Chewy Coconut Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies (gluten-free, dairy-free)

These cookies are pretty amazing, on a few levels. First and foremost, they taste like eating an Almond Joy candy bar in chewy cookie form. Sounds pretty good, right? You know what's even better? They're not that bad for you. In fact, for cookies, these are basically health food: they contain no flour, no butter, and no processed sugar. On top of that, they are so easy to make. They come together in under five minutes flat. And you won't even have to turn on your mixer or dirty up a sink full of dishes.

I promise you would never guess that these are "healthy" cookies. They are intensely chocolatey, pleasantly chewy, and just sweet enough. They even passed the "David test", and that is saying a lot. Have I convinced you to make them yet? Well, what are you waiting for?

Chewy Coconut Double Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies
adapted from Clean Eating Magazine

1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sucanat (can substitute light brown sugar)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate almond butter (I used Justin's, but I'm sure others would work, or you could probably make your own)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
3 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together egg and vanilla until foamy. Add sugar, salt and baking soda, whisking until light and fluffy. Whisk in almond butter (this may take a little time, since the batter gets pretty thick). Stir in coconut and chocolate.
3. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared  baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are set. Allow to cool on baking sheet for at least 5 minutes, then cool completely on a cooling rack. Yields approximately 15-18 cookies.

Linked to: Tempt My Tummy, Tea Party Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, Gluten Free Wednesday, Mrs Fox's Sweet Party, Midweek Fiesta, Sweet Treats Thursday, Famous Linkz, Tastetastic Thursday, Sweet Temptations, One Stop Shoppe, Comfy in the Kitchen, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Blueberry Orange Muffins (Gluten-Free)

As I mentioned previously, I am a relative newbie when it comes to gluten-free baking. Neither David nor I eat a gluten-free diet, so most of my baking ventures involve traditional ingredients. We do have a few friends, however, who follow a gluten-free lifestyle. I made these muffins when one such friend came over for brunch.

I'll admit that I wasn't quite sure what to expect, as I'm not sure that I had ever even eaten a gluten-free muffin before. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. Everyone agreed that these were quite tasty. They're moist and tender with tons of juicy fresh blueberries and subtle hints of orange. These may have actually been some of the best muffins I've ever made. Feel free to change up the flavors. I'm sure chocolate chips would be great in place of blueberries, or maybe sub the orange zest for lemon zest.

Blueberry Orange Muffins (Gluten-Free)
adapted from King Arthur Flour

5 1/4 ounces sugar
4 ounces (1/2 cup, 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
zest of one orange
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
10 1/2 ounces gluten-free multi-purpose flour (I highly recommend this one)
 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
4 ounces milk
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
2 teaspoons coarse sanding sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with muffin liners. To aid release, spray liners with non-stick spray.
2. Combine sugar, butter, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, orange zest, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat on medium-high until fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl and beater blades after each addition.
4. Whisk flour with xanthan gum. Alternatively add flour mixture and milk to the mixing bowl, beating on medium-low speed until thoroughly combined. Stir in blueberries.
5. Divide batter evenly between twelve muffin cups. Cups should be filled to the top. You may want to smooth the tops a bit, as they won't smooth out while baking. Sprinkle muffins with sanding sugar.
6. Allow muffins to rest for 10 minutes. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tops of muffins are lightly browned. Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Serve warm if desired, or allow to cool to room temperature on a cooling rack.

Linked to: Tasty Tuesdays, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Show and Tell Wednesday, What I Whipped Up Wednesday, Trick or Treat Tuesday, Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party

Gluten-Free Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This was my first intentional foray into the world of gluten-free baking. Sure, I've made a few flourless chocolate cakes and crustless cheesecakes that just happened to be gluten-free, but that was more coincidence than anything else. I've never been one to back down from a challenge in the kitchen, so when a friend asked if I could make a batch of gluten-free cookies for his sister, I of course said yes.

Having read quite a bit about gluten-free baking, I knew one of the common pitfalls was that cookies often have a grainy texture. After a bit of research and reading reviews of gluten-free flours, I decided to give King Arthur Flour's Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour a whirl. This super-fine blend of white rice and whole-grain (brown) rice flours, tapioca starch, and potato starch is recommended for use in all types of gluten-free baking.

I was hoping that these cookies would at least be edible, and at best would be as good as my regular chocolate chip cookies. To my delight, these turned out just right: soft and chewy, like any good cookie should be. Although there is a very slight difference in texture between this version and my standard gluten-filled cookies, they are far from grainy. So, if you or a loved one must avoid gluten for health reasons, and you have a hankering for chocolate chip cookies, bake up a batch of these bad boys. You won't be disappointed.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Alton Brown and King Arthur Flour

8 ounces unsalted butter, softened
2 ounces granulated sugar
10 ounces brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk, half and half, or cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
12 1/2 ounces gluten-free baking mix (I highly recommend this one)
1 teaspoon xantham gum
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
16 ounces chocolate chips (any combination, I used a mix of white chunks and semi-sweet chips).

1. Cream butter and sugars together on medium-high speed in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Depending on the speed and power of your mixer, this should take 3-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater blade as needed.
2. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Continue to mix at medium-high speed for two additional minutes.
3. Whisk together gluten-free baking mix, xantham gum, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients until thoroughly combined, scraping sides of bowl and blade as needed.
4. Fold in chocolate chips either by hand or with the "fold" function on your stand mixer.
5. Place dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour. I tend to think longer is better. I usually try to chill for at least four hours, and ideally overnight.
6. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Scoop dough into approximately 1.5 ounce portions (I like to use a #20 scoop for this task) and place on a parchment lined baking sheet spaced at least two inches apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating pan once during baking, until cookies are golden brown. (Note: I found that my cookies turned out best (ok, prettiest) if I flattened them slightly with the bottom of a glass half-way through baking.) Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for at least five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.


Linked to: Sweets for a Saturday, Fusion Fridays, Gluten-Free Wednesdays