Eggless Ragi Chocolate Ganache Cookies

Finger millets or ragi or nachni are rich in dietary fibre compared to other grains. It is loaded with calcium, iron, helps in controlling diabetes and help in weight loss. It is gluten free and highly suitable for people who are gluten intolerant. The bland taste of ragi can be countered by either mixing it with other flours or chocolate and dry roasting it until you get nice nutty flavor. In bakes, ragi can be combined with cane sugar, palm sugar or coconut sugar to enhance the taste. I learnt this recipe from my friend Sapna who is very good at using alternative flours in her bakes. These cookies are eggless, free of refined sugar. These form good tea time snack and served with a cup of milk is a lovely combination.

Here is the simple recipe

Course: Bakes

Cuisine: Karnataka

Preparation time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

No of cookies: 14

Ingredients:

Finger millets or Ragi flour – ¾ cup

Dark chocolate – ½ cup

Unsalted butter – 2 tbsp

Desiccated coconut- ¼ cup

Ghee- 3 tbsp

Cane sugar – ¼ cup

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Blanched almonds – ¼ cup

Method:

1. Take a bowl, melt dark chocolate with butter on a double boiler on medium flame for 2 minutes.
2. When the mixture is half melted, take out from double boiler and mix well so that a thick chocolate ganache is formed. Keep this aside.
3. Take a pan, add a tablespoon of ghee, roast the desiccated coconut and ragi until we get nice aroma (for a minute or two). Cool this mixture.
4. Now add the remaining ghee to the cane sugar in a bowl and mix well.
5. Now add the cooled chocolate ganache to the above mixture.
6. Add roasted desiccated coconut ragi flour mixture to this.
7. Add vanilla essence and mix well to form dough.
8. Refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes.
9. Preheat the oven at 180°C for 10 minutes.
10. Now prepare cookies and top with blanched almonds.
11. Bake in preheated oven at 175°C for 13 to 15 minutes.
12. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. Once cool completely store in airtight container.
    

My Notes:

Temperature and timings vary with individual oven.

Cookies are soft to touch when they are hot but as they cool become hard and easier to handle. So care to be taken during handling.

Frying ragi flour is the key to reduce the bland smell and gives a nutty flavor.

Ghee can be replaced with half quantity of oil.

Leftover ganache can also be used

To prepare blanched almonds : soak the whole almonds in hot water for 1 hour, remove the skin and chop into desired shape.