Millet Shortbread Cookies

A few weeks ago, Adam and I decided to go a week without sugar.  You see, I am the kind of person who has very little self-control in the food department, so once I have started eating sweets, stopping is next to impossible for me.  It is sort of pathetic and I am terribly ashamed of this tendency, and this week off of sugar was a step towards strengthening my self control.  

So, we had gone just about the whole week without sugar, and I realized I was actually fine without it.  I hadn't stopped eating all sweet things (I still had a morning bowl of granola or oatmeal with a drizzle maple syrup on it), but I was skipping dessert and sugary bread and other foods with refined sugar, and was feeling great about it.  

Then, my mom and brother came for dinner one night, and I wanted to serve a dessert-like treat, but I didn't want to do anything that would completely shatter my week of no sweets.  

I had seen some quinoa cookies from Food & Wine a few months before, and when I checked the sugar content, it was quite low, at least for cookies.  So I figured those would do the trick, so after a few alterations, I had some delicious shortbread cookies topped with a slightly sweetened cream and strawberries.  

Millet Shortbread Cookies with Sweet Cream and Strawberries
slightly adapted from Food & Wine

1/8 cup raw millet
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Hulled and sliced strawberries

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1- 2 Tbs sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla

In an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar.  Then add the egg and the vanilla.
In a smaller bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt and combine.  Pour the flour mixture in with the butter mixture, and then dump the millet in.  Mix until just combined, then chill for 30 minutes (I usually chill it in a sealed tupperware).

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Turn your dough onto a clean, lightly-floured surface, and roll it out into a sheet about 1/4 inch.  You can then cut them into rounds with a biscuit cutter, or take a knife and cut the raw edges off and cut them into 2" squares.

Transfer the cookies to a silicone-lined baking sheet, and cook them for 10-12 minutes, until they are a golden brown and kind of puffy.

While the cookies are in the oven, put the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla in a cool bowl, and whip until thick and fluffy.

Remove the cookies from the oven, and let them cool for 5-10 minutes, then top with sliced strawberries and whipped cream.