Vegan Ragi Peanut Butter Cookies

I seem to be on the 'Ragi Roll' right now. I say that because my previous post was Ragi banana paniyaram. To be honest, when Madhuram announced the JFI - Ragi event, I was not only disappointed because no one likes them, but also because I cannot get whole ragi here and I didn't think she wanted entries using flour. The moment she said she would take the entries with ragi flour also, my mind raced and raced about how to use this neglected flour. I had collected couple of recipes using corn flour and one of them I tweaked into these cookies. I am not very fond of this flour myself, but I love challenges. I had so much fun making these cookies, I can't express in words. The original recipe which I based my recipe on can be found here. (I halved the recipe and made it egg less) Here goes my recipe..

Ingredients:

1. I can't believe its not butter - 1/4 cup (1/2 a stick)
2. sugar - 1/4 cup (See my tips at the bottom)
3. Smooth peanut butter - 1/4 cup (I used skippy light)
4. Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
5. Ragi flour - 1/2 cup
6. All purpose flour - 2 TBSP
7. Corn starch - 1 TBSP
8. Water - 1 TBSP
9. Vanilla - 1 tsp
10. Salt - a pinch

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or line with silpat mat. In a large bowl, stir Ragi flour, all purpose flour, corn starch, salt, baking soda and stir well. In another bowl, cream I can't believe its not butter with sugar till fluffy. Stir in water, vanilla, peanut butter and beat again. Add the flour mixture slowly and beat till incorporated. Make a key lime size ball and place on the cookie sheet 2 inches apart. They spread and kind of become flat. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or till done. When you remove the cookie sheet, cookies will be very soft. Don't touch them. Let them cool in the pan for about 5 - 8 minutes and then slide the parchment on to the wire rack and let them cool completely. They harden a little as they cool, but they still remain soft inside. I got 15 cookies for the above mentioned proportions. If I fed this to someone without telling them it is made of Ragi flour, no one will be able to guess except for the color. They were so good taste wise. So, I should thank Madhuram for choosing this flour because I had so much fun making these.

My Tips:
Since I used the regular peanut butter, the cookies were very sweet. Unless you are using natural peanut butter, omit the sugar altogether or keep it to 1 TBSP. If using almond butter or sunflower butter, you don't have to worry about it and use the sugar called for in the recipe.

Happy Baking!! Pin It