I am sitting in the Westin where the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo is in Dallas and all I can think about is the bag of these cookies that I left on my kitchen table when I left. (I know, cookie abuse).
I would love to paint you a picture of the comedy of errors that was our 8 hour adventure to Dallas. There were cancelled flights, gate changes and airline rebookings galore. There was one little box of dried fruit and gluten-free airline snacks were few and far between. I am about to melt into bed from exauhstion.
But, I digress, this isn’t a post about air travel woes.
I love chocolate chip cookies. In college, I had the recipe for toll house cookies memorized. I could whip up a batch half asleep when I wanted to do something nice for my roommates before I left for the day or at 3 in the morning as sustenance to get a study group through a marathon final exam study session. I am not even sure if I measured most of the time because I knew the recipe so well.
I have made so many failed batches of gluten free chocolate chip cookies that I was certain that I was never going to eat a good one again.
But man, I had a craving for some cookies. As much as I love pumpkin, I needed a break from pumpkin-themed baked goods. I wanted a good, old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie. And, since I know a thing or two about chocolate chip cookies, I wanted to elevate these beyond the ones that you learned to make in junior high. They have a soft, chewy center with crispy golden edges where the sugars caramelized. The secret to the dynamite flavor? Semi-sweet chocolate chips (I beg you not to use milk chocolate! They will be too sweet) and toffee bits. The toffee bits melt slightly into the cookies and add a surprise layer of caramel goodness.
Oh, and there is no creaming til light and fluffy, no letting your butter soften and no pre-heating the oven. Just go with me here. And don’t deviate from the recipe. At least the first time. You will be happy you listened to me.
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- 250g (2 cups) gluten free all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons xantham gum (if your blend doesn’t have it)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- teaspoon salt
- 170g (1½ sticks)unsalted butter, cold
- 200g (1 cup lightly packed) brown sugar
- 100g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 200g chocolate chips
- 100g heath chips
- Sift together your flour (or flours), xantham gum (if using), baking powder and salt.
- Grate the butter on a box grater or microplane into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Cream together the sugars and butter untill the mixture resembles sand. You don’t want to get to the light and fluffy stage.
- Add the vanilla, egg & yolk. Stir to combine.
- Add the flour in 2 parts. Scrape down the bowl and mix completely before adding more flour.
- Stir in heath bits and chocolate chips.
- Scoop 2 teaspoon portions onto a greased cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and pop your cookie sheet in the freezer for 15-20 minutes while your oven heats up.
- Put the cold cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on the tray for about 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. Maes about 3 dozen cookies…if you don’t eat half the dough yourself.