Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies ~ Land O Lakes

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies ~  Land O Lakes

2 1/4 cups Gluten-Free Flour Blend (see below)1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum ( I omit)

3/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar (I use less, about 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup sugar (I use organic sugar cane)

2     eggs

2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla

1 (12-ounce) package (2 cups) gluten-free semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips

Instructions:

Heat oven to 375°F. Combine flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum in medium bowl. Set aside.

Combine butter, brown sugar and sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla. Continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.

Reduce speed to low. Beat, gradually adding flour mixture, until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. (DO NOT OVERBAKE.) Let stand 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets. 

Gluten-Free Flour Blend: To make flour blend, combine 2 cups rice flour, 2/3 cup potato starch, 1/3 cup tapioca flour and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Use appropriate amount for recipe; store remainder in container with tight-fitting lid. Stir before using. 

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Muffin recipe from Elana's Pantry. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut flour (doesn't seem like a lot but it is the correct amount)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 6 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla 
• 1/3 cup grape seed oil
• 1/3 cup honey (Elana uses agave)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions

• mix in a bowl flour, soda, salt
• mix eggs, vanilla, oil, and honey 
• combine both mixtures
• fold in the blueberries

I made 18 mini muffins and baked them at 350 for 15 minutes. Elana writes that this recipe makes 12 muffins and baked them at 350 for 20-25 minutes. 

Coconut Brownies (gluten free & dairy free)

I bought a 1 lb bag of coconut flour months ago and still use it. Although it is expensive, I don't use much when I am baking.  For every 2 tablespoons of coconut flour, there is 70 calories, 2.5g fat, 6g dietary fiber, and 3g protein. It does not taste like coconut so you can enjoy these brownies if you are not a coconut lover. The brand I bought is in a 1 lb green bag called "LET"S DO...ORGANIC."


GLUTEN FREE COCONUT FLOUR BROWNIES
Alison's Wheat Free Brownies (recipe on the back of the coconut flour bag)


Ingredients~ 


1/3 cup butter or non-dairy alternative (I used Earth Balance)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla (I use bourbon vanilla)
1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted 
1 cup chocolate chips, optional


Directions ~


Preheat the oven to 350. In a medium saucepan over low heat, blend butter and cocoa powder. Remove from heat and let cool. In a separate bowl (I used my kitchen aid mixer), mix the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Blend this into the cocoa mixture. Stir in the coconut flour until the batter is no longer lumpy. Add the chocolate chips, if desired. Bake in pre-greased 8x8 baking pan for 30-35 minutes. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free & Dairy Free & Egg Free & Grain Free)

I have been wanting to try a chocolate chip cookie recipe that was gluten free, dairy free, and grain free (as much as possible).  I found this recipe on the Spunky Coconut website.  I love the website, however she uses expensive ingredients like coconut oil and coconut flour.  I don't use the ingredients on a regular basis, so I don't worry too much about using them.

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Add to bowl:

1/2 cup applesauce (I used unsweetened)

3 tbsp flax seed meal or 1.5 tbsp Chia seed meal (I used flax)

1/2 tsp guar gum (I substituted xanthan gum which is not grain free)

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

12 drops vanilla liquid stevia (I omitted this and still thought the chocolate chip cookies were sweet enough)

1 tsp vanilla extract (I use burbon vanilla which does not contain any added sugar and i)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup honey or coconut sugar (I use honey)

1/4 cup coconut oil, liquified  (can also you ghee or butter)

Mix with electric mixer (I use my kitchen aid mixer)

Add:

1 cup almond meal flour (I use Honeyville grain blanched almond flour)

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder (you can make grain free baking powder but I used regular)

1/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I use Guittard Dark Chocolate Chips because they are dairy free and I used about 1/2 cup)

Mix again.

Roll into balls and flatten the balls in your hands. (they don't really change shape in the oven)

Or roll out with a rolling pin and use cookie cutters =)

Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.

http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/2010/02/chocolate-chip-cookies-gluten-free.html

Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes ~ gluten free goddess

www.glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com


These are her instructions from her website. Purple writing is what I did. Non-dairy version in green. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cupcake tin with paper or parchment liners.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together: 

1 cup sorghum flour or brown rice flour (I used Bob's Red Miill sweet sorghum flour) (1/2 cup brown rice flour & 1/2 cup sorghum flour)
1 cup tapioca starch 
1 cup organic cane sugar 
1/2 teaspoon sea salt 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon xanthan gum 

Add in: 

1 cup vanilla soy, rice, coconut, or almond milk (used vanilla almond milk) (1% regular milk)
1/4 cup organic free-range eggs, beaten or Ener-G egg replacer (equivalent to one large egg, which I used)
3 tablespoons coconut oil (melt before adding or it will be clumpy) (unsalted butter softened)
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract 
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice 

Beat with a mixer until the cake batter is smooth. Do not over-beat. 

