Bajra Cookies / Pearl Millet Cookies

                 

Bajra cookies make a healthy and delicious tea-time snack. Made with Pearl millet flour (Bajra atta) and Amaranth flour (Rajgira atta), these cookies are gluten free and refined sugar free as jaggery is the choice of sweetener in this recipe. The added sesame seeds lend a lovely nutty flavor apart from making it all the more nutritious. What's more? These millet short bread cookies can be made in a cooker as well. I have shown the method of baking these cookies both in oven and cooker in this post. These pearl millet cookies are mildly sweet and are crunchy from outside with a soft crumbly texture from within. Bajra cookies are an excellent way of adding the healthy goodness of millet into your daily diet. You can serve them with milk at breakfast or as a snack at any time of the day.

                  

What goes into my version of Bajra Cookies ? The ingredients?

• Pearl Millet Flour/ Bajra Atta : Pearl millet flour or bajra atta is the key ingredient of these cookies. Pearl millet flour make these cookies gluten-free and nutritious.

• Amaranth Flour / Rajgira Atta: Since, Pearl millet flour is gluten free, it is a bit difficult to bind. Amaranth flour helps in binding. You may use almond flour instead if you wish.

• Ghee: These bajra cookies are short-bread cookies. Ghee or melted butter is the fat used. You may replace ghee with any refined cooking oil for a vegan version.

• Jaggery / Gud : Jaggery ads a lovely earthy flavor and compliments very well with the Bajra. Jaggery also makes the cookies refined sugar free and thus guilt-free.

• Sesame Seeds/Til: Sesame seeds add a nutty flavor and add more nutrition to the cookies.

• Cardamom Powder / Elaichi Powder: These cookies are flavored with green cardamom powder which compliments well with jaggery and bajra atta.

• Baking powder: Leavening agent

Dietary Notes: These Bajra Cookies are

• Gluten free
• Refined Sugar free
• Kid Friendly
• Healthy Winter food
• On-the-go breakfast
• Guilt-free snack
• Easy-to-make
• Healthy and flavorful
• Satvik / Jain Recipe

Shelf life and serving suggestions:

• These cookies have a good shelf life of about 2 weeks at room temperature when stored in an air-tight container.

• You can serve these bajra cookies as tea-time snack, On-the-go breakfast with milk, Guilt-free dessert, or as a healthy snack. It can also be packed in kids lunch box or served as an after school snack.

Related Event: A to Z Recipe Challenge Group Part 2-Alphabet B

These bajra cookies are featured in the A to Z recipe challenge group where we have started a new season or we can say part 2 of our A to Z series where we have decided to make recipes alphabetically with Hindi names. For instance, B for Baingan, Bhindi, Badam, Besan, Bajra etc. I chose B for Bajra as my key ingredient and made these healthy and delicious Bajra cookies for the theme.

     

For more Bajra / Pearl Millet recipes from this blog, check out the following links:

• Bajra Khichdi :  A delicious and healthy version to the usual rice and dal (lentil ) khichdi in which rice is replaced with pearl millet (Bajra). Bajra Khichdi is popular in the Indian states of haryana and Rajasthan.
  
• Bajrichi Bhakri : An indian flatbread made with wholesome gluten free pearl millet flour.
  
• Pearl Millet Crackers with Sesame seeds : a healthy and flavorfulbaked snacks made from spiced bajra flour and sesame seeds.

                               

Health Benefits of Bajra / Pearl Millet

Before moving ahead with the recipe, let's have a look at the various health benefits of including pearl millet / Bajra in our daily diet. 

• Bajra / Pearl millet is a gluten-free grain, low in calories and  packed with healthy nutrients that may contribute to weight loss, improved blood sugar levels and other health benefits. 
• Like most millets, Bajra is a nutrient-dense source of protein, carbs, vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant chemicals.
• Bajra being a rich source of magnesium, it is good for the heart patients, to add bajra to their diet.
• Bajra is a rich source of insoluble fiber, which works as a pre-biotic in our gut, thus helping to keep our digestive health in good form. Insoluble fibers also helps prevent overeating by adding bulk to the meals, leading to early satiety.
• Bajra is packed with Omega-3 fats that have been associated with lowering BP, and triglycerides source

Preparation Time:10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 10 cookies

Ingredients: Measurements used 1 cup = 240 ml

• 1 cup Pearl Millet Flour / Bajra Atta
• 1/4 cup Amaranth flour / Rajgira Atta
• 1/4 cup Sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup Jaggery powder
• 1/2 cup ghee
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

Method:

1. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. If using cooker, add 2 cups salt to its base. Keep a stand on it. Cover the cooker with a lid without gasket and whistle and preheat on medium flame fpr 15 minutes.
2. Take melted ghee in a large mixing bowl. 
3. Add jaggery powder to it.
4. Whisk well until the jaggery dissolves completely.
5. Sift dry ingredients - pearl millet flour, amaranth flour, salt, baking powder and cardamom powder over it.
6. Add sesame seeds.
7. Give it a good mix.
8. Now take gooseberry size portion from the mixture and shape it into a ball using your palms. Flatten it slightly between your palms to give a cookie shape.
9. Arrange the shaped cookie dough balls on a greased or lined baking tray.
10. Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes or in a preheated cooker for 20 minutes on medium flame.
11. On baking, the cookies will turn golden brown in color and will develop light cracks and are a bit soft while hot. They harden a bit on cooling.
12. Allow the cookies to cool down completely on cooling rack, before transferring them to an air-tight container.

                    

                  

Recipe Notes:

• You can use grated jaggery or coconut sugar or any sweetener of your choice if you cannot source jaggery powder.
• You can replace ghee with any neutral cooking oil for a vegan version.
• You can use almond meal or oat meal instead of amaranth flour, if you cannot source it.
• You can used any chopped nuts or dry fruit powder instead of sesame seeds.
• These cookies have a good shelf life of about 2 weeks at room temperature when stored in an air-tight container.
• You can adjust the amount of sweetener as per your taste and preference.

Would love to hear from you !

I hope you would love trying out this healthy and delicious Bajra Cookies. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and comments in the section below this post.

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See you soon with yet another healthy and delicious creation from my Kitchen. Until then Stay safe and eat right !

 

Happy Cooking !

Happy Eating !

 

Regards

Poonam Bachhav 

You might want to check out the following cookie recipes from this blog.

• Unsalted Peanut Cookies
  

• Til Gud Cookies

• Eggless Strawberry Cookies

• Eggless Lemon Crinkle Cookies

• Beetroot Oats Cookies

• Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

• Healthy Gingerbread Cookies

• Eggless Coconut Cookies

• Chocolate Nankhatai

• Eggless Thandai Cookies