Nutella Cookies

I had an incident while baking with Nutella a few years ago.  It was actually on a Superbowl Sunday.  This was well before I was gluten free, and I was making some kind of banana Nutella brownie swirl thing.  Well, brown sugar was an ingredient, but mine was all hard and wouldn't pack.  So, I put a bunch of it into a plastic measuring cup, and microwaved (on what I thought was a low power) for about 30 seconds to get it to soften up.  When I took it out, I pushed the sugar down with my finger.  Turns out, I had not microwaved on low, and all the sugar underneath the top layer had turned into MAGMA.  Which if course, oozed out, stuck to my finger and burned it so badly that when I went to the health center on campus Monday, I was told I was so lucky that I hadn't lost that part of the finger.  Don't think I didn't finish making the brownies or go to the Superbowl party though.  And, if I remember correctly, my surrogate favorite team (the Green Bay Packers) won that year.  Despite the Packers' triumphant win, somehow, I haven't baked with Nutella since then.  I don't think it was a conscious effort, but it's definitely silly, mostly because Nutella is amazing.  You know what else is good, and might also be good in these cookies?  The flavored Nutella-esque swirl creations that they sell at World Market.

They also have banana chocolate, and sometimes, strawberry chocolate.  I think those would be equally good in this recipe.  Anyway. . . 

You guys, these are CHEWY.  Yes.  A gluten free cookie that is CHEWY.

Not:

or

No, it's the mouthfeel that you MISS a lot when you go gluten free.  I've always liked things that were chewy.  I love gummy candies, licorice, and even used to beg my mother to make my cream of wheat with "chewy lumps" (which, she could always do better than anyone else in the world).  But, since going gluten free, my chewy moments have been few and far between.  So, this cookie?  Really does it for me in both flavor, and chew departments.

Nutella Cookies from Gluten Free on a Shoestring

1 c. (140 g.) high-quality all-purpose gluten free flour (more on this below)

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (if your brand has it already, skip this)

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 c. white sugar

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

4 tbsp. Nutella

1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped (I used 1 ounce chocolate chips, I lived to tell the tale)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 extra-large egg, room temp, lightly beaten

1.  Preheat oven to 325.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.  Mix flour, xanthan gum (if not omitting), baking soda, salt, white and light brown sugar in a bowl.  Make sure to eliminate any lumps in brown sugar (I crushed some of the particularly stubborn pellets with my fingers).

3.  In a small sauce pan on low heat, melt butter and Nutella until smooth.  Remove from heat and add chocolate.  Mix until mixture is smooth.  Add vanilla extract and stir.

4.  Pour chocolate mixture into dry ingredients.  Mix to combine (this will seem very crumbly).  Add the egg and mix.  The mix will still seem crumbly, but will come together.  Knead the dough until smooth.

5.  Pull off a small piece of dough (Nicole says about 1 inch in diameter or about 30 g).  Roll it tightly into a ball, then flatten between your hands into a disk.  Place dough disks on lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart.  

6.  Bake on center rack for about 9 minutes until spread and slightly cracked on top.  

7.  Remove sheet pan from oven, and allow cookies to cool on pan before removing to rack.

I really love these cookies.  I really love Gluten-Free on a Shoestring.  I'll be honest with you, I'm going to be making a lot of Nicole's recipes.  Not just because they all look delicious, but because I've had some success with her recipes and flour blends.  I made these cookies (and will be making most things) with the Better than Cup4Cup flour.  Using that blend has really helped me feel successful as a baker again, which I really wasn't sure was going to happen.  I have been really apprehensive about getting back into baking, and so I started with mixes, and flourless recipes.  But, seeing how well this particular blend works has given me a bit more confidence about pursuing some more adventurous recipes!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I really enjoy baking.  I have been a gluten-full baker for quite awhile, and I've always specialized in cookies and cold pies.  Fruit pies (particularly apple) have always been an Achilles heel for me, but I still love to try.  Plenty of sweet things that are naturally gluten free like candy or fudge, but cookies, cakes, and pies often require gluten free flours.  The other gluten free cookies I've made don't require flour, and neither do these.  So if you're a little nervous about using gluten free flour blends, but you still want something that you and gluten-full friends can eat, this is a great recipe.

Peanut butter cookies are one of my favorites.  Sometimes, the classics are the best.  There's a place in the world for Guiness cupcakes with a Bailey's whipped cream frosting.  There is.  But sometimes, you just want a peanut butter cookie.  Simple and sweet.  The gluten-full recipe for peanut butter cookies is pretty simple, white sugar, brown sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, peanut butter, butter and egg.  This recipe is only slightly more simplified.  If you're taking baby steps into gluten-free baking, this is a great starting point.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla (optional, but I used it, and would recommend it)

1.  Preheat oven to 350F.

2.  Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon.

