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July 29, 2020This is about...
THIN AND CRISPY GLUTEN-FREE Chocolate Chip Cookies,
VEGAN OR NOT---YUM!
THIN AND CRISPY GLUTEN-FREE Chocolate Chip Cookies,
VEGAN OR NOT---YUM!
I AM A COOKBOOK JUNKY. When I lived in NJ, I had one whole room filled with my collection addiction. There were so many that when I moved to upstate NY-- with way less book storage-- I donated a majority of them to the library at Monmouth University. Yes,
there's even a cookbook section in a college library with my name on it!
UNFORTUNATELY, I NEVER LEARNED MY LESSON. If a cookbook attracts my attention, I HAVE to have it. Case in point, just last week, 2 more arrived from my super easy, favorite bookseller, Amazon, "Buvette"(a favorite restaurant in NYC) and "Superiority Burgers" also in NYC.
With another recent purchase, "Huckleberry," the picture on the cover was so delicious that I just HAD to have it- doesn't take much to sway me. I wasn't disappointed by the recipes either. It's not a gluten-free baking book, but they do have their own gluten-free mix recipe that tastes way better than when you buy a pre-made bagged mix. It's a combination of brown rice, and gluten-free oat flours, potato starch, and cornmeal. There's no xanthan gum or guar gum added, but I don't think you need it for these cookies, vegan or not.
FOR THESE CHOCOLATE COOKIES, I USED THE HUCKLEBERRY GLUTEN-FREE MIX, BUT YOU CAN SUB IN ANY GF FLOUR MIX (with xanthan or guar gum) of your choice. I've got the vegan and the non-vegan ingredients side-by-side in the recipe. I'm a fan of thin and crispy cookies and these will get you there. Opting for the butter version is my fave way to go, just for the flavor. But, the vegan butter will make tasty cookies too.
LESSONS Learned:
1. No need to haul out the mixer, a spoon or whisk will work just fine.
2. For the chocolate hazelnut butter, I like Justins. I don't use Nutella because it's mostly sugar. You could try almond or peanut butter too.
3. To insure thin cookies, make sure to flatten the cookies with wet fingers or the back of the spoon.
4. Let the cookies cool on the pan. They will crisp up as they cool.
5. The vegan version will spread a little more and be slightly less crispy, but still delicious.
Thin and Crispy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Vegan or Not
(slightly adapted from Karen Sheer)
Ingredients:
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, or vegan butter sticks, softened, I like Earth Balance soy free sticks
3/4 cup coconut sugar, organic
½ cup chocolate hazelnut butter, I like Justin’s
1 large egg, room temperature, or an egg substitute like Neat Eggs, or flax eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon sea salt, use 1/4 t. with the vegan butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
¾ cup gluten free mix, I used the Huckleberry GF flour with no xanthan gum, recipe below, but Bob's Red Mill or Pamela's is fine, which includes a thickener
½ teaspoon baking soda
Make the cookies:
Place 2 racks in the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, add the softened butter or vegan butter and chocolate/hazelnut butter, and stir until well combined. Add the sugar, using a wire whisk or spoon, and stir until creamy. Add the flax egg or egg substitute, vanilla and sea salt, stirring to combine.
Place a strainer over the bowl, and sift the GF flour and baking soda into the bowl. Mix until completely incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips or pieces until evenly distributed.
Using a 1 3/4" scoop or 2 Tablespoon amounts, scoop 10 cookies onto each of the 2 pans spaced evenly apart. Wet the back of a spoon, and flatten the cookie dough mounds in a circular motion to about 1/4" high, re-wetting the spoon as needed.
Bake 15-17 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Cool on the pan. Store in an air-tight cookie tin lined with aluminum foil.
Makes 20 cookies. YUM!
Huckleberry Gluten-Free Flour Mix:
1 1/4 cups + 2 Tablespoons brown rice flour
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons oat flour
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons potato starch
1/4 cup cornmeal
Stir all the ingredients together in a medium size bowl with a whisk. Store in an air-tight container indefinitely at room temperature.
