Chewy Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies from Alton Brown

As I move forward to cooking and baking more gluten free foods, I’m trying to learn from all different avenues, just as I was before being diagnosed.  After all, it’s not as though I was a chef before; I have many things to learn regardless of my diet!  Nevertheless, I found this recipe (while no doubt craving chocolate), and I liked that I already had the ingredients on hand :)  It’s true!  When you have a gluten free kitchen, brown rice flour, tapioca flour and many other sorts are commonly on hand.

In fact, the sous chef and I have an entire freezer of flour!  I don’t lie, my friends.  I order our flour in bulk from Amazon in order to save money.  In case it’s a news flash for you, diets, regardless of the type, aren’t cheap.  Thus, I’d like to consider myself somewhat thrifty in finding ways to save.

Ok, I digress.  These cookies are amazing!  People honestly cannot tell that they are gluten free.  If you are not familiar with tapioca flour/starch, it’s a sweet flavor.  Hence it’s utilization here!  Also, brown rice flour is surprisingly sweet as well.  Brown rice flour is used in most baking recipes anyway though.  I’d say it’s a staple in GF baking.  I think this recipe is easily my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe.  The sous chef and I would highly encourage you baking these whether you are gluten free or not!

Ingredients
8 ounces unsalted butter
11 ounces brown rice flour, approximately 2 cups
1 1/4 ounces cornstarch, approximately 1/4 cup
1/2-ounce tapioca flour, approximately 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
10 ounces light brown sugar, approximately 1 1/4 cups
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Once melted, pour into the bowl of a stand mixer.

In a medium bowl, sift together the rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca flour, xantham gum, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

Add both of the sugars to the bowl with the butter and using the paddle attachment, cream together on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the whole egg, egg yolk, milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm, approximately 1 hour. Shape the dough into 2-ounce balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes, rotating the pans after 7 minutes for even baking. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on the pans for 2 minutes. Move the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. Store cooked cookies in an airtight container.

Note: If you are making this for someone who is gluten intolerant, please use parchment paper on your baking sheet or stone as to prevent cross contamination as best you can.  You should also wash your prep bowls and dishes very well before usage.

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

According to the brand new parents, Carissa and Nick, these are some pretty amazing cookies :)  The sous chef and I went with some other friends to celebrate and congratulate C&N on the arrival on their new twin girls, and I brought these delicious cookies with us.  I trust C&N’s taste as C is a pretty good cook/baker herself.   Not to mention, the sous chef loved these himself.  I, too, have to admit that these rank right up there with another one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes.

I was also pretty excited to share in making the first post for The Way the Cookie Crumbles.  I think she does a fabulous job with her blog, and I was shocked that I migrated all the way to her first post!  It was pretty exciting to do this as I don’t think I’ve done this with any other blog that I follow.

Nonetheless, make a trip to grab some cream cheese and pop these babies in the oven!

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) light brown sugar
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.  Whisk the flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.  Beat butter, cream cheese, and sugars until creamy; add egg and vanilla and beat until combined.  Add flour mixture and mix until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by 1-inch spoonfuls onto cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.  Bake until brown around edges and center is set.  Cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes; transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Also!  Credit goes to the sous chef for photography on this post ;)

Sugar Cookies

So, the last time I made sugar cookies, I was proud of myself, but I definitely saw room for improvement.  After reading multiple posts over the last year and recognizing where I went wrong in the past, I decided to give these sugar cookies another try.

My B.F.F. and ‘adopted sister’ K was celebrating her 27th birthday and had recently had a baby.  Additionally, another of the sous chef and I’s friend’s had a baby as well shortly after K.  I thought each of them was HIGHLY deserving a sweet treat delivered by their postman.  Getting packages in the mail is FUN!

After a good deal of planning and thinking out how I would get these cookies to these sweet girls, I moved forward in my execution of the project :)

I decided on making Ella’s White Sugar Cookies which I found on  Annie’s Eats. 

Ingredients

1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ t. almond extract
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
2 ½ c. sifted flour

Directions

Cream butter.  Add powdered sugar.  Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour.  Chill dough until firm.  Roll to ¼” thickness on well-floured surface.  Cut with cookie cutters.  Place on greased cookie sheets.  Bake at 375° for 8-10 min.  Cookies should not brown.  Frost and decorate when cool.  Yields ~40 cookies.

