Black rice, seed and choc chip cookies - gluten and nut free

My eldest son starts school next year and already I think I have heard more about 'lunchbox etiquette' than anything else to do with school!!!

It seems gone are the days when pretty much every lunchbox consisted of a peanut butter or ham sandwich, cheese stick, Prima (Juice Box for many other parts of the country/world!), pack of chips and piece of fruit!  And that's probably a good thing on the whole!

These days you have to be 'nude food' compliant, 'rainbow food' savvy, cold chain compliant, and must have not a trace of nut in sight!  5 days of the week, 38 weeks of the year, 13 years straight! AAAUUUGGGHHHH.  How ever are we going to get out of the door each morning??!!  And will we be accepted by the lunchbox police? ( :

In all seriousness though, the allergy thing is a big one these days, with so many kids administered with an EpiPen in the case of an anaphylactic shock.  So not only do these parents understandably spend so much time and effort keeping their children safe and avoiding nuts, every parent who has school aged kids really needs to be mindful of the products they are sending to school in lunchboxes.  That can be tough for a family not needing a radar for nuts in their life (or any other allergens for that matter).

So given I use nuts a lot, I really wanted to start exploring the nut free world so that next year we can be armed with some yummy homemade snacks that might just win over not only the lunchbox police, but also the nutrition police (me!) and most importantly, the taste police (being my boys!!).

Nutrient wise, when it comes to bikkies, these little guys not only contain a lot less sugar than probably all store bought varieties and many home baked too, but also actually provide goodness, coming from the black rice, sesame seeds and chia seeds!  As I spoke about on Mellymaks Facebook page recently, 'black foods' are a powerhouse of minerals, isoflavones and antioxidants, helping to strengthen the immune system among other benefits.  And milling the whole grain means that not only do you get those immunity benefits, but the fibre and healthy fats from the bran, germ and endosperm!

I spoke a lot about the benefits of seeds in STEP 3 of Mellymaks STEPS program, and the chia seeds and sesame seeds in these bikkies will certainly boost the kids with energy and nutrients galore!



Just 1/2 cup of rapadura sugar and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips are used, which, when divided into the 25-30 batch, is minimal, however this can be reduced, or the choc chips could be replaced with sultanas or another favourite dried fruit.  I used a good quality dark chocolate block and just chopped up half a cup worth, so minimal sugar and antioxidant benefits again there!  And for those Crio Bru fans out there, 1/2 cup of your favourite flavour could be used instead of the choc chips too ( :

If you need these to be dairy free as well, just substitute coconut oil for the butter, and although I haven't tried it yet, for an egg free version I would just up the chia seeds to 2 tbs, reduce the sesame seeds to 1 tbs and add 2 tbs water.  They may be a little crumbly but given these are cookies it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

As with all of my recipes, chop and change flavours to suit you and your family.  If ginger isn't a favourite, use cinnamon or vanilla instead.  If you don't have access to black rice, use brown instead.  If you don't have a Thermomix, just buy a good quality brown rice flour - preferably a whole grain brown rice flour to obtain all the nutrients I spoke about above.

Let me know which combos you come up with!  Enjoy.....

Black rice, seeds and choc chip cookies - gluten and nut free

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup (100g) black rice (brown rice can also be used.  If no Thermomix being used, use whole grain brown rice flour instead)
1/2 cup (80g) rapadura sugar (coconut, brown or raw sugar could be used also)
80g butter, chilled (use coconut oil for dairy free version)
2 tbs sesame seeds
1 tbs chia seeds
85g gluten free plain flour (I used Orgran)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 egg
1/2 cup dark choc chips/pieces (ensure it is free from milk solids for dairy free version)

Method - Conventional

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.  Line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. Place sugar and butter in food processor or electric mixer bowl and beat until pale and light.
3. Add egg and continue beating until thoroughly combined.
4. Add flours, seeds and ginger at low speed until combined.  Stir through choc chips.
5. Place heaped teaspoons of mixture onto trays, allowing a small amount of room to spread.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.
7. Leave to cool slightly on tray for 5 minutes before placing on a cooling rack.
8. Store in an airtight container.
9. Makes approx. 25-30

Method - Thermomix

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.  Line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. Place rice in TM bowl and mill on speed 10 for 1 minute.  Set aside.  No need to clean bowl.
3. Add butter and sugar to bowl and whip on speed 5-6 until pale and light.  (I needed to scrape down a couple of times).
4. Add egg and continue to mix on speed 4 until thoroughly combined. (a few seconds)
5. Add flours, seeds, ginger and chocolate and mix on speed 3 until combined.
6. Follow steps 5-9 above.