Masala Herb

Flavorful Recipes

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • TRAVEL
  • Contact
  • New? Start HERE!
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • RECIPES
  • Contact
  • New? Start Here!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    You are Here: Masala Herb » Recipes » Cookies

    Finger Millet Poppy Seed Cookies

    December 19, 2014 by Helene Dsouza 11 Comments

    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Flip
    • Email
    • Share
    • Threads
    • Bluesky
    Helene Dsouza
    Healthy Finger Millet Cookies with poppy seeds. Comforting and relaxing as well.
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    30 piece
    RECIPE
    Ragi Poppy Seed Cookies - healthier Fingermillet cookie recipe www.masalaherb.com
    Recipes from around the world E-Book

    Global Food Recipes

    with Spices and Herbs

    Free E-Book available for a limited time. Grab yours now and get instantly inspired!

    00
    Days
    :
     
    00
    Hours
    :
     
    19
    Minutes
    :
     
    59
    Seconds

    You missed out!

    Recipes from around the world E-Book

    Your Free E-Book 

    was sent to your

    E-Mail Address!

    Please check your Spam folder

    In the past few months I have been surrounded by ragi flour, it has been literally popping in into my life at different times.

    Ragi cake on a friend's page, ragi roti made with love by my mother-in-law (flat bread), Ragi flour bags in my friendly neighborhood grocery store and so on.

    Wherever I look, I can see ragi...

    Jump to:
    • 📕 What is ragi and ragi flour?
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    📕 What is ragi and ragi flour?

    Ragi has been cultivated for thousands of years in the Indian Subcontinent.

    In English the plant might be better known as Finger millet, however, since ragi is a much shorter and much more commonly used name in my surrounding, I personally prefer to call it simply ragi.

    In Goa they also call it nachni besides ragi, in fact ragi is known under many different names.

    Ragi Poppy Seed Cookies - healthier Fingermillet cookie recipe www.masalaherb.com

     The grey "dark" ragi flour can be commonly bought in Goa and these days we even get to by organic ragi.

    Yeah!

    Although the use of finger millet is popular in South Asia and African highlands, the grain is barely known in the western world.

    Ragi is very drought resistant, which means the seeds can lie dormant for a longer period, and once it rains ragi seeds come to life and the plant can be already harvested after 1 ½ months.

    This super plant has another advantage: The seeds don't rot that easily during humid months and insects don't like it.

    Basically, it means that instead of cultivating only commercial popular wheat variety all over the Indian subcontinent, a strong grain such as Ragi should be cultivated.

    The Global Crop Diversity Trust described finger millet as a reliable food source in times of drought and crop failure.

    It would solve the dilemma of so many suicidal farmers.

    Finger millet production should be more common, not only because it grows well in the Indian subcontinent, but also because the grain itself is healthier, especially compared to wheat.

    It's high in proteins and doctors often recommend mother's to feed their babies with ragi porridge.

    Ragi Poppy Seed Cookies - healthier Fingermillet cookie recipe www.masalaherb.com

    In general Ragi flour is a better choice if you care for your health.

    I personally enjoy it but of course, I like to keep my food life balanced, I use and eat ragi from time to time.

    Besides Ragi flatbreads, I like to transform ragi flour into nutritious shortbread cookies.

    Commercially packed 5-grain cookies, better known as biscuits here around, frequently include ragi.

    I figured I should try baking my own batch, developing my own recipe and that's what I did.

    I combined two main ingredients together and created Ragi poppy seed cookies and they are Christmas material, my friends!

    I wanted to make something different this year besides the traditional Vanillekipferl or Cinnamon stars to name a few.

    I felt it was time to share Christmas cookies which could be made even if it wasn't Christmas.

    A cookie, on the healthier side of life, easy and quick to prepare and with a very much misunderstood and underrated grain.

    Make it, bake it and dust it with powdered sugar. 🙂

    Do you know and like to use Ragi flour in your cooking?

    📖 Recipe

    Finger Millet Poppy Seed Cookies

    Healthy Finger Millet Cookies with poppy seeds. Comforting and relaxing as well.
    No ratings yet
    Print Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Indian
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 30 piece
    Calories: 116kcal
    Recipe by: Helene Dsouza

    Ingredients

    • 2½ Cup Finger Millet Flour
    • 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
    • Pinch Salt
    • Pinch Baking Powder
    • Vanilla Extract few drops
    • 1 Stick Butter
    • 1 Egg
    • 4 Tablespoon Poppy Seed Paste
    • Powdered Sugar optional
    US - Metric