I also used Annie’s terrific tutorial on decorating with royal icing.  I still have some perfecting to do, but I was decently proud of myself for what I was able to accomplish :) The tricky part was getting ready to ship these cookies off to other states and trusting USPS with them!  I didn’t spend 2 days on these delicious and beautiful cookies only for them to break, right?!  So I packaged them VERY well and wrapped each cookie in a baggie.  Our friends in Louisiana received them in OK condition as the picture at the top of this posts displays.

My B.F.F. K received her cookies in great condition, too!  See below. I’m looking forward to making more of these delicious cookies!

Mother’s Day 2010

It’s time to honor Mom!  How are you planning to dine with Mom this Sunday?  Is this your first reminder that Mother’s Day is THIS weekend?  If so, I hope I can help you get ready :)  Here’s some ideas from Krista Kooks to help you enjoy time with Mom at home.  Click on any of the pictures to be directed to the original blog post. Blueberry Delight-Great for breakfast or brunch with Mom. Bacon Quiche Biscuit Cups- Also great for breakfast or brunch.

Fish Oreganata- Perfect main dish for a light lunch with Mom.Roasted Vegetables-Use this preparation method for your favorite vegetable.

Parsley-Paprika Potatoes- Delicious compliment to the 2 above.    Spring Summer Ziti-Just make a simple pasta to share with Mom.Fruit Cookie Pizza- Help Mom keep it light for dessert with this fruit cookie pizza!

Whatever you do, I hope you have a great Mother’s Day with Mom!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pour yourself a big glass of milk because just looking at these cookies and reading about them will make you crave some seriously cold milk.  In fact…excuse me while I run to the kitchen to get a glass while I type this….

You think I’m kidding?  I just took 2 huge gulps!

I was itchin’ to bake something sweet; I like chocolate and the sous chef likes his peanut butter.  I thought I had recently seen a Nestie (someone who posts on TheNest.com) post something about Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies, but I couldn’t remember who it was.  Nonetheless, after a quick blog search, I found these on Brown Eyed Baker.  Can you say YUM?!

These cookies definitely stayed moist and chewy and were likely the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made.  The sous chef and I HIGHLY recommend them!

Makes about 16 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup creamy peanut butter (Krista Kooks used Natural Jif Creamy Peanut Butter)
½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
½ cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. On medium speed, cream together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to combine. On low speed, gradually add the flour until just combined. Stir in the oats, and then the chocolate chips.
4. Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden. Cool completely on the baking sheet and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Caramel de Lite (Samoa) Bars

Ok, so, you like Girl Scout Cookies, right? If you don't...what's wrong?! Haha! I sold Girl Scout Cookies for like 8 years, so I definitely know how yummy these tasty cookies are, but I never thought about being able to make them on my own! Well, this recipe isn't making the cookie persay, but it is making a bar that is very much like the cookie. It's mimicing the Caarmel de Lite (aka Samoa) Girl Scout Cookies. Erin from Dinner and Dessert originally posted this recipe, and I decide to give it a whirl for a co-worker's birthday. Now you can make these an enjoy a Girl Scout treat while they aren't being sold!

Here's the ingredients and instructions as taken from Dinner and Dessert:

Homemade Samoas Bars
Cookie Base

1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

First, make the crust. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepared pan and press into an even layer.Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping. (I, as did Erin, thought this crust was too thick. Perhaps use a pan with more surface area or decrease this recipe a bit. The cookie crust definitely needs to be thinner.)Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12 ounces good-quality chewy caramels (Krista Kooks used these Caramel Bits)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
10 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)
Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled. When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping). Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 30 bar cookies.

Note: You can simply drizzle chocolate on top of the bars before slicing them up if you’re looking for yet an easier way to finish these off. You won’t need quite as much chocolate as noted above, and you won’t quite get the Samoas look, but the results will still be tasty.
These bars are extremely tasty and a wonderful after dinner treat. Make these ASAP! You won't regret it :)

Patriotic Cookie Pizza

Yummy yummy dessert! Last week, another co-worker had a birthday, and I know she likes to try to be somewhat healthy. Thus, I thought I might find something sweet to make her with some fruit. I'm enjoying some of the recipes I've made with Pillsbury products, so I checked out their website and found this Patriotic Cookie Pizza. I thought it was great to find a recipe that uses their refrigerated sugar cookies and doesn't have overly complicated ingredients.

