Fonio Chocolate Chip Cookies

These fonio chocolate chip cookies have hands-down become my favourite treat. These are not your ordinary-tasting chocolate chip cookies. These fonio cookies are dairy and egg free and taste just like any opther cookie, but better. They are soft, sweet, and delicious with a little bit of crispiness at the bottom.

I have been on a mission to make African ingredients more accessible and no better way that to include it into a recipe everyone is familiar with — chocolate chip cookies. Fonio has a soft earthy flavour that adds a different flavour dimension to chocolate chip cookies, complementing the vanilla essence very well. If you want to satify your chocolate chip cookie craving but want something a little different, this recipe is for you.

What is Fonio

Fonio is an indigenous West African grain in the millet family. It is a very popular and important crop in the Senegambian and Mali region where it is eaten with stews, mixed with peanuts and served at important events. As these parts of Africa have dry and semi-arid climate, fonio is the perfect crop. It is drought resistant and quick growing. It definetly is the crop of the future.

Aside from its environmental benefits, fonio is a nutritious grain to include into your diet. Like many ancient grains it is packed with fibre, B-vitamins and moderates amounts of iron. For those concerned with their blood sugar, fonio is a great laternative to rice. If you want to learn more about fonio, make sure to check out my comprehensive fonio post (click here)

What you will need for this recipe

• Fonio Flour: You can purchase this product from Yolele which retails in stores in the US as well as online worldwide.
• Butter: I use the Becel Plant-Based Sticks
• Sugar: I use a mix of white and brown sugar
• Apple Sauce: adds moisture to the cookies and works as an egg replacer
• Baking Powder: This works as a great leavening agent
• Vegan Chocolate Chips: If you love chocolate, the more the better. My favourite is the Enjoy Life Brand (click here)
• All-Purpose Flour: I chose to use all-purpose flour because it helps support the cookie and adds chewiness.
• Flavour enhancers: I always use salt and vanilla in my cookies to bring out the sweetness in the cookie as well as add a nice fragrance

How to Make Fonio Chocolate Chip Cookie

1. Cream the sugar and butter
2. Mix the rest of the wet ingredients
3. Mix in the two flours and dry the ingredients
4. Chill for 30 minutes
5. Bake and then cool

FAQ + Substitutions

1. Can I Make this gluten-free? Yes, you can use gluten-free flour but you may have to increase the amount of flour a little bit to keep the integrity of the cookie
2. Can I sub out the butter? This is possible but it will require a few adjustments – I will not recommend this.
3. Can I freeze the cookie dough? Of course, I will actually suggest letting them come to room temperature before baking as baking from frozen can take time and overcook the outside of the cookies.
4. I do not have a scale, can I use measuring cups? Yes of course, just know that measuring cups are not accurate. I highly recommend getting a kitchen scale. They are very cheap.

Wanna try some other sweet recipes, here are a few of my favourites.

• Golden Plantain Bread
• Tigernut Coffee Cake
• Ghanaian Vegan Dry Bofrot

If you like this recipe, make sure to leave a comment down below.

Print Recipe

Fonio Chocolate Chip Cookies

They are soft, sweet, and delicious with a little bit of crispiness at the bottom.

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Cuisine: Fusion

Keyword: african ingredients, fonio, vegan cookie

Servings: 10 cookies

Author: Afia

Ingredients

• 113 g vegan butter
• 60 g of packed brown sugar ~1/4 cup packed
• 45 g of white sugar ~1/4 cup sugar
• 50 g unsweetened apple sauce 2.5tbsp
• 90 g All-Purpose Flour ~3/4 cups
• 75 g Fonio Flour ~1/2 cups
• 60 g vegan-friendly semi-sweet chocolate ~1/2 cups
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

Instructions

• In a bowl, cream the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar
• Once the butter and sugars are well incorporated, add the rest of the ingredients
• Mix in your chocolate chips
• Mix well and place in the fridge for an hour or more
• While the cookie dough is resting, you can start preheating your to 350°F
• Scope with a medium-sized cookie scoop and press down a bit to flatten. If you don’t flatten the cookies, they bake like a dome.
• Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes
• Let the cookie cool down to firm up a bit
• Enjoy with a cold glass of milk

Notes

Cup measurements are not 100% accurate. I recommend using a kitchen scale for consistency