By: Nancy Haggerty
Hello everyone! I am so thrilled to be a guest blogger for Safe Eats. What a great organization to be a part of and I am honored to be able to share some of my recipes with you all.
This cookie recipe is one of my all time favorites and it’s gone through an evolution as I’ve perfected my craft over the years. Yet it still reminds me of my very first venture into the art of baking gluten free.
Chocolate Chip Cookies:
1/2 Tablespoon flax meal
2 Tablespoons water
6 Tablespoons (84g) vegetable shortening (I use Earth Balance brand)
1 cup (150g) light brown sugar
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2/3 cup (81g) brown rice flour (I use Authentic Foods brand)*
1/3 cup + 1 1/2 Tablespoons (60g) white rice flour (I use Authentic Foods brand)*
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 Tablespoon coconut milk (I use Native Forest brand)*
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line one standard size cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the flax meal with the water in a small bowl and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl cream together the vegetable shortening with the light brown sugar by mixing on low for a few minutes.
4. In a separate bowl combine the tapioca flour, brown rice flour, white rice flour, salt, baking soda, and xanthan gum. Whisk these dry ingredients together. Set aside.
5. Add the flax meal and water mixture to the creamed vegetable shortening and brown sugar mixture along with the coconut milk. Mix on low until fully combined.
6. Then gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. Mix on low until all the ingredients are fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. It should look and feel just like cookie dough.
7. Finally, add the chocolate chips and mix on low for about 15 seconds. Use a spoon or scoop to make round balls about 1-1 1/2 inches in size. Space cookie balls about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Flatten each ball so they are the shape of cookies (they will not flatten much on their own during baking). Bake on the middle rack for 10 minutes or until cookies are easy to remove with a spatula. If they are still soft bake for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on a cooling rack.
Makes about 24 cookies.
*A word on substitutions: Many gluten free flours can be substituted for others, such as quinoa, sorghum and millet. However, each flour has its own weight, texture, and viscosity. Therefore, it may alter the end result. Always use a combination of flours for best results. If substituting coconut milk in this recipe with another dairy alternative use ½ Tablespoon as other dairy alternatives are thinner than coconut milk.
Nancy Haggerty is a food blogger at www.aglutenfreedairyfreelife.com and has been perfecting the art of gluten and dairy free since 2007. She lives in Westchester, NY with her son, Kenyon and husband, Ben. We are so grateful for Nancy’s contribution. Please check out her blog and try out more of her delicious recipes!
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