
photo by Lalaloula photo by Lalaloula
Ready In:
50mins
Ingredients:
9
Yields:
30-36 cookies
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ingredients

  • 12 cup honey
  • 13 cup brown sugar
  • 12 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine
  • 12 cup tahini (or peanut butter, if your diet allows)
  • 1 14 cups rice flour (reduce to 1 cup if not high altitude)
  • 78 cup quinoa (like delicate oatmeal, reduce to 3/4 C if not high altitude)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 14 teaspoon salt
  • 12 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
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directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Combine first four ingredients; mix until creamy.
  • Add remaining ingredients. Mix well.
  • Spoon rounded teaspoonfuls of batter onto cookie sheets.
  • Bake for 10 - 14 minutes, or until they start to turn golden brown.

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Reviews

  1. My husband and our girls made 2 versions of this cookie for our Father's Day barbecue yesterday-this recipe (not high altitude version), and Recipe #264423 from this site which is the same recipe with the addition of cocoa and chocolate chips. Because our girls are GF/CF and we try to avoid hydrogenated/partially hydrogenated fats, we used an all-natural PB and substituted coconut oil for the margarine. We made this version first and though it tasted very good, it was crumbly and difficult to work with when making the cookies, and when the cookies baked, they did not spread at all, rather they remained dense little cookie balls. Not exactly bad, just not the ideal texture IMO. Accordingly, for the second batch, we added 2 eggs and it made a HUGE difference in the ease of making the cookies and in the appearance and texture of the finished cookie (moist, chewy, etc.) Both versions of the cookie were a big hit with everyone at the barbecue, and a few asked for the recipe despite not being on restrictive diets themselves. The chocolaty version was like a chewy choc. chip cookie with a hint of nuttiness. The non-choc version had a great rich peanut buttery flavor. Everyone preferred the texture with the eggs added and unless you cannot have eggs, I would strongly recommend adding 2 eggs to the recipe. Also, I reiterate that you need to use quinoa FLAKES for this cookie rather than whole-grain quinoa. A great recipe that I know we will enjoy over and over again experimenting with different nut/seed butters and additions like choc. chips, nuts, and dried fruits. Thanks!
     
  2. These were great! I admit, I changed a few things because of what I had in the house, but the recipe is right on. What I did different: I used whole grain spelt flour instead of rice flour(no gluten problems here), sunflower seed butter instead of tahini (we do have other allergies) I nearly doubled the vanilla, used olive oil instead of butter and didn't use honey, just 1/2 cup UNpacked brown sugar, and I think I could do less next time. Also, I ran out quinoa (sad) so I made up for what was missing with oatmeal - I'll try again when I buy more quinoa. Still, these were excellent! I loved them, the kids loved and DH told me he was disappointed when he saw them (another of my healthy "treats"), but quickly changed his mind when he tasted them - thinks they're one of the best cookies ever! So thanks for a great recipe! Can't wait to try it again.
     
  3. These cookies are AMAZING!!!! They are sooo yummy with a perfect crunchy soft texture. Mmm, addictive! :)<br/>The quinoa gives them such a crunchy twist and yummy nutty flavour. What a cool idea to add that to a cookie recipe! I used black quinoa and cooked one third of it before adding it to the dough. I really liked having only a few crunchy quinoa pieces from the raw quinoa. I think quinoa flakes would also be nice, but I really enjoyed this version a lot, so I doubt Im going to try another one.<br/>I reduced both sugar and honey by half and still the cookies are very sweet for my taste, but that might also be due to using a sweetened cashew butter in place of the tahini.<br/>My cookies needed 18 minutes baking time and spread a lot. I had no trouble with the dough being crumbly, it was more like muffin batter in fact.<br/>THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing this amazing recipe wit us, Headache helper! Ill make it often again for sure trying different add ins, nut butters and quinoas.<br/>Made and reviewed for the Loving from the oven event in the photo forum June 2011.
     
  4. I'm surprised I haven't rated this before now. These are very very good! Forst two times I made them with the rice flour as directed. This time I made them with oat flour, as that's all I had on hand. I was also about 2 tbsp. short of honey so I subed that bit with organic molasses. I used whole quinoa seed which I rinsed and toasted in a pan. All in all a terrific healthy gluten free cookie!
     
