Millet and Rice Flour Sugar Cookies

Think back over all the recipes I have posted in the last several months. There are not many desserts, right? I think I have been really realistic about my own sugar addiction (and that of my family) and so I have tried to eliminate sugar, in addition to replacing refined sugar with rapadura, honey or pure maple syrup. Because let's face it. Rapadura might be head and shoulders above refined white sugar, but don't over exaggerate. It is still sugar.

But every now and then you just gotta have a cookie. But I have noticed an alarming trend in my diet: My wheat sensitivity might be getting stronger. I had whole wheat pasta last Monday night and I made homemade pizza Tuesday. Plus I had a half a sandwich each day for lunch(among other veggies, etc) By Wednesday I could not even look at wheat I felt so strung out. I threw out the bread of my office catering sandwich (big meetings last week). I made meat and veggies for dinner. But no grains left me feeling a little hungry. My energy levels are better when I mix some grains in with my protein and veg.

Last month when the issues with Thing 1 began, i thought for sure that his problems stemmed from a wheat intolerance. I never once thought about lactose. So I ran out and bought quinoa pasta, gluten free bread and millet flour and brown rice flour. But the doctor said not to eliminate wheat until we take a thorough look at his current diet and do the blood work up. So we never ate any of it. Now I find myself pulling all these gluten free items out for me, not Thing 1.

And Wednesday when I was pulling meat out of my sandwich to throw away my bread, I wanted to die for a cookie. But I didn't dare. So I looked up gluten free cookie recipes online so i could indulge myself when I got home. And I found this recipe. I added in some millet flour and my beloved vanilla and came up with the below And I gotta say, for a first attempt I think this was really really good. Certainly tasted good.

Rice and Millet Flour Sugar Cookies


1 1/4 cups brown rice flour
1/4 cup millet flour
1 stick (4 oz) of unsalted butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup rapadura
1 beaten egg
1/2 tsp of vanilla

Combined flours, soda, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Cut in butter in small pats. Work the butter into the dry mix like you would a pie crust. In a small cup beat the egg and vanilla together. Pour the egg in the butter flour mix and combine to form a ball.

Next either make the cookies and chill, or chill the dough first and then make the cookies. I did the former, made to cookies and then put the sheets of tin foil in the fridge for about 20 minutes before baking. Place the chilled cookies in a 350 degree over for 8-12 minutes. I baked mine a little longer. They spread nicely.

The cookies have a very nice flavor and a tender texture. But they weren't perfect, the quest will continue. Their flavor was nice and vanilla-y, just like I like. So I would give flavor an A. The texture was good, almost a little chewy. But very soft since they are gluten free. However either the millet flour or the rice flour itself tasted a little raw and crunchy. You know, like under done rice... Which killed it for me. So Even though they had a chewy-tender thing going on, I would have to give the texture a C+. Okay maybe a B-. I want you to try this. But maybe try them with 1 and a half cups of rice flour and just omit the millet. I was just trying to get fancy because I had already bought the millet flour, and I know that it is high in iron and other nutrients.

All in all I would say they were a success! I really loved having a wheat free treat. And the overall experience of baking them and eating them didn't lack in anyway just because they were wheat free. A fellow gluten sensitive friend at work was shocked when I told her I made them. She said she had never thought of baking with some flour other than wheat. So at least I spread the word today. We all have other options! And of course my dearies remember, wine has always been naturally gluten-free.