Egg-less Butter-less Beetroot Oats Cookies

Before i begin Today's post , i would like to thank all my readers for showering so much love on me by spending your quality time in reading my posts, liking them and giving valuable feedback by trying out my recipes. My recent post Mung Pesarattu registered more than 2200 hits and 100 + likes. And as i write this post the number keeps growing . A big thank you folks....you bring a smile on my face :)

It takes just few seconds to say this magical word "Thank you" but it has a long lasting impact on ones soul and mind. Often most of us take people around us for granted and forget to express our feelings and gratitude towards them. One such person who also needs pampering sometimes is a mother who works day and night for her kids and her family to keep them happy , who never regrets for the sacrifices she makes for them , who just knows to love her kids unconditionally and selflessly. So take out some time to make her feel special and to show her how much importance she has in our lives. No marks for guessing this right guys...my post today is a mother's day special post.

Though you do not require a special day to love your mother and show your gratitude towards her, for those who are very busy can at least spare one day for her and make her feel special. With this thought , Mother's day is celebrated every year on the second Sunday of May month. This year it falls  on 14th May. As a mother of a 9 year old , i can say that any mother does not require expensive gifts from her kids to be happy. Just spending quality time with her can make her smile. A simple card made by her kid , or a bouquet made from the flowers of a home garden is enough to make her feel special. And if you still have a doubt as to what to gift her , i have an easy bake option for you to try out for the occasion. You can make these beauties a day ahead and surprise your mommy with them over a cup of tea or milk early morning on Mother's day.

Let me tell you these cookies have all the healthy ingredients on the earth. They have oats as a base so they are flour-less and gluten free , they are naturally colored and flavored with Beetroot , they are butter-less and egg-less  and does not use any dairy products so are vegan . Did i say that these gorgeous babies are devoid of refined sugar too , what else can one expect in one recipe !

  I had tried using oats in my Strawberry Muffins earlier and Oatmeal Cookies too but both the recipes had used whole wheat flour and oats in 2 : 1 ratio. I was a bit hesitant to try a cookie entirely using oatmeal. But when i say my dear friend and a talented food blogger Ravneet Kaur using oatmeal in almost all dishes ranging from digestive biscuits to cakes to kulfies and matris..i went ahead with my experiment. You can find her healthy recipes in her blog Mercury Information Management Platform .  

 The beetroot oats cookies turned out to be soft chewy , mildly sweet and with a distinct earthy flavor which they get from both beetroot and oats. Have used jaggery as a sweetener in this recipe. Vanilla essence and cinnamon powder are used to flavor the cookies. The cookies can be had as a healthy guilt free snack or served with tea or coffee. Kids can enjoy their milk glass with these babies. And one more thing that would attract the kids would be the chocolate chips over them. At first i had no plans to add the chocolate chips in this recipe and you can see my ingredient pic is without them. But just before popping them in to the oven , a mother inside me shouted, what if Chinu does not like them ?? As a result i ended up my experiment with a egg-less butter-less beetroot oats cookies with chocolate chips ..after all which kid on earth would not love chocolate chips !

In my previous beetroot post , Beetroot Chocolate Cake i have used grated beetroot in my cake. This time i have used the beetroot puree, which i obtained by boiling the beetroot and then making a puree in a grinder jar. Before moving to the recipe , lets quickly have a look at the health benefits of having beetroot.

Beetroot is a good source of iron and fol-ate. It also contains nitrates, betaine , magnesium and other antioxidants . It is believed that beetroot can help lower blood pressure , boost exercise performance and prevent dementia. Source: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/superfoods/Pages/is-beetroot-a-superfood.aspx

If you are looking for more beetroot recipe, do check my posts on Eggless Beetroot Chocolate Cake , Baked Beetroot Cutlet , Beetroot Stir Fry 

Serves: 12 medium sized cookies

Preparation time : 1 hour

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Oats ( i have used quick cooking Oats)
• 1/4 cup powdered jaggery ( or as per taste)
• 1 medium Beetroot
• 3 tablespoon chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2 tablespoon oil 
• 1 teaspoon Baking powder
• Salt to taste 

  Method:

1. Dry roast the oats on a medium flame in a pan for about 2 minutes. Put off the flame, allow the oats to cool down and grind to a powder using a grinder.

  2. Cook the beetroot either in a sauce pan or a pressure cooker or in microwave until soft. Peel and roughly chop the cooked beetroot into chunks and grind to a fine puree without adding any water.

  3. In a mixing bowl take oats powder, cocoa powder , cinnamon powder , salt and baking powder. Blend everything very well using a spoon.

  4. In another bowl take jaggery powder , beetroot puree ( 3 tablespoon ) , oil and vanilla essence and mix well until the jaggery melts .

  5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and blend well. The cookie dough will be sticky.

  6. Cover the bowl with a cling film (food wrap )and refrigerate for about 45 minutes. This step ensures the cookie dough becomes firm and easy to handle. When 10 minutes are left for the refrigeration time, preheat a oven at 160 degrees Celsius .

  7. Add chocolate chips to the dough , mix and make 12 equal portions and roll into ball shape using your palms. Flatten them slightly and place them in a greased or lined baking tray keeping some distance between each cookie. 

  8. Place the tray in a preheated oven and bake the cookies at 160 degree Celsius for 13-15 minutes.

  9. Since i planned to add chocolate chips to my cookies at the last moment. I simply pressed a few on each cookie just before baking them.

 10. Allow the cookies to cool down on a wire rack before transferring them to an airtight container.

  11. Serve the beetroot oats cookies plain as they taste good on their own or serve with tea or coffee. 

Wishing A Happy Mother's Day in advance to all the Mommies !!

  Notes: 

• You may use whole wheat flour and oats in 1: 1 ratio if your are doubtful about accepting the strong earthy flavors of this cookies.
• You may replace jaggery with brown sugar or refined sugar if desired.
• You may replace the chocolate chips with raisins if desired.
• 1/4 cup butter can be used instead of oil to make the cookies buttery and rich.

If you are looking for more oats recipes, do check my posts on

• Egg-less Oatmeal Cookies
• Strawberry Muffins with Oats and whole Wheat flour
• Masala Oats