These 100% Millet Cookies are easy, egg-free, nutty, and buttery (similar to sorghum cookies). No starches, no gluten, no weird aftertaste, just simple, cozy, crisp-around-the-edges old-fashioned chocolate chip millet cookies. And yes, they’re ridiculously adaptable; you can use coconut sugar, make them vegan, or reduce the sweetness. Only 20 minutes of hands-on work, like in most millet recipes!
These cookies stay together perfectly without added eggs, thanks to xanthan gum! Butter and sugar make millet flour cookies spread, so if you reduce either of those, the cookies will spread less (and be less caloric!). For another easy decadent dessert, see my 100% buckwheat flour chocolate cake.
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Why Bake with 100% Millet?
You’ll find a lot of millet cookie recipes that sneak in wheat or starch blends. Not this one. These are:
- Totally gluten-free and celiac-safe, just like my oatmeal buckwheat cookies!
- Full of actual nutrition. These millet flour cookies got magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, B vitamins, and no added empty starches.
- Cheaper than those fancy store-bought flour blends! But if you need a blend, I'd recommend this homemade rice-free flour mix.
Pro Tip: Millet flour can go bitter fast. Use it fresh or freshly ground, and store it in the freezer. See these finger millet cookies for a different flavor.
What Millet Should You Use?
I use pearl millet flour (aka bajra). It's the pale yellow kind, mild, slightly sweet, plays well with cookies (and with millet sourdough bread). If you're in the US, most “millet flour” you buy online is probably pearl millet.
Is Xanthan Gum Safe?
Short answer? Yes.
Longer one: It sounds scary, but xanthan gum is just a fermented sugar, kind of like how yogurt or kombucha is made. It's FDA-approved, widely used, and even in hospital thickeners for folks with swallowing issues. You’re just using one teaspoon in the whole batch, it's fine.
Ingredients for Millet Cookies
- Millet flour – you can use bajra (pearl millet) or proso millet flour. Bajra is grey in color, while proso millet is yellow.
- Butter – use high-fat (82%) or go vegan with coconut oil.
- Milk – plant-based or dairy, up to you.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions
- Butter → coconut oil or vegan butter
- Milk → any non-dairy milk
- Sugar → coconut sugar
- Xanthan gum → guar gum, haven't tested these with psyllium husks yet.
How to Make Millet Cookies
Step 1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl using a whisk.
Step 2. Place the butter into a small saucepan and melt it on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the butter starts bubbling, begin whisking it continuously until it turns amber-brown and smells nutty. Turn off the heat and set it aside.
Step 3. Add the sugars and the milk to the browned butter and whisk until there are no brown sugar lumps left and everything looks incorporated.
Step 4. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk. The dough will be sticky and wet, but it will thicken as the flour absorbs the liquids.
Fold in the chocolate chips or chunks, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, and let the dough chill and thicken in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
Step 5. Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Line your baking tray with non-stick parchment paper or a silicone mat. Scoop nine 1 tbsp-sized cookies onto the tray (or use wet hands) and bake for 15 minutes. Let the cookies chill on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes after baking before transferring them to a cooling rack (they are fragile while hot). Repeat with the rest of the dough. Enjoy!
Troubleshooting Tips
- Too crumbly? Add xanthan gum! Millet flour lacks gluten, so a binder is essential in gluten-free cookies (like my buckwheat shortbread cookies!).
- Bitter taste? Your flour might be old. Millet flour can turn rancid quickly, so use fresh flour and store it in the freezer. You can make millet flour at home!
- Too cakey or soft? Skip the milk for extra crispiness.
- Cookies spread too much? Cut back slightly on butter and/or sugar. for fluffier cookies see my gluten-free sourdough cookie recipe!
- Over-browning? Try moving your tray to the middle rack or lowering your oven temperature slightly.
Common Questions
Keep these cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3-5 days or freeze them for up to 2-3 months! To defrost, simply place one in the microwave for a few seconds.
Pearl millet is the most popular choice for baking (see my 100% millet bread), although finger millet and foxtail millet are sometimes used in certain recipes, too.
No, millet flour lacks gluten, so it needs a binder like psyllium husk or xanthan gum in order for your bakes to stay intact! But you can make 100% millet sourdough starter without gums.
More Delicious Gluten-Free Recipes You Will Love
100% Millet Cookies
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 300 grams millet flour
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder make sure it's gluten-free
Wet Ingredients
- 120 grams butter or 80g coconut oil
- 100 grams granulated sugar reduce if prefer
- 50 grams brown sugar reduce if prefer
- 83 grams milk plant-based or dairy
You Will Also Need
- 100 grams chocolate chips
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Instructions
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl using a whisk.300 grams millet flour, 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon baking powder
- Place the butter into a small saucepan and melt it on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the butter starts bubbling, begin whisking it continuously until it turns amber-brown and smells nutty. Turn off the heat and set it aside.*No browning needed if using coconut oil, melting is enough.120 grams butter
- Add the sugars and the milk to the browned butter and whisk until there are no brown sugar lumps left and everything looks incorporated.100 grams granulated sugar, 50 grams brown sugar, 83 grams milk
- Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk. The dough will be sticky and wet, but it will thicken as the flour absorbs the liquids.
- Fold in the chocolate chips or chunks, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, and let the dough chill and thicken in the fridge for about 20 minutes.100 grams chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Line your baking tray with non-stick parchment paper or a silicone mat. Scoop nine 1 tbsp-sized cookies onto the tray and bake for 15 minutes. Let the cookies chill on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes after baking before transferring them to a cooling rack (they are fragile while hot). Enjoy!
Notes
- Too crumbly? Add xanthan gum! Millet flour lacks gluten, so a binder is essential in gluten-free cookies (like my buckwheat shortbread cookies!).
- Bitter taste? Your flour might be old. Millet flour can turn rancid quickly, so use fresh flour and store it in the freezer. You can make millet flour at home!
- Too cakey or soft? Skip the milk for extra crispiness.
- Cookies spread too much? Cut back slightly on butter and/or sugar. For fluffier cookies, see my gluten-free sourdough cookie recipe!
- Over-browning? Try moving your tray to the middle rack or lowering your oven temperature slightly.
Natasha Levai says
These cookies are delicious and are so easy to make! I have to store them in the freezer to keep myself from inhaling them in one afternoon.