Using an ice cream scoop, plop the batter into the twelve liners (The first time I made these dairy free, I used 12 liners/cupcakes and there was too much batter. When I made them non dairy the second time, I did 18 cupcakes and the cupcakes turned out better) Smooth out the tops with wet fingers. 

Bake in the center of a preheated oven until firm and dome shaped. For me this took about 15-18 minutes at sea level but they may take up to 20 to 22 minutes, depending upon your particular oven and altitude. (It took me 20 minutes)

Cool the pan on a wire rack briefly, then gently pop out the cupcakes and continue cooling on a rack (this avoids steaming the bottoms). 


I used the Pillsbury Strawberry icing (gluten free). I froze the rest of the cupcakes for Kaitlyn's Birthday. I am doing most things ahead of time since I work this weekend. 

Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones

My husband's cousin Debby sent me this recipe many months ago and I am finally trying it because I finally found Millet flour.

Ingredients

• 1 cup millet flour ( I used Bob's Red Mill)
• 1 cup tapioca flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot flour/powder (I used Bob's Red Mill)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves, ground
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger, ground
• 6 tablespoons Spectrum Organic All Natural Butter Flavor Shortening (I did not use the butter flavored, just regular Spectrum) 
• 1 EnerG egg replacer (I used one large egg)
• 1/2 cups pumpkin, canned
• 3 tablespoons milk (I used vanilla almond milk)

Instructions

• Refrigerate Shortening until ready for use (30 minutes is good).
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use baking stone.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, stir together the dry ingredients. Add the chilled shortening in by the tablespoon. Mix on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with shortening pieces no larger than pea-size.

In a separate bowl, whisk together your egg replacer, pumpkin and allowed milk. Fold wet ingredients into dry and form into a dough ball. (You may need to use your hands to get it all fully incorporated.)

Pat out dough ball onto baking sheet until about 1 inch thick and form into a circle (I used a spatula). Refrigerate for 30 minutes, if not firm enough to form or cut. Cut triangle slices with large knife, then cut triangles in half, making a concentric circle. Here is my picture before I put it in the fridge:

Bake for 14-16 minutes (I did 20 minutes) @ 425 or until light brown. I thought the scones were looking dry but they did not taste dry. The inside seemed to not have cooked but it was cooked. Baking gluten free certainly is different and looks different....something I am still getting used to.

Make the sugar glaze and spread on top of the cooled scones.

Spiced Glaze: (I halved the recipe and found that was plenty)
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp allowed milk (I used vanilla almond milk)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

Allow icings to harden before serving or microwave about 15 seconds before serving and serve warm.

http://willingcook.com/the-willing-cook-a-long-pumpkin-scone-and-challenge-revision/

Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tomorrow Aiden goes back to school and I found that I did not have any gluten free snacks for him to take in his lunchbox. I tried out these cookies from glutenfreegoddess with some minor modifications (she makes these vegan) and they are a success as told by my husband and son.  I did not try these because I am not eating dairy but when I try this recipe again I will make it vegan like she does. The recipe below is what I did but there is a link below to her recipe. The picture shown below is what I made tonight. I believe the cookie is dark because of the buckwheat flour. 
Update 1/8/12: I made these using Spectrum Shortening instead so I can eat them. I also used Sorghum flour instead of the brown rice flour and semi-sweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli) instead of dark chocolate chips. I think I have eaten 10 so far tonight. SO YUMMY!!

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup buckwheat flour (yes buckwheat is gluten free)
1 cup brown rice or sorghum flour (I used brown rice flour)

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

Wet Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter.

1 1/2 cups brown sugar (I did not have enough brown sugar so I used 1/2 cup organic sugar cane)

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 tablespoon honey 

2 eggs

Add:

2-5 tablespoons milk, as needed (I used 2 tablespoons)

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

Whisk together the flours, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, baking soda and sea salt in a big mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until combined.

