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.
- 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
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the shortening, sugars, and xanthan gum until fluffy.
- Stir in the vanilla and eggs until well combined.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the millet flour, and starches until well combined.
- In a small bowl mix together the soda, salt, and tartar.
- 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.
- Stir in, by hand, chocolate chips.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes rotating after about 8 minutes.
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.