3.  Place hand-rolled tablespoon sized dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet, one inch apart

4.  Using a fork with tines dipped in sugar, press dough balls down in criss-cross pattern.

5.  Bake on center rack for approximately 10 minutes.

6.  Cool cookies on sheet before removing to rack.

Crispy edged, sweet/salty goodness that even gluten-full eaters will enjoy!  I will be working on a flour-blend version of these cookies that looks more like a traditional peanut butter cookie, so stay tuned.  I've found what I think is a fantastic flour blend, and I want to give it a try, but we've got to eat these lovelies first!

Product Review: Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, this weekend, I'll be heading out to Sunset Beach, NC for a friend's bachelorette party.  This friend is ALSO gluten free, so I wanted to make some goodies that we could enjoy while we're soaking up some sun and celebrating.  I made some pineapple orange gluten free cupcakes (to be written in another post) from scratch, but decided to go with a box mix for some chocolate chip cookies.  Betty Crocker makes a line of gluten free products that have gotten pretty good reviews from other gluten free blogs I've read, so I decided to give their mix a try.

The mix requires a stick of softened butter, vanilla, and one egg.  I would recommend a few extra chocolate chips if you like a lot of chocolate or chunks (I like a very chippy cookie).  All that's required is to mix the butter, vanilla, and egg first, then add the mix.  The dough that results is very crumbly.  I found mixing it with a wooden spoon was pretty futile so I just dove in there with clean hands and squeezed the dough, which resulted in something a bit more compact.  The texture after using my hands was a lot more like what you would get with a "place and bake" cookie from the refrigerated section of the grocery store.  I formed the dough into balls, placed two inches apart (fit 6 cookies to a sheet) and baked. The resulting cookies are very good.  Generally, I like a buttery chocolate chip cookie, which is pretty flat and has a little bit of a crispy edge to it.  These cookies actually come pretty close to what I would normally bake with all purpose flour.  I definitely prefer these cookies to the Bob's Red Mill that I've made before.  Bob's Red Mill was not unpleasant, but had a beany aftertaste to it that I didn't like that well.  These don't have that aftertaste, and they're about as close as I've eaten to the scratch made, gluten-filled toll house cookies I've been making for years.

I would recommend these to anyone, and they're definitely user friendly.  If you're not gluten free and want to bake for someone who is, this is a really easy way to make something that your gluten free friend will be happy with.  If you are gluten free, you can bake these up, take them to a party, and no one would notice that they're a gluten free cookie.

Cookie, cookie, cookie starts with C!

I love cookies.  Anyone that knows me really well knows that not only do I enjoy eating them, I enjoy making them.  Out of the big three (cookies, cakes and pies) I would say, (and I think my husband would agree) that I am most proficient with cookies.  Because getting into gluten free baking can be really tough, I've decided to post a recipe that doesn't involve flour.  This way, there's no searching for a decent blend of flours, or a good all purpose mix that you're happy with.  This is just every day ingredients, and very simple.

Crackle cookies are one of my favorites.  I love how chewy they are.  I used to "cheat" and make them with boxed cake mix.  They're a wonderful cookie because they're a great vehicle for any flavor chip, nuts, and even chopped up fruits if one is so inclined.  But, I didn't make traditional crackle cookies.  These cookies certainly crackle, and they are fudgy, but they're quite like a meringue.  In this iteration of crackles, I used peanut butter chips, because several of my local supermarkets didn't carry the coveted dark chocolate/mint nestles morsels that sell out every holiday season.  I managed to get my hands on one bag this year, and apparently, that was all I was destined to have.  But chocolate and peanut butter is one of my most favorite flavor combinations, and they marry so nicely in this cookie.

Chocolate Crackles with Peanut Butter Chips
3 c. powdered sugar
2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt
3-4 egg whites at room temperature**
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. peanut butter morsels (you can use whatever flavor you choose)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
3.  Whisk together powder sugar, cocoa powder and salt.
4.  Whisk in vanilla and egg whites. **I used 3 egg whites and a full egg.  I had to add a bit of extra powder sugar and cocoa powder to compensate.  Normally, one would just add 2-3 egg whites and then decide whether or not you need the fourth.  The last time I made these, I needed that extra egg.  This time I didn't but I preemptively added it.  Ah well, extra batter, what a shame!
5.  Beat until the batter is moistened.  It should look thick and fudgy!

This batter is not done.  It's shiny and beautiful, but still too runny.

This batter IS done. 

6.  Although the batter looks thick, it probably isn't TOO thick.  But, if for some reason, you feel like it's just far too thick, add another egg.  But, I promise, it's probably not too thick.  You'll note that as you continue scooping out cookies, the batter will get thicker.  That's fine.

My precious.

This is just how it should look.  Thick and shiny!

7.  Scoop by heaping teaspoon-full onto the parchment lined baking sheets.

I wanted to make these pretty small because it's a very sweet cookie.
I would recommend a slight bit more space between than these.

8.  Bake for 12-14 minutes.  The tops should be cracked in some places, and shiny in others.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet before removing to rack.

These cookies are delightfully crisp on the outside like a meringue, and fudgy on the inside like the best brownie you've ever had.  Any type of chip you use should work out very well in this recipe.  Tell me about your own experiences with these cookies in the comments!