May 26, 2019
Indian Express
There are numerous health benefits of ragi. It is a source of Vitamin D, helps in reducing food cravings, helps reduce insomnia and aids in weight loss.
It’s only recently that I have realised that my three-year-old have this craving of cookies after waking up every morning. As kids grow, their nutritional needs grow too. And as an easier available option, I could have easily stocked up on something directly from the nearby store. But do you know the number of preservatives, refined ingredients and even taste enhancers that are poured into the cookies, just to make them taste delicious? Advertising
This is when my experiments with millets started taking baby steps. And when you come up with something extremely nutritious, without compromising on the quality of ingredients and taste, you know you have cracked a winning deal.
Here’s my attempt at Ragi (finger millet) cookies. They make a delicious breakfast platter if clubbed with a smoothie or just a glass of chocolate milk. And yes, the melt-in-the-mouth flavour of these cookies surely make kids fall in love with them.
Ingredients:
For 18-20 Cookies
¾ cup – Ragi flour
¾ cup – Whole wheat flour
½ cup – Powdered sugar or jaggery powder (or even brown sugar)
1.5 tsp – Baking powder
¾ cup – Chilled butter cubes
2 tsp – Vanilla extract
¼ cup – Grated dark chocolate
Milk – A few drops just to bind the flour together
Method:
* Take a bowl and sieve in whole wheat, ragi flour, powdered sugar and baking powder.
* Now mix the flour and chilled butter nicely with hands till the entire mix comes out as bread crumbs.
* Add in vanilla extract.
* Mix it all to form nice cookie dough.
* Pre-heat oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.
* Take the dough, make small balls and flatten them taking care of the edges.
* Top up the flattened cookies with chopped and grated chocolate.
* Arrange them in a greased baking tray.
* Bake them for 12-15 minutes.
* Always remember to manually check, in between, as settings vary from oven to oven.
* Once done, let the cookies settle and come to room temperature. They will be crunchy only after cooling down.
Health benefits of Ragi
Skin: A rich source of Vitamin D, it improves skin tissues and reduces wrinkles.
Diabetes: Ragi has a low glycemic index and hence, reduces food cravings. It helps in keeping the blood sugar in check.
Anaemia: Ragi is a good source of iron and helps in improving haemoglobin levels.
Insomnia: Ragi is a source of antioxidants like tryptophan and amino acids. This helps in reducing anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
Weight loss: Ragi is high in dietary fibre. It reduces unnecessary food cravings, and thus helps in weight loss.
Original post on Indian Express
