Cinnamon flavored finger millet cookies/ Ragi cinnamon cookies

Hey, we are on last day of November! Looking for some healthy Christmas indulgence? Here is a recipe to make healthy chemical free flavorful cookies! It has many nos, no refined flour, no refined sugar, no eggs, no baking powder and definitely no guilt in eating and feeding your family!

I have tried some of the cookies so far, few came out nice, few were not up to the mark. I am very happy with the result of this one and hence sharing the recipe. This is my first cookie recipe on blog too!  

I always wanted to make cookies at home after learning from a genuine source that many of the store bought biscuits/ cookies are completely made with artificial ingredients (there is no milk, no butter)! Kids crave for them all the time makes us more guilt. So I am happy this time as my two kids liked these cookies! I will be making them regularly.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Baking time: 18 minutes

Serves: 18-20 cookies

Ingredients:

Finger millet flour/ Ragi hasi hittu – 1 cup

Whole wheat flour – ½ cup

Jaggery powder – ¾ cup

Salt – ¼ tsp

Baking soda – ½ tsp or little less

Cinnamon fine powder – ¼ tsp

Unsalted butter/ Ghee (clarified butter) – 3 tbsp

Fresh curds – 2 tbsp

Milk – 2 tbsp

Vanilla powder – ¼ tsp (optional)

Method:

• Initially take all the dry ingredients in a wide mixing bowl starting from millet (Ragi) flour. Add wheat flour mix once. Add salt, baking soda and cinnamon powder.
• Add jaggery powder too. Combine everything well. Add ghee/ butter. Mix well with fingers until you get crumbles.
• Now slowly add fresh curds and mix. Add milk little by little and knead really well. The dough should be softer than chapathi dough and bit stickier dough is fine.
• Apply little ghee or oil or dust with the flour to the palms while kneading if it becomes very sticky. If dough looks very dry, then sprinkle little more milk. Or if it is too wet and sticky so that you are finding it difficult to knead then add little flour.
• It will need good amount of liquid than regular maida as ragi absorbs more fluid.
• When dough is ready, keep aside covered for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, grease the baking tray with little ghee. Preheat the oven for 180 degrees.
• Make small balls of the dough and make the discs of desired shape. Do not make too thin in order to retain the shape after baking.
• Place the cookies on greased tray, leaving small gap in between each cookie. Bake in batches if you cannot finish off all the dough once (As I use convection microwave, I can make only 10 cookies at a time). Bake for 16-18 minutes. It took 17 minutes to me.
• Check after 15 minutes to avoid burning. It is done when color turns brown and outer layer of cookie becomes brittle. It will be bit softer inside when hot. On cooling cookies turn crisp.
• Allow cooling completely and serve with tea or milk. Store them in airtight container.

Note:

• You can optionally add chopped nuts or choco chips in the dough.
• If you are baking the cookies in 2 batches, then keep remaining dough for the 2nd batch covered or refrigerated till first set of baking is done.
• Addition of coconut flour makes nice coconut cookies.
• Adjust the sweetness by increasing/ decreasing jaggery measurement.
• Baking time may vary depending on the oven.
• Adjust the quantity of liquid and flour a bit if it becomes too sticky or too dry. Addition of milk to the dough should be made with care. 
• Note that, I have made all the mixing and kneading process with my fingers and not any mixer!