Healthy Vanilla-Flavored Atta Cookies: Nutritious Whole Grain Healthy Snack Recipe with Amaranth and Millet

Even though we're always focused on weight loss which often involves hate towards carbs (which you know I don't condone) and sugar (which I am okay with; but not the hate for natural sugar like that from fruits), it is good to once in a while have healthy and rather guilt-free snack in mind for when you have friends over, are looking to enjoy some time with your partner or family while enjoying a movie, or when you want to make use of that oven you bought that you never know what to do with.

This will allow you to stay true to your goals of better health and a good body while still having something delicious.

Ingredients for whole wheat cookies

• 1 cup atta flour

• 1/2 cup amaranth and millet flour (I use Famila porridge flour that comes with the two already mixed in)

• 1-2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 3 egg yolks

• 1/2 cup cold butter

• Vanilla essence (to taste)

Please note that I normally eye in (kupima na macho) my ingredients most of the time as I found that most recipes need adjusting here and there to make cookies to my liking and because I add in more ingredients from time to time.

Procedure for making whole wheat cookies

Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix the atta flour, amaranth and millet (wimbi) flour, sugar, and baking powder. Whisk everything together. As long as you can see sugar crystal after whisking everything together, it will be perfect.

Add Cold or Frozen Butter: Add the cold butter to the already dry ingredients. Don't try to warm or melt it as this is crucial if you want that crumbly texture for your cookies. Break it into the mixture using a spatula and take your time to incorporate it into the flour until you get a rather even but lumpy mixture. Avoid using your hands as the warmth will warm the butter.

Separate the Egg Yolks: In another smaller bowl, separate the yolks of three eggs. (I do this by breaking the egg shell in half, and then letting the egg white fall off one of the halves while the egg yolk remains contained within one of the halves). I cook without the egg white because of two personal preferences:

• The egg yolk is less runny compared to the egg white which almost always ensures that I don't have to adjust the recipe because of the different consistencies, sizes and amounts that eggs come in.

• Nutritionally, egg yolks contain the bulk of the nutrition of an egg, making the cookie high in quality minerals and nutrients which you wouldn't be able to do with egg whites included for the sake of the final product, you will need to reduce the number of eggs you use.

• Egg yolks are tastier than egg whites, which are primarily the protein of an egg. While removing the egg whites reduces the protein content, the rich and creamy taste of the egg yolk will make a rich taste that makes the cookies more enjoyable not forgetting that you get in more nutrients and minerals than if you had included the whole egg either way --- because you would probably fit in only one egg.

• Most people don't like egg whites either way even in egg yolks and it contributes mostly to what you'll find people say, "Inanuka mayai." ("It smells of eggs"). What to do with the egg whites? I don't know. Eat it?

Add Your Vanilla to the Egg Yolks: Whisk together your egg yolks with the vanilla until it is slightly frothy, which, if any smell of egg is left, you now won't have any---this can greatly prevent nausea for example, when eaten by pregnant women.

Bring Everything Together: In the large bowl, add your whisked-together vanilla and egg yolks to the first mixture of mixed-together flour, baking powder, sugar and butter. Take your time mixing it all in with a spatula. What you're looking for is for a cookie dough that isn't sticky on the spatula or on the surfaces.

• If sticky, add more of either flour and little, and I emphasise, "little" sugar to make it dryer.

• If too dry, you can slowly incorporate, little by little, some of the egg white we trashed earlier XD.

Finally, Roll Out the Dough: Dust your work surface with a bit of flour but if your cookie dough isn't sticky, you don't need it. Using a rolling pin, spread the dough evenly with about 1-inch thickness.

Let the Cookie Dough Rest: I normally don't let this bit happen but it makes it easier for the next step to happen and really enhances the flavour after baking. For the best flavour, cover the dough and let it rest for about 3 hours or overnight in the fridge (I just can't, unless there's dough left over). This will allow the flavours to marry and deepen early on, resulting in incredibly rich and delicious cookies that you don't have to wait for to "mature" after baking.

Shape and Size the Cookies: To make your cookie shapes, press a cookie cutter, the lid of a spice bottle, or whatever you have that is the right shape and size, even bottle tops for small bite-sized cookies --- I personally first used heart-shaped measuring cups because of the message I told you at the start that I was trying to pass across.

Bake: Arrange the shaped dough pieces on the baking tray.

In a preheated oven, bake the cookies at 175°C for about 20-30 minutes. Whole flours may take longer to bake than processed flour.

Remove from the oven, and allow to rest for a bit before eating or storing.

Enjoy your cookies: Given the rich taste these cookies have, you can enjoy them with cold or warm fresh milk, a delicious smoothie, or plain or vanilla yoghurt. Enjoy the cookies as a nutritious snack or as a side on your plate to substitute your common carbohydrate alternatives: bread, maandazi, cake, regular cookies --- you get the idea.

Nutritional Information for Those Who Care, hehe

• Using whole grains like atta and amaranth flour not only enhances the nutritional profile of these cookies but also offers a variety of health benefits:

• Whole Grains: Atta and amaranth are rich in fibre, which aids digestion and helps keep you feeling fuller for longer. Insoluble fibre, like a bus, ensures that food moves smoothly through the digestive system because it itself can’t be digested. This helps promote healthy bowel movements. Just be cautious not to consume too much at once, or you risk causing a traffic jam in your digestive tract! Insoluble fibre is found in vegetables and whole grains, making them great additions to your diet.

• Nutrient-Dense: These flours contain essential vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins, iron, and magnesium, contributing to overall health and wellness.

• Egg Yolks: In addition to their delicious flavour, egg yolks contain the bulk of nutrition in an egg, providing vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as healthy fats that support brain health. In contrast, egg whites mainly offer protein. You’ll find egg yolks to be more flavorful, even when boiled!

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