Here's how to make this very well-received dessert!

INGREDIENTS

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
2 cups fresh raspberries
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup apple jelly, melted

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray. Cut cookie dough into 1/4-inch slices; place in pan. With floured fingers, press evenly over bottom to form crust.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool completely, about 25 minutes.

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon peel until fluffy. Spread over baked crust.

Arrange raspberries in large star shape in center. (I decided to forgo the star since I wasn't making this for a patriotic holiday).

Arrange blueberries around raspberries. Drizzle or brush with melted jelly. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. Store in refrigerator.

Sugar Cookies

Don't these look delicious?!

My cousin graduated from college this past weekend, and we were planning an outdoor party. Now, usually I would get really creative and make a fondant covered cake, but, as I said, this was an outdoor party. I didn't think a cake...outdoors...in Houston would be all that ideal. So, I decided to resort to something more weather friendly and still fun and creative.

I've always wanted to make sugar cookies that were cute and had great icing with the perfect consistency. I've finally found it! I got a little inspiration from Bakerella's Sugar Cookie post from last September. I found a recipe online that I thought would be best and fairly easy. Click here for the Sugar Cookies recipe that I used.

I loved that I learned how much easier it is to roll out sugar cookie dough if you do the following:

1. Lay out parchment paper or wax paper and sprinkle flour across the paper.
2. Place sugar cookie dough on the paper.
3. Sprinkle more flour across the top of the sugar cookie dough.
4. Lay down a second piece of parchment paper or wax paper on top of the sugar cookie dough.
5. Use a rolling pin to spread out the cookie dough.

Once the cookie dough is 1/8" thick, you can cut out the shapes that you want. As you can tell, I was using numbers, letters, and flowers! I used my container of 100 cookie cutters to choose from in deciding what shapes I wanted to make.

When I was ready to make the white icing, I turned to my Cooking Light Dessert Cookbook. There was a cookie recipe in there that has the following icing recipe, and I love the flavor of this icing because it has lemon juice in it! It makes a great refreshing flavor for summer.

Lemon Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon fat-free milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Food coloring (optional)
Assorted sugar sprinkles (optional)

Combine powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in food coloring, if desired. Spread about 2 teaspoons of the icing over each cookie, or place icing in a small zip-top plastic bag. Snip a tiny hole in one corner, and drizzle icing over cookies. Sprinkle with assorted sugar sprinkles, if desired.

As you can tell, I also had some black icing. I bought some Wilton Ready-To-Use Icing Tubes to decorate with black icing. That icing actually tastes really good! I also bought some sprinkles and used those on various cookies as I decorated.

Clearly the graduate loves them!

Milk Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Wow, could I take any longer, right? Well, I have some catching up to do, but, first, I have made these cookies that are just perfect to make you feel at home. These are the perfect chocolate chip cookies that aren't the every day run of the mill chocolate chip cookies.

The first time Henry and I made them, we didn't do so hot. Unfortunately, they weren't something we were keeping around the apartment; no no, we made them for our friends David and Christine. I was so incredibly embarrassed to take those cookies to them. However, we made them again, and they turned out nice and yummy!!!

Back in the day, my Dad brought a Nestle cookbook home to me, and this recipe is from that cookbook. Thanks Dad! Here ya go, and go make these now :) They are delicious!

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 3/4 cups (11.5-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Milk Chocolate Morsels
1 cup uncooked quick or old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup raisins (optional) (Henry and I did not use these)

Directions:PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture and milk. Stir in morsels, oats and raisins. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 10 to 14 minutes or until edges are crisp but centers are still soft. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with a Twist

Time for baking! Tuesday night, I was ready for some sweet after all that saltiness on the pizza. I searched through the FoodNetwork.com site and found the following recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_27590,00.html

I wanted chocolate chip cookies, but I didn't want the same old recipe. So that's why I chose this recipe! These cookies stay chewier than normal chocolate chip cookies, and we really liked them!