Xanthan Gum Note: I don't add the xanthan gum to the mix but prefer to add it, if needed per recipe. Add 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum per cup of GF flour mix. Makes 3 1/4 cups.
UNFORTUNATELY, I NEVER LEARNED MY LESSON. If a cookbook attracts my attention, I HAVE to have it. Case in point, just last week, 2 more arrived from my super easy, favorite bookseller, Amazon, "Buvette"(a favorite restaurant in NYC) and "Superiority Burgers" also in NYC.
With another recent purchase, "Huckleberry," the picture on the cover was so delicious that I just HAD to have it- doesn't take much to sway me. I wasn't disappointed by the recipes either. It's not a gluten-free baking book, but they do have their own gluten-free mix recipe that tastes way better than when you buy a pre-made bagged mix. It's a combination of brown rice, and gluten-free oat flours, potato starch, and cornmeal. There's no xanthan gum or guar gum added, but I don't think you need it for these cookies, vegan or not.
FOR THESE CHOCOLATE COOKIES, I USED THE HUCKLEBERRY GLUTEN-FREE MIX, BUT YOU CAN SUB IN ANY GF FLOUR MIX (with xanthan or guar gum) of your choice. I've got the vegan and the non-vegan ingredients side-by-side in the recipe. I'm a fan of thin and crispy cookies and these will get you there. Opting for the butter version is my fave way to go, just for the flavor. But, the vegan butter will make tasty cookies too.
LESSONS Learned:
1. No need to haul out the mixer, a spoon or whisk will work just fine.
2. For the chocolate hazelnut butter, I like Justins. I don't use Nutella because it's mostly sugar. You could try almond or peanut butter too.
3. To insure thin cookies, make sure to flatten the cookies with wet fingers or the back of the spoon.
4. Let the cookies cool on the pan. They will crisp up as they cool.
5. The vegan version will spread a little more and be slightly less crispy, but still delicious.
(slightly adapted from Karen Sheer)
Ingredients:
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, or vegan butter sticks, softened, I like Earth Balance soy free sticks
3/4 cup coconut sugar, organic
½ cup chocolate hazelnut butter, I like Justin’s
1 large egg, room temperature, or an egg substitute like Neat Eggs, or flax eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon sea salt, use 1/4 t. with the vegan butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
¾ cup gluten free mix, I used the Huckleberry GF flour with no xanthan gum, recipe below, but Bob's Red Mill or Pamela's is fine, which includes a thickener
½ teaspoon baking soda
Make the cookies:
Place 2 racks in the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, add the softened butter or vegan butter and chocolate/hazelnut butter, and stir until well combined. Add the sugar, using a wire whisk or spoon, and stir until creamy. Add the flax egg or egg substitute, vanilla and sea salt, stirring to combine.
Place a strainer over the bowl, and sift the GF flour and baking soda into the bowl. Mix until completely incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips or pieces until evenly distributed.
Using a 1 3/4" scoop or 2 Tablespoon amounts, scoop 10 cookies onto each of the 2 pans spaced evenly apart. Wet the back of a spoon, and flatten the cookie dough mounds in a circular motion to about 1/4" high, re-wetting the spoon as needed.
Bake 15-17 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Cool on the pan. Store in an air-tight cookie tin lined with aluminum foil.
Makes 20 cookies. YUM!
Huckleberry Gluten-Free Flour Mix:
1 1/4 cups + 2 Tablespoons brown rice flour
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons oat flour
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons potato starch
1/4 cup cornmeal
Stir all the ingredients together in a medium size bowl with a whisk. Store in an air-tight container indefinitely at room temperature.
Xanthan Gum Note: I don't add the xanthan gum to the mix but prefer to add it, if needed per recipe. Add 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum per cup of GF flour mix. Makes 3 1/4 cups.