Like quinoa, amaranth is a complete protein, packing in nearly 10 grams per cup, along with a notable amount of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Yet despite its health benefits, it’s a grain I rarely use.
But, after a recent trip to Mexico, where I found amaranth showing up on menus in the form of breakfast porridge and as a nutty topping to salads, I was inspired to start experimenting with it myself in my own kitchen.
I’ve found I love it as an alternative to oatmeal, cooked with almond milk and raisins, and swirled with cinnamon, maple syrup and nuts. And recently, I discovered it in flour form, which led me in creating this gluten-free recipe.
Inspired by spring, these Amaranth Flour Carrot Cake Cookies are spice-forward and a perfect pairing to a tall glass of almond milk. I recommend serving them with a smear of nut butter. Or for an extra special treat, sandwich a scoop of coconut ice cream between two cookies.
Gluten-Free Amaranth Carrot Cake Cookies
- April 5, 2017
- Yields about 15 cookies
- Print this
Ingredients
- 1 cup amaranth flour
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ginger
- 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. cardamom
- 2 tsp. molasses
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, plus more for greasing
- 1/2 cup apple sauce
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup raisins
- Almond milk, for serving
- Almond butter, optional
Directions
- Step 1
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and use a spoonful of coconut oil to well grease the sheet.
- Step 2
- Combine amaranth flour, oats, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom in a large bowl and mix well.
- Step 3
- In a medium bowl, combine molasses, coconut oil, applesauce and maple syrup. Whisk together until smooth and then stir in carrots.
- Step 4
- Add wet ingredients to the large bowl and mix with a spatula until just combined. Gently stir in the walnuts and raisins.
- Step 5
- Fill a 1/4-cup halfway to create your first cookie. Shape into a 1/2-inch dish and place on baking sheet. Cookies won’t flatten or spread much with baking, so you can place them relatively close to one another.
- Step 6
- Repeat with remaining dough until you’ve made about 15-16 cookies.
- Step 7
- Bake for 15 minutes, until top reaches a rich brown. (They should still be a little moist when you remove them from the oven.) Let cool on baking sheet.
- Step 8
- Serve with a tall glass of almond milk and a dollop of almond butter.
