In case you are wondering after reading the title, yep, we are making brownies with Ragi aka finger millet. This post is a step by step guide to making some of the fudgiest, densest brownies using millet flour.
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Gluten free baking with millet flour
to say the very least is tricky. Millet flour has the tendency to absorb more liquid and cannot hold its shape due to the lack of gluten. Which is why baking with any kind of gluten free flour is a different game.
This is also the reason why you will observe that we will use denser fluids like maple syrup and coconut oil in this recipe.
Ingredients
This is a vegan friendly recipe that uses easily available pantry supplies.
- Finger millet flour – use pearl millet flour as a substitute in a pinch. Finger millet flour is called as Nachni Aata or Ragi flour. You can find this in most Asian grocers.
- Maple syrup – agave is a great substitute here.
- Our usual leavening agent- baking powder
- Vanilla for flavor
- Brown sugar
- Coconut oil – this is our fat source here.
- unsweetened almond milk to adjust the consistency of the batter
- Peanut butter – to add some body and creaminess to the texture.
- Flax meal + water – our egg replacement
- Some good quality cocoa powder
- Chopped walnuts and chocolate chips to make an already awesome brownie even awesome-r
Shelf life and storage
At room temperature, they keep well for 2 days. They last a week in the fridge and freeze beautifully for up to 3 months.
To freeze these brownies, slice them after cooling. Place in a baking tray and wait for individual pieces to freeze fully. When frozen, transfer to a freezer safe container or bag. Label with name and date. Freeze.
Thawing them in the microwave is the quickest and easiest way. Simply place the frozen brownies in a microwave safe bowl or dish. Thaw at high power for 30 to 40 secs.
Serving suggestions
Since these are originally vegan, I prefer serving them as is. But you could jazz things up a bit and serve them with a scoop of ice cream and some chopped berries by the side.
More Chocolate
Millet flour brownies- Troubleshooting
When we use too much liquid, the brownies tend to fall apart.
I haven’t had the chance to test this recipe with regular gluten free flour. But you can definitely use most millet flours here.
Any nut butter will work here. Almond butter is a great option too. I won’t recommend skipping the nut butter because they really help in holding the brownies together.
If you think that the batter is too thick to the point that it looks like bread dough, you can add more almond milk to adjust the consistency. Some millet flours behave differently. I recommend adding almond flour by the tbsp. You can use upto 1/4 cup unsweetened nut milk here.
Method
Preheat the oven at 180 C for 10 mins. While this is getting done, put together the batter.
Line a 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Leave an overhang by the sides so that you can remove the brownies easily once they are baked.
In a mixing bowl, combine ragi flour, salt, baking powder and mix well. Make sure its well incorporated.
Now, add the brown sugar and cocoa to this. Mix well using a balloon whisk. This is our dry mixture. Set aside.
Combine the maple syrup, coconut oil, almond milk and vanilla in a bowl. Add the flax meal and warm water to a bowl. Mix it into a slurry.
Now, mix the flax meal mixture into the maple syrup mixture using a whisk. This is our wet mixture.
Add the wet mixture into our dry mixture. Stir well until you see no streaks of flour on the surface. You don’t really have to worry about over mixing because these are dense anyways.
When done, add the chopped walnuts and dark chocolate chips into the batter. Stir gently to combine.
You will have a thick and dense batter at this point.
Pour the prepared brownie batter into the baking pan. Drop the peanut butter in big blobs on the batter. Use a skewer to swirl the peanut butter gently.
Bake for 30 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean in a preheated oven at 180 C.
Ragi brownies
Equipment
- 1 8 inch square baking pan
- Parchment paper
- 2 Mixing bowls
- 1 Balloon whisk
- 2 skewers
- Oven
Ingredients
- 150 grams Finger millet flour ragi flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 2 tbsp flax meal
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/8 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 C for 10 mins. While this is getting done, put together the batter.
- Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Leave an overhang by the sides so that you can remove the brownies easily once they are baked.
- In a mixing bowl, combine ragi flour, salt, and baking powder, and mix well. Make sure it’s well incorporated.
- Now, add the brown sugar and cocoa to this. Mix well using a balloon whisk. This is our dry mixture. Set aside.
- Combine the maple syrup, coconut oil, almond milk, and vanilla in a bowl. Add the flax meal and warm water to a bowl. Mix it into a slurry.
- Now, mix the flax meal mixture into the maple syrup mixture using a whisk. This is our wet mixture.
- Add the wet mixture to our dry mixture. Stir well until you see no streaks of flour on the surface. You don't really have to worry about over-mixing because these are dense anyways.
- When done, add the chopped walnuts and dark chocolate chips into the batter. Stir gently to combine.
- You will have a thick and dense batter at this point.
- Pour the prepared brownie batter into the baking pan. Drop the peanut butter in big blobs on the batter. Use a skewer to swirl the peanut butter gently.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean in a preheated oven at 180 C.
For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes
Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.
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