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!

Breaded Baked Pork Chops

Yes fellow GFers, I said breaded.  Plenty of people who have been at this longer than I have make successful substitute recipes. I haven't really tried one yet.  The boxed/bagged substitute products I've tried so far have been pretty good, with the only exception being my first major fail with homemade pizza crust.  When I wrote that post, I said that I would try that flour in other recipes, and tonight was the night.

Pork chops are a go-to main dish for me.  I almost always have at least 3 on hand (my husband gets two, I eat one).  They're a blank canvas, ready and waiting for whatever delicious things you want to do with them.  Although my love of mustard and pork chops together is no secret, tonight wasn't about mustard.  It was all about breading.

I have briefly mentioned my history with bread.  My Dad worked at a bread factory for most of my young life, and I had fresh bread in my house every day.  We couldn't eat it fast enough in our house.  I am also a huge fan of just about anything breaded and fried.  Boneless chicken wings?  Oh my God, yes.  These are definitely on the "replicate this and make the heck out of it until you get it right" list.  I don't think I'll be able to live my life without them.  Another item on the list?  Breaded pork chops.

It should come as a surprise to no one that I was a weird kid.  But, unfortunately for me, I was also an extremely picky eater.   My parents were great though and made me sit at the table and eat the food they put in front of me.  But, it was never a fight when then pork chops were breaded.  There were many, many meals that consisted of shake and bake pork chops or chicken because saying "Damnit Morgan, just eat it," apparently gets frustrating after more than 5 years.  Although my taste buds have definitely matured, and I can eat meat in many different forms and preparations, I still love a spicy, slightly salty, breaded pork chop or chicken breast.

My very patient husband has been dutifully eating all the stuff I've put in front of him for the last month.  This was my first attempt at substituting gluten free ingredients in a traditionally wheat flour meal.  I was nervous that it wouldn't be up to snuff.  And my husband doesn't lie about things to make me feel better.  If my food sucks, he says it sucks (but in a nice way).  He knows I want to be a good cook, and he knows I'll never get better if he blows sunshine up my butt about crappy food I made.  It's also just not in his nature to lie about that kind of stuff.  So I knew I'd get an honest review from him.

And, it got a "delicious" out of him.  I also thought it was right on the money.  No, it's not shake and bake, but that wasn't the intention.  If I'd wanted something like shake and bake I would have used something with gluten free bread crumbs or the like.  This was just a traditional breaded and baked pork chop.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did tonight!  Sorry about not having pictures.  We didn't eat until near 8:00 and I was starving.  There was no pulling out the camera to document the recipe process tonight!

Gluten Free Breaded and Baked Pork Chops

4 boneless pork chops
2 tbsp. all purpose gluten free flour mix (I used Namaste)
2 tbsp. cornmeal
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. rubbed sage
1/2 tsp. paprika (I used hot paprika rather than mild)
1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 c. (approx.) milk

1.  Mix flour, cornmeal, salt, rubbed sage, paprika, brown sugar and onion powder in a bowl or ziptop plastic bag.

2.  In a shallow bowl, pour milk.  Dip each side of each pork chop in the milk and then coat each pork chop in the flour mixture (I used a zip top bag and shook it up).

3.  Place the floured pork chops in a shallow baking dish that has been oiled, sprayed with non-stick spray or buttered, and bake, uncovered in a 425 degree oven for about 40 minutes, or until the juices run clear.

I served this one with green beans (you'll notice this is a common side dish, as it's my favorite vegetable), and baked potatoes topped with cheesy broccoli.  I was extremely satisfied with the results of this one, and will definitely make it exactly the same way again.  I was a little wary of using this flour blend again because of the less than appetizing results of my first experiment with homemade gluten free pizza crust, but gluten free flours (even all purpose blends) can be good for different things.  This one (Namaste) worked out very well as a breading flour and I was really pleased with the taste.

One of my biggest concerns with this lifestyle is making sure that my dietary restriction doesn't make my husband miserable.  I HAVE to make food that I can eat without getting sick, but I WANT to make food that he will love to eat as well, because that's always been something that's important to me.