Month: February 2017

Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

My favorite cookie is not the Chocolate Chip Cookie. Actually, for years I would not eat them. Seriously, I did not like the bitter tasting chocolate that people used in them. Then one day I discovered MILK chocolate, chocolate chips. LIFE CHANGING! And then I found out I couldn’t have milk… BUT Mr. Wonderful’s favorite cookie is the Chocolate Chip Cookie. (Actually it is any cookie without raisins.)

I stopped buying wheat flours a couple of years ago, and since moving wheat has only entered the house through “processed” foods (wheat bread for the boys, cereals, and the occasional box of crackers). It really is to help me, because as much as I know I can not handle wheat/gluten containing foods, I have no willpower. So even when Mr. Wonderful wants to make cookies, he is usually dumbfounded or annoyed he can’t read my chicken scratch recipe book.

I came home from something and caught him trying to make these cookies. It was cute, but he was flustered. His main issue was we didn’t have any “normal” four in the house.

This recipe, I *thought* was ready months ago, but it was lacking reproducibility. Which is extremely important. If I couldn’t get the cookies to turn out every time, HOW IN THE WORLD would you!?!?!

What I found it came down to was temperature.

If my kitchen was too hot, they turned out one way.

If it was cool, another.

IT WAS FRUSTRATING!

Trying to solve the problem, I found that I was going to have to do something I hate, using a special flour blend. Because, sometime the cookies, need just a little bit more and sometimes just a little bit less. I thought refrigerating the dough would help, and it doesn’t always. But feel free to chill the dough!

I hate it when you see something on Pintrest, and you look at the recipe and it uses some store bought blend. I do not use those or buy them. They are expensive and honestly it is more cost effective to buy individual flours.

This recipe uses a SIMPLE blend, that I think will change how you make gluten free pastries.

I know some people have a hard time finding speciality flours, but I have a tip for you. GO TO YOUR LOCAL ASIAN MARKET! One. They will have all three of the flours this recipe calls for: millet, potato starch, and tapioca flour/starch. Two. They have the cheapest prices on these flours.

A couple of notes on this recipe, first, you MUST mix the xanthan gum into the fat. If you don’t they will be crumbly.

Second, don’t add all the flours at once. Add about 2 2/3 cup and see if you need more. Sticky dough needs more flour. if you need to add more, than the blend you made, just mix equal amounts of the three flours and add about a tablespoon of the mixer at a time until you get the right consistency. Cookies with too much flour will be dry, and taste overly floury.

Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies
 
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Gluten free cookies that are soft, chewy, and everything you miss about "real" cookies
Ashley Teare:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Serves: 3 dozen
Ingredients
  • ½ cup (113 g) Room temperature shortening
  • ½ cup (113 g) white sugar
  • ½ cup PACKED (190 g) light brown sugar
  • ½ tsp xanthan gum
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup (147 g) millet flour
  • 1 cup (190 g) Potato starch (*NOT potato FLOUR)
  • 1 cup (130 g) tapioca flour/starch
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp cream of tartar
  • 10-12 oz bag of chocolate chips
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the shortening, sugars, and xanthan gum until fluffy.
  3. Stir in the vanilla and eggs until well combined.
  4. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the millet flour, and starches until well combined.
  5. In a small bowl mix together the soda, salt, and tartar.
  6. Add about half of the flour to the fat, sugar, and egg mixture, along with all of the soda, tarter and salt. Stir, adding the remaining flour until the dough is no longer sticky.
  7. Stir in, by hand, chocolate chips.
  8. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes rotating after about 8 minutes.
Notes
1) Xanthan gum must be added to the fat otherwise you will have crumbly cookies.
2) 3 cups of the flour blend, should be more than enough. If you are above sea level you might need more. The blend is easy to adjust, by adding equal portions of each flour. Need an extra cup, mix together an additional ⅓ cup of the three flour and starches.
3) If you aren't sure you need more flour, bake a couple, if they spread, you need more flour.

 

 

 

Happiness and Sorrow

I haven’t given an update on our Daily Doings, as life has just been BUSY! Thanksgiving we drove up to Dallas, and spent a few days with my cousin and her family. Mr. Z has a second cousin who is 6 month younger than him and they had a blast chasing each other, riding bikes, and being boys.

Then for Christmas, we drove down to San Antonio to spend it with most of my mom’s side of the family. I believe at the height of the weekend there was 22 people in my grandparents house!

We had a good Christmas, and Mr. Z is enjoying all of his gifts. I think his Aunt won the Best Gift award this year with a set of gears. With his imagination and his desire to understand the world, those gears are constantly being constructed into some new contraption.

In January, Mr. Wonderful and I started school back up. We had a quiet birthday celebration for me. And the next day we had an ER visit.

Mr. Z almost cut the tip of his finger off and got four stitches to reattach the tip. It was terrible and bloody, with tears and screams.

I know that all the medical procedures that had to be performed were necessary, but listening and watching your child scream, yell, and fight against what is happening to him, is not easy. It was repeated, when we got his stitches out. I just hope now that he will be able to understand that hard things are necessary.

Our January has not been a great start for 2017. With an ER visit in our little family, our extended family has had its share of tears. Our hearts have been heavy with the death of my grandpa Dick. On Mr. Wonderful’s side, his grandfather is slowly approaching the other side. His dear mother has been by her father’s side for over a week. We pray for comfort and peace. We wish that we could be closer, so that we can physically mourn with those we love.

I didn’t get a chance to post this before, but Wednesday morning, Mr. Wonderful’s grandfather passes away peacefully in his sleep. We are grateful for his influence in our lives and wish peace to all who knew him.