Background: Cookies are usually produced from wheat flour and consumed daily as a convenient food. They are very popular in Nigeria especially among children. Therefore, cookies could be an excellent means to improve nutritional quality at least to the extent that they incorporate vegetable proteins.

Methods: Cookies were produced from blends of Faro 44 rice variety, African yam bean and brown cowpea seeds. Proximate and amylose composition of the flour blends was determined. Proximate, physical and sensory properties of the cookies was determined and compared to 100% wheat flour cookies.

Results: Proximate and amylose composition of the flour blends ranged as follows; moisture: 8% (75% rice: 25% African yam bean) to 14% (100% rice); protein: 12.86% (100% wheat) to 28.13% (50% rice: 50% African yam bean); Fat: 1.64% (100% rice) to 5.79% (100% cowpea); Ash: 1% (100% cowpea, 75% rice: 25% African yam bean, 50% rice: 50% African yam bean) to 1.97% (25% rice: 75% African yam bean); Crude fibre: 0.95% (100% wheat) to 6.27% (100% African yam bean); Carbohydrate: 52.62% (50% rice: 50% African yam bean) to 72.58% (100% wheat) and Amylose: 17.13% (100% rice) to 28.07% (100% African yam bean). Proximate composition of the cookies varied as follows; Moisture: 1.61% (25% rice: 75% African yam bean) to 4.54% (100% African yam bean), Protein: 13.66% (25% rice: 75% African yam bean) to 8.62% (100% rice), Fat: 9.93% (100% rice) to 14.08% (100% cowpea), Crude fibre: 1.80% (25% rice: 75% African yam bean) to 0.15% (100% wheat), Ash: 2.77% (100% cowpea) to 0.69% (100% rice), Carbohydrate: 65.06% (100% cowpea) to 78.24% (100% rice) and Energy: 430Kcal (50% rice: 50% brown cowpea) to 448Kcal (100% wheat). Diameter ranged from 5.83cm (100% wheat) to 4.53cm (50% rice: 50% cowpea), Thickness: 1.01cm (25% rice: 75% African yam bean) to 0.73cm (100% wheat), Weight: 18.89g (100% wheat) to 14.65g (75% rice: 25% African yam bean), Spread factor: 79.80% (100% wheat) to 46.80% (50% rice: 50% cowpea), Fragility: 5500g (100% wheat) to 2355g (100% brown cowpea). Results of sensory evaluation showed that Rice (100%) cookies were the most acceptable (7.05) while 100% African yam bean cookies had the least overall acceptability (5.40).

Conclusion: Acceptable cookies could be produced from rice-cowpea or rice-African yam bean blends. These cookies are comparable to wheat based cookies with improved nutritional and sensory attributes. Production of cookies from rice-cowpea or rice-African yam bean blends may be an answer to increase in consumption and utilization of these lesser known legumes with the resultant effect of increased intake of quality protein, minerals and dietary fibre.

physicochemical properties, cookies, energy values, physical properties, sensory properties.