The road to the perfect gluten free and dairy free chocolate chip cookie recipe, indistinguishable from its classic counterpart, has been fraught with gritty flours, doughy centers, “weird” textures, runny batters, burnt edges, and many other dangers to my reputation in the kitchen. Countless experiments threatened to diminish my once legendary baking prowess in the eyes of my friends and family. The perfect chocolate chip cookie, shaped in my mind by a favorite Danish aunt and laden with real dairy butter and wheat flour, is thin and chewy with slightly browned, crisp edges and a decadent buttery, vanilla caramel finish set off by the richness of semisweet chocolate. Of course, the dough also has to taste great raw, something I’d found to be an enormous challenge even with semi-successfully baked gluten free versions.
Finally, all the sweat, risk, and pounds of gluten free flour have paid off. On this chilly Monday night, after getting myself ready for a 6:00 PM business meeting that was subsequently cancelled, I was all dressed with nowhere to go. My husband suggested we grab dinner and a couple of video rentals for the evening. Later, with a still rumbling stomach after a less than stellar dining experience, my husband attempted to comfort me with the promise of dessert. Unfortunately, wheat and dairy free diets almost always make desserts on the go a no go. The man just wouldn’t give up. He suggests chocolate chip cookies and hot cocoa with our movie. Once at home, I set to work on my own variation of a recipe I found in the cookbook, Baby Cakes Covers the Classics: Gluten-free Vegan Recipes from Donuts to Snickerdoodles, penned by bi-coastal gluten-free bakery chain owner Erin McKenna. My version isn’t vegan (I use an egg), but I offer substitution ideas to that end. The result is a cookie I wouldn’t have known was gluten and dairy-free had I not baked it myself…and the dough tasted fantastic! I dare say my late aunt would have given her blessing.
Perfect Gluten Free & Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup butter-flavored shortening or melted coconut oil
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar (light is okay, but dark gives more caramel flavor)
¾ cup granulated white sugar
3 Tblsp. almond milk
1 Tblsp. GF vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten free All Purpose Baking Flour
½ cup Garbanzo bean flour
½ cup Bob’s Red Mill sweet sorghum flour
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. xanthan gum
1 ½ - 2 cups vegan semisweet chocolate chips
*3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
Preheat oven to 375 degrees (ovens may vary). Cream sugars and shortening or melted coconut oil together. Add almond milk and vanilla. Beat in egg until batter has a whipped up appearance. In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, salt, soda, and xanthan gum. Add gradually to batter until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Taste that cookie dough! Now drop batter in rounded spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Cookies will look a little underdone in the middle but brown around the edges. Don’t worry – they’ll finish baking on the sheet after you remove them from the oven. Let cookies cool on sheet for at least two minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. If any of the cookies make it to the completely cool stage, store them in an airtight container or zippered plastic bag (don’t count on having to store them – they’ll probably disappear long before then).
If you like your cookies more cakelike, add one more egg. If you are vegan or avoiding eggs, try replacing the egg with flax. Stir one teaspoon ground flax into three teaspoons warm water and let stand for five minutes (the mixture will turn into a soft gel). Need to cut the fat further? Reduce your oil/shortening to ½ cup and replace with ½ cup unsweetened applesauce. Note: if you are using this method, reduce your white sugar to 1/3 cup and add ¼ cup of the GF all-purpose flour and an additional ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum. Other great add-ins might include GF oats, peanut butter, or even a pinch of cinnamon. What’s your favorite?
Enjoy with a tall glass of your favorite non-dairy milk or hot cocoa (great vegan recipe coming soon!) and some good company.
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