These whole grain cocoa cookies are the perfect after-school snack. Just pair with a cold glass of milk and enjoy!
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Whole Grain Cookies for After School
I hope September has gotten off to a great start for you wherever you may be. For us here in the northeast US it’s back to school time. One of my favorite parts of back to school? The after-school snack of course!
If your kids come home from school hungry there is nothing like a glass of cold milk and some cookies. Of course, cookies may not be an everyday occurrence, but when they happen they are certainly fun. (For more after school snack ideas, check out this list.)
While these whole-grain cocoa cookies are definitely cookies, they are made with whole grain spelt flour, which is pretty cool. Many kids (and adults) don’t get enough whole grains in their diet and it’s even rarer that we branch out and try different types of whole grains.
Spelt Flour
Spelt flour is a type of whole grain wheat. For some, it may actually be easier to digest than wheat, especially sprouted spelt, which is the type of spelt I buy. If nothing else it’s great for your taste buds and gut microbiome to get some variety! (Most of us do a pretty job getting enough regular old white flour!)
Also Great for Fika Time!
These soft and fudgy cookies are also great for fika time.
What is fike you ask? Fika, pronounced fee-ka, is the Swedish tradition of taking a mindful break from what you are doing to have a cup of coffee or tea and a baked good or open-faced sandwich. Traditionally this is done twice a day: once mid-morning and once mid-afternoon. Whether done in the company of friends or alone, this act of taking time out of your busy day to just enjoy a little something delicious and perhaps socialize, is an important part of enjoying life and living mindfully.
Love fika as much as me? Check out these fun fika shirts available at my merch store! I donate 50% of profits to the No Kid Hungry foundation.
Other Great Fika Ideas
Other recipes that would be perfect for fika or as an afterschool sweet snack include:
- pumpkin muffins
- banana bread muffins
- blueberry scones
- oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
- whole wheat almond cookies
- gluten-free oat almond cookies
Whole Grain Cocoa Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup spelt flour or use white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons coconut oil or use butter
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅔ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ⅓ cup plain Greek or Skyr yogurt I use full fat yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or reusable nonstick mats.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt coconut oil. Turn heat off and stir in cocoa, sugar, maple syrup, yogurt, and vanilla. Then stir in the flour mixture until just moist.
- Using a tablespoon scooper, drop onto the lined baking sheets.
- Bake for about 8-9 minutes, until just starting to set. Let rest on baking sheet for a couple of minutes (if you can wait that long!) then transfer to a cookie rack and enjoy!
These cookies were originally adapted from a Cooking Light recipe.
Text, recipe, and photos updated September 2021.