Add in beaten eggs and beat to combine.

Add in the dry ingredients a little bit at a time and beat to combine, until a dough forms, adding a tablespoon of milk at a time to achieve a sturdy, smooth dough (I used 2 tablespoons)

Add in the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough for an hour (gluten free dough is easier to handle when cold). 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Using a spoon, scoop wads of dough and form them into twenty round balls; place them on the lined cookie sheet (I use a silpat) about two inches apart. Press down on the dough balls ever so slightly, but keep a slightly mounded shape- not too flat (I used 2 wet fingers to press them down)

Bake in the center of a pre-heated oven for 12 to 15 minutes (I baked for 10 minutes), until the cookies are firm to the touch. Remove the cookies with a thin spatula and place them on a cooling rack. They will crisp as they cool (I let them cool about 3 minutes before taking them off the pan)

This recipe makes 20 large cookies. For some reason, the larger size bakes up better than smaller- crispy good on the outside and tender-chewy in the middle.

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2008/03/buckwheat-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies II

I figured out how to make gluten free sugar cookies with some minor modifications. Made the above cookies today 12/20/11

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
2/3 cup cornstarch (can also use arrowroot powder)
1/3 cup tapioca starch/flour
1 1/2 cups powdered/confectioner's sugar
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup cubed cold butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Place in a large food processor and using a metal blade, pulse about 3-4 times
2. Cut up the butter into sliced or cubes and add to the food processor and pulse about 10 times.
3. Add the egg and vanilla extract and pulse until the mixture forms a ball
4. Place the dough in a covered container and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours
5. Roll dough between parchment paper to about 1/4-1/2 inch thick then cut out your shapes.
6. Place on a cookie sheet and put in the fridge for about 10-20 minutes before baking. If the cookies get too soft they will not hold their shape while baking
6. Bake 6-8 minutes at 350, until lightly browned.

update 12/20: the thicker the cookie the softer it is. I left the dough in the fridge overnight so I had to let it soften a little before rolling out, then put the shapes back in the fridge before baking.

I modified from this original recipe: http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/seasonalandholiday/r/gfsugarcookies.htm
I followed this recipe in the beginning using vanilla extract instead of the lemon extract and omitting the lemon peel. They were too greasy and buttery when baked and burned too easily. I also could not make shapes as they flattened in the oven. I looked at other sugar cookie recipes that called for a cup of butter but had more of a flour ratio than this recipe.

"You Got Peanut Butter in My Chocolate" Cookies

The original recipe called for all purpose flour or barley flour. I made it gluten free using rice flour

1/4 cup unrefined sugar
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup white rice flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup maple syrup (I use honey)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4-1/3 cup peanut butter or almond butter

1. In a bowl combine sugar, chocolate chips, and salt (I put in my kitchen aid mixer)
2. Stir in rice flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and stir until well combined (add this to my mixer)
3. In a separate bowl, combine the maple strip, vanilla, canola oil, then add to the above mixture and mix until well combined.
4. Add the peanut butter, about a tablespoon at a time, so it swirls in with the chocolate
5. Scoop 1-2 tablespoons of the cookie mixture onto parchment lined baking sheet or silpat
6. Bake for 10-11 minutes at 350
7. Let cool before eating so the cookie does not break apart

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup blanched almond flour (I use honeyville grain brand as its the cheapest)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup creamy roasted peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons shortening (I used spectrum vegan shortening)
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda in kitchen aid mixer
2. Add honey, peanut butter, shortening, vanilla
3. Mix together until well blended
4. Scoop 1-2 Tablespoons at a time onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet (I use my silpat)
5. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes until golden

original recipe at www.elanaspantry.com uses agave instead of honey (I don't think I can tolerate agave due to high fructose content so I replaced with honey). I want to try using cane sugar to decrease the cost instead of using honey.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (from Kristin)

1 3/4 cup tapioca flour
1 tbsp pumpkin spice
1 tsp baking soda 
1/4 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar ( I used organic cane sugar)
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (I am sure you can substitute butter or another fat to make it cheaper)
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin (can use a little more to make more moist)
1 bag chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate chips)

Bake in muffin pan at 350 for about 40-45 mins. I also made some mini muffins.  Makes about 2 dozen big muffins. 


*I find that Gluten Free or Dairy Free recipes call for coconut oil which is very expensive so I want to experiment  with a cheaper versions*