Chewy Dark Chocolate Quinoa Flake Cookies

I’m often asked why my house frequently smells like freshly-baked cookies. The answer is simple—I always have homemade cookie dough in my freezer so I can quickly bake up sweet treats when cravings hit. Not only do freshly-baked cookies always taste (and smell!) the best, cookie dough stores beautifully in the freezer for several months. My friends and family have become so fond of my frozen cookie dough, they now ask for it as gifts! So, each year I try to come up with something new to surprise them.  

This year, Becel has come up with a great base recipe that lends itself well to limitless interpretations. I plan to use it as the foundation for my holiday baking and cookie dough gifting this year. Becel’s Anything Goes Cookie Dough recipe is super quick to prepare and you can add in whatever goodies suit your fancy—Skor toffee bits, coconut, ginger, butterscotch Chipits, chopped dried fruit...the sky’s the limit!

Soft, non-hydrogenated Becel Buttery Taste is terrific to bake with because it tastes great and it has 80% less saturated fat than butter (it contains zero trans-fat!) Right out of the fridge, it’s really easy to cream together with sugar, making dough preparation simple and fast (no need to bring it to room temperature like butter). Kids could easily mix this recipe by hand! I was also happy to learn that because it’s made from a blend of plant oils, Becel Buttery Taste qualifies as one of the ‘good fats.’

I decided that as an antidote to some of the overly sweet holiday cookies out there, I would create a recipe that was tasty AND healthy. Dark chocolate is always a favourite, and quinoa flakes enhance the texture, flavour, and nutritional value of these cookies. One of the things I love best about this recipe is that it relies primarily on brown sugar for sweetening, making for a soft, chewy cookie—just the way my family likes them.

This cookie dough stores well, so you can prepare it ahead and save for later.

  For short term storage: Shape the dough into one-inch balls and freeze them on a cookie sheet before transferring to an airtight container. Remove them from the freezer while your oven pre-heats and you’ll have fresh, warm cookies in just minutes.

  For long-term storage: Shape the dough into cylinders, about 1-1/2 inches in diameter and 8-inches long, and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Store in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to three months. When you are ready to bake them, slice the frozen cylinder into quarter-inch rounds and they’re ready to bake.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Becel Buttery Taste margarine (Becel Gold in Quebec)
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 large Naturegg Omega 3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup quinoa flakes
1 cup HERSHEY’S CHIPITS Dark Chocolate Chips

  Pre-heat oven to 375°F.

  Combine flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.

  Beat Becel Buttery Taste margarine, brown sugar, and white sugar in large bowl.

  Beat in eggs and vanilla until blended.

  Gradually add in flour mixture and mix until blended.

  Add the quinoa flakes and chocolate chips. Mix until evenly distributed.

  Use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to drop (by tablespoonfuls) onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Place them 2-inches apart.

  Bake for 7-minutes or until edges are golden.

  Place cookie sheets on a wire rack and cool for 2-minutes. After the 2-minutes have passed, remove cookies from sheets, place directly on wire racks, and cool completely.

  Tip: Cranberries would be a terrific addition to this recipe, particularly if you want to make an extra festive version. Simply add 1/2 cup of chopped dried cranberries to the recipe when the chocolate chips and quinoa flakes are added.

Makes approximately 5 dozen delectable, healthy cookies

Enjoy!