  5. These were scrumpdilicious, wholesome goodness! Our fam does not have gluten allergies, but wish to wean away from the refined sugars & flours. And I love tahini and quinoa, so I thought, why not? I made a couple of subs, for either taste preference or supplies on hand. Sub'd 1/3 c sugar in the raw for the brown, and added 1 t. bs molasses. Sub'd 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat flour for the rice flour. Left out the vanilla as I didn't have any, but no matter--they were delicious! I also rolled them into a ball and criss-crossed them like PB cookies. Cooked the first batch for 13 minutes, increased to 15-16 for the subsequent batches as they weren't as toasty/crispy as we like them @ 13 mins. I didn't use the high altitude options. Thanks Headache Helper! They will be traditional cookies at our house in no time!
     
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Tweaks

  1. I adapted this recipe for what I had on hand into something completely different. I used agave nectar instead of honey and sugar, PB instead of tahini, oil instead of margarine, and oats instead of quinoa. The cookies were very crumbly but much more moist than most GF cookies I've made, and I look forward to trying the quinoa version sometime!
     
  2. These were great! I admit, I changed a few things because of what I had in the house, but the recipe is right on. What I did different: I used whole grain spelt flour instead of rice flour(no gluten problems here), sunflower seed butter instead of tahini (we do have other allergies) I nearly doubled the vanilla, used olive oil instead of butter and didn't use honey, just 1/2 cup UNpacked brown sugar, and I think I could do less next time. Also, I ran out quinoa (sad) so I made up for what was missing with oatmeal - I'll try again when I buy more quinoa. Still, these were excellent! I loved them, the kids loved and DH told me he was disappointed when he saw them (another of my healthy "treats"), but quickly changed his mind when he tasted them - thinks they're one of the best cookies ever! So thanks for a great recipe! Can't wait to try it again.
     
  3. My husband and our girls made 2 versions of this cookie for our Father's Day barbecue yesterday-this recipe (not high altitude version), and Recipe #264423 from this site which is the same recipe with the addition of cocoa and chocolate chips. Because our girls are GF/CF and we try to avoid hydrogenated/partially hydrogenated fats, we used an all-natural PB and substituted coconut oil for the margarine. We made this version first and though it tasted very good, it was crumbly and difficult to work with when making the cookies, and when the cookies baked, they did not spread at all, rather they remained dense little cookie balls. Not exactly bad, just not the ideal texture IMO. Accordingly, for the second batch, we added 2 eggs and it made a HUGE difference in the ease of making the cookies and in the appearance and texture of the finished cookie (moist, chewy, etc.) Both versions of the cookie were a big hit with everyone at the barbecue, and a few asked for the recipe despite not being on restrictive diets themselves. The chocolaty version was like a chewy choc. chip cookie with a hint of nuttiness. The non-choc version had a great rich peanut buttery flavor. Everyone preferred the texture with the eggs added and unless you cannot have eggs, I would strongly recommend adding 2 eggs to the recipe. Also, I reiterate that you need to use quinoa FLAKES for this cookie rather than whole-grain quinoa. A great recipe that I know we will enjoy over and over again experimenting with different nut/seed butters and additions like choc. chips, nuts, and dried fruits. Thanks!
     
  4. Wonderful cookie! The batter mixes up so fast and easy. I used the quinoa flakes, white flour (all I had on hand) and added 1/4-1/3 cup chopped pecans. Mine overcooked at 14 minutes using a dark cookie sheet and parchment paper but were still wonderful! Just made them again tonight using sesame seed butter instead of peanut butter. They are looser and more fragile with the sesame seed butter. I think I prefer the peanut butter better. Will continue to make again and again.
     
  5. I made a batch of these this morning. Oh my they are tasty little morsels. I used a teaspoon to measure each cookie and they came out the size of one of those vanilla waffers you buy in the box. I used peanut butter and used agave nectar instead of the honey. I used earth balance margarine instead of butter. I also used flaked Quinoa instead of the little round Quinoa only because I didn't have any of the grains on hand. I also used vanilla and put in about 1/2 cup chopped pecans. These hold together very well unlike regular peanut butter cookies that can be crumbly. I live up here on the mesa at 5,000 feet so I used all your high altitude suggestions. I'm very pleased and will give the tahini a try next time. You could probably add raisins or other dried fruits in these as well. Even chocolate pieces for something different. Thanks for this unusual cookie, I'll make this again.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Growing up, I baked desserts, but I never cooked real meals. In college, I lived in a basement for two years, cooking in a microwave and crock-pot. For the past several years, I've had frequent headaches and other annoying symptoms, so now, I'm trying to follow two restrictive diets, to see if they help. One is a headache elimination diet, and the other is gluten-free.
 
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