Tis' the season of cookies!
I love to give homemade cookies as gifts. It still amazes me when I meet people who have never made cookies from scratch. Never. Not once.
There is such joy in creating something from scratch. This is actually what I love about gluten free baking.
Since I began baking gluten free over a year and a half ago, I haven't used one Betty Crocker cake mix. Not one.
And you know what? I don't miss it.
There have been a few times in this year and a half that I have eaten an occasional piece of regular cake, or a hamburger bun... and I've come to a startling realization that I really don't miss gluten. I like my own gluten free cakes, cookies, and breads much better. I know where my ingredients come from. I know what went into making them.
Do I miss the convenience of cooking and baking with gluten? Yes.
But I've learned that the un-convenience of this journey into real, whole, and filling foods is worth it.
I've learned not to take food for granted. I don't waste as much.
And I appreciate so. much. more.
I made these cookies for a lovely young lady who works with me. It has been such fun to see her mature as a student and discover new things. She is just now learning to cook, bake, and care for plants in her own apartment. For Christmas I wanted to do something special for her, so I decided to make her homemade cookies.
I found out that her favorite cookie was a "Chocolate Walnut Cookie." I don't know if these are exactly the kind of cookie she was talking about, but they are incredibly rich and delicious! Michael wanted to know why I had to give them away!
I revised my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe to create these cookies. We will be making lots of these cookies this Christmas season! If you love fudge, if you love walnuts, if you love chocolate in general... you will swoon over these cookies!
Double Fudge Walnut Cookies (Gluten Free, Casein Free)
Wet Ingredients:
4 tablespoons Crisco, butter, -or- Spectrum Palm Shortening
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients:
1/2 cup tapioca starch/flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Add In's:
1/2 cup (gluten free -or- allergen free) chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
In your stand mixer or by hand, mix Crisco (or butter, or Spectrum) with sugar and brown sugar, until fluffy and creamy. (*See detailed directions on how to "cream" butter and sugar here.) Add molasses, egg, and vanilla and mix well. Set aside.
In a medium sized mixing bowl whisk together ALL dry ingredients until thoroughly incorporated.
Add dry ingredients 1/4 cup at a time into the wet ingredients. Mix until batter is thoroughly combined. Dough will be stiff and thick.
Lastly using a wooden spoon, fold in chopped walnuts and chocolate chips.
Drop dough by tablespoons onto lined cookie sheets. Flatten cookie dough slightly with the bottom of your spoon. Bake for 8 minutes in a 350 degree oven until cookies are slightly puffy and a rich brown. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes then place on wire rack to completely cool. Store in an airtight container.
Makes 24-30 (2"-3") cookies.
(Printer-friendly version.)
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NEWS:
I will be posting the 2008 GLUTEN FREE Christmas Cookie Round up on Monday December 15th, 2008. If you have a cookie you would like added to the roundup, please email me at
gingerlemon_girl (at) yahoo (dot) com.
Happy Holidays!!