Tuesday, December 18, 2012

The Perfect Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies


Christmas is synonymous with home-baked treats.  It seems at this time of the year, everyone is baking their favorite treats from sugar cookies, to gingerbread men, and even the dreaded fruitcake. But nothing is more comforting than a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies.  My husband absolutely loves chocolate chip cookies and loves it when I bake them for him.  It became my mission to make chocolate chip cookies that are gluten free that will also pass his taste test. And I think I finally cracked the recipe that our whole family can enjoy.

The secret is in the brown sugar and vanilla.  Chocolate chip cookies are at their best when they are soft and gooey and my fellow gluten-freers know that gluten free flours tend to be on the dry side.  Adding extra brown sugar and vanilla keeps the cookies moist and soft.  To start this recipe, you will need:

2 1/4 of gluten-free flour mix
1 teaspoon of xantham gum
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons gluten-free vanilla
1 package of semi-sweet gluten free chocolate chips

In a large bowl, whisk together flour mix, xantham gum, salt, and baking soda.  Then, set aside.  In a separate bowl with an electric or stand mixer, mix together sugars until well-combined.  Then beat in softened butter at a medium speed, making sugar that and butter are completely combined but not over-miexed.  Then, one at a time, stir in the eggs while the mixer is going.  Once they are completely combined, add in the vanilla.  Once all of the wet ingredients are combined, start adding in the dry mix a little at a time, scraping down the side of the bowl as you go.  Then, stir in the chocolate chips.  Cover and refrigerate the batter for at least one hour.  This prevents the cookies from spreading and not cooking thoroughly in the middle, which can be a problem for gluten-free cookies.

Once the batter is sufficiently cooled, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Drop rolled, tablespoon amounts of dough on to an baking sheet.  Bake for 9-10 minutes or, until golden-browned.  Remove from the oven and let cookies sit on the baking sheet for about a minute to set.  Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool.  Then, enjoy with a cold glass of milk! I think these need to be added to Allergy-Free Wednesday...

Do you have any classic, comfort  recipes you've made gluten-free?  Share in the comments section!

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