Perfectly soft and chewy chocolate cookies with tart dried cherries. Double Chocolate cherry quinoa cookies marry tart cherries, rich indulgent dark chocolate, creamy almond butter, and quinoa which crisps the outer edge of the cookie but creates a plush, fudgy middle.
When I'm craving something sweet it is most frequently a “cakey” treat, a cookie, muffin, brownie or cake. Something I can really sink my teeth into. I will eat my little squares of dark chocolate most nights or a small handful of sea salt dark chocolate almonds (damn you Trader Joe's!) but when I really really want a treat, I want a baked good.
I was on a souffle kick for awhile, and since I tested my beet souffle recipe about a half dozen times I got my fix. Over and over and over again.
With spring around the corner (please say it's coming soon) I am craving cookies. All. The. Cookies. I am in love with these double chocolate cherry quinoa cookies. They are super simple to make, you only need a good blender or food processor and one bowl, and the taste is amazing!
This is a treat you can truly feel good about, only a handful of wholesome real food ingredients, blended together to create a crave-able cookie.
The whole truth about this recipe is that it was born out of necessity. I needed a cookie and I didn't have any kind of flour in my cupboards, I did have a bowl of leftover quinoa in the fridge and I thought, why not?
It works! It totally works, and honestly, it is the best use of leftover quinoa I've ever seen 🙂
In a food processor toss in dates, almond butter, raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder will work too), a bit of maple syrup, and enough almond milk to create a cookie dough consistency, blend until super creamy. Then stir together with leftover cooked quinoa (I used red quinoa in this recipe, it's what I had on hand) stir in chocolate chips and tart dried cherries. Bake until chocolate is melted and the quinoa has become a bit crispy on the exterior. ZOMG!
My family was over last night for a quick dinner and guess what I made? A red quinoa salad, so guess what's reserved for today?? Yup, just enough plain red quinoa to make another batch of these cookies. I can't get enough and that's ok I'll just keep eating them. At some point, I may need to send for help. For now, bring on the double chocolate cherry quinoa cookies, please!
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Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cherry Quinoa Cookies (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 10 medjol dates pitted and chopped
- 1/2 cup raw almond butter
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Add dates, almond butter, cocoa powder, almond milk, and maple syrup to food processor pulse until well combined and creamy.
- In a medium bowl, using a spatula, combine quinoa and contents of food processor. Mix well.
- Add dried cherries and chocolate chips stir until all combined
- Place tbsp size balls of batter onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes
- I like them best still a bit warm from the oven.