    Instructions

    • In a mixing bowl combine the finger millet flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Make a well into the center and add the wet ingredients, vanilla essence, butter, egg and the poppy seed paste.
      Ragi Poppy Seed Cookies - healthier Fingermillet cookie recipe www.masalaherb.com
    • Combine the crumbly mixture and work into a smooth dough ball. Cover in plastic wrap and place the dough into the fridge for at least 30 minutes to one hour. The dough is easier to handle and to roll out when cold.
      Ragi Poppy Seed Cookies - healthier Fingermillet cookie recipe www.masalaherb.com
    • Before cutting out the cookie shapes, preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit/ 200° Celsius.
    • Dust your working space with finger millet flour. Roll your dough out to a ½ centimeter thickness and cut out your cookie shapes. Place the raw cookies on a baking rack and bake for 10 mins at 400° Fahrenheit/ 200° Celsius.
      Ragi Poppy Seed Cookies - healthier Fingermillet cookie recipe www.masalaherb.com
    • Let cool and enjoy or dust with powdered sugar.

    Notes

    Finger Millet is a common ingredient in Indian cooking. The health grain is turned into a flour and commonly fed to babies. It's a healthy flour that is meant to lend you energy. Finger millet flour is known as ragi atta in India.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Finger Millet Poppy Seed Cookies
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 116 Calories from Fat 36
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 4g6%
    Saturated Fat 2g10%
    Cholesterol 14mg5%
    Sodium 32mg1%
    Potassium 91mg3%
    Carbohydrates 19g6%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 4g4%
    Protein 2g4%
    Vitamin A 100IU2%
    Calcium 87mg9%
    Iron 0.9mg5%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Flip
    • Email
    • Share
    • Threads
    • Bluesky

    I am Helene, and I created Masala Herb in 2011. Here you will learn to cook with spices and herbs. I share from scratch, international food recipes and my mission is to teach you to cook flavorful food at home. Read More…

    MasalaHerb.com as seen on

    Comments

      Leave a Comment Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. mjskit says

      December 23, 2014 at 8:58 am

      Have never heard of ragi flour/grain. I think the continued cultivation of ancient grains like this is so important, and to have one that is both drought resistant and doesn't rot with all of the rain you get in India is a real find. It certainly has a gorgeous color as a flour and I love that you used it in combination with the poppy seed paste. Bet this is a very different tasting cookie, different from what I'm use to (white flour, sugar and butter. :)).

      Reply
    2. Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says

      December 21, 2014 at 5:53 pm

      More poppy seeds!! I've never heard of ragi but I want these cookies!

      Reply
    3. Ramona says

      December 20, 2014 at 6:15 pm

      Another cookie to add to my growing list of cookies I must make this year. They look really yummy!

      Reply
    4. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says

      December 20, 2014 at 1:51 pm

      I hope I can find it here-it's completely new to me but I'm really intrigued by it!

      Reply
    5. Nagi@RecipeTinEats says

      December 20, 2014 at 7:41 am

      I have never heard of ragi! However, I do have a rather large Indian supermarket quite nearby which I frequently visit so I must ask them if they have it! I love discovering new ingredients!!

      Reply
    6. Liz says

      December 20, 2014 at 5:27 am

      Very good reasons to buy ragi flour...especially to make these yummy cookies! Merry Christmas, my friend! xo

      Reply
    7. Choc Chip Uru says

      December 20, 2014 at 1:41 am

      Happy Holidays my friend! I think Santa might be getting these cookies this year 😉

      Cheers
      Choc Chip Uru

      Reply
    8. John@Kitchen Riffs says

      December 20, 2014 at 12:00 am

      Great looking cookies! Perfect for the holidays. And speaking of which, Happy Holidays!

      Reply
    9. easyfoodsmith says

      December 19, 2014 at 10:34 pm

      It has to be telepathy...Since 2-3 days have been thinking of incorporating more of grains in our diet and here i see these fantastic ragi cookies. Thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply
    10. Sanjeeta KK says

      December 19, 2014 at 7:18 pm

      These cookies look absolutely wonderful....love the addition of poppy seeds paste in it. I could never have thought of trying out poppy seed paste with Ragi flour. Beautiful cookies!

      Reply
    11. Rosa says

      December 19, 2014 at 4:36 pm

      Wonderful cookies! They must be very flavorful.

      Cheers,

      Rosa

      Reply

    Welcome

    Hi there! I'm Helene and here you will learn how to cook with spices and herbs. Discover global food and learn to season your food like a pro. Read more about my work and mission or head over to my food ingredient space, Unknownbite.com, and our travel space, Paulmarina.com!

    More About Me ->
    Home
    About
    As seen in
    Contact
    Terms and Conditions
    Privacy Policy

    By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies.

    Masala Herb is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

    Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required