There are two kinds of cookies (which are both very similar) that are must-haves for Christmas baking. I’ve made them several lots of times too. One was originally not gluten free (but I made it gluten free) and the other is. We usually make the used-to-not-be-gluten-free-cookies the day we decorate the tree, which I did. It’s tradition. 🙂 It was the first time I tried making them gluten free and I wasn’t quite sure how they would turn out, so I didn’t tell anyone that they were gluten free. (If I tell someone something is gluten free then it could change their way of thinking about the food and their thinking somehow, not sure how, would change their taste buds. It has happened.) While Cassia was eating one I took a bite of mine and she said, “why are you eating them, they’re not gluten free!”
me, “yes they are.” ( I should know, I made them.)
C- “no they’re not!”
me- “watch” *takes another bite* “they are!” 😀 Hee hee!
So, without further ado, here are my altered recipes. Even in the already-gluten-free-recipe I made some changes.
Double chocolate oatmeal cookies
Cake-like, chocolate-ly, minty and yummy!
1-1/4 C. gluten free flour mix*
3 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 T. coconut flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. xanthan gum
1/4 t. guar gum
1/8 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 C. shortening
1/4 C. butter, softened
1 C. sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1-1/4 C. oats
1 C. chocolate chips
1 C. Andes chip mints (optional. Add with chocolate chips if you want them…I added them because I love chocolate and mint together 🙂 )
Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
Mix together flour blend, cocoa powder, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, guar gum, salt and cinnamon.
In large bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients then stir in oats and chocolate chips.
Form small balls and place on baking sheets (these cookies don’t spread much). Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool for 1 minute and then transfer to cooling racks.
*The recipe calls for another flour mix, but I have my favorite and it worked well, so here is what I used. You could use your favorite mix too.
1/2 C. millet flour
1/4 C. sorghum flour
1/4 C. brown rice flour
1/4 C. arrowroot
And for the other…
Chocolate mint brownie cookies
1-1/2 C. flour (or gluten free flour mix**)
1-1/2 C. chocolate chips
1 C. Andes mint chips
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 C. butter, softened
3/4 C. sugar
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. peppermint extract
2 eggs
Melt half of the chocolate chips with the butter, set aside.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, sugar, vanilla and peppermint extract together unitl creamy, add eggs one at a time. Beat in melted chocolate.
Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in remaining chocolate chips and also the Andes mint chips. Drop dough by the tablespoon on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake at 350° F. for 8-12 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool.
** This recipe is originally a gluten-ed recipe 🙂 So here is the flour mix I used to make it gluten free.
1/2 C. millet flour
1/2 C. brown rice flour
1/2 C. sorghum flour
1/4 C. arrowroot
Enjoy!
This recipe was entered in the December Monthly Challenge to make a gluten free cookie at Gluten Free Homemaker.
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These look yummy!
Just a quick question for you Susannah….my family is having some friends from out of town over to visit this weekend. One of the family members recently switched to a gluten-free diet for health reasons. I was wondering if there was anything any of the families you visited with on the trip this fall did that made you feel especially welcome and if there were any gluten-free meal suggestions you had that the rest of your family enjoyed as well!
Blessings,
Julianne
I sent you an e-mail. It was too long for a comment 😀
~Susannah
Perhaps you’ve already posted about this, but if you did, I missed it!
I’ve just been wondering why a few of you have switched to gluten-free? For health or medical condition reasons? (No need to explain further than that, if you don’t want to divulge medical info, that is completely understandable!) Or is it healthier, cheaper, easier somehow? Just wondering.
Thanks!
I hope your family all had a blessed holiday and have a blessed new year as well!
~ Elisabeth
I am the only one who is gluten free, and it is for health reasons. I’ve always had intestinal problems/pains and this has helped some. Going (cow) dairy free has helped some too.
No, I haven’t posted about it before, although I should 🙂
~Susannah
Oh okay, I understand that perfectly, I think I even know the name that goes along with it but I won’t say in case I am wrong and because it is personal for you. I work in a hospital so I hear all kinds of diseases, disorders and syndromes.
I was a vegan at one time, I found out that I really loved almond milk and rice milk. The texture takes some adjusting to, but the taste was so lovely and beyond anything I’d had before.
I’m glad it helps, even if just a little. I’ve heard, strangely, that sometimes almost completely eliminating salt can help as well. I’ve no idea why but it seems to me that a certain intestinal problem is fixed by eliminating salt. I could be completely wrong though!
~ Elisabeth
@Elisabeth:
I think the word you are looking for is Celiacs disease. So many people have it and don’t know it. It is genetic and if one parent has it, the children have a gene for the same disease (There is also a condition of gluten intolerance, which is not a disease like Celiacs). But if both of my parents are gluten intolerant -or have Celiacs- then I have it, since I have two genes for it. 😛 There are innumerable symptoms for the condition, but more scary is when there are no symptoms at all until you come down with something serious like cancer or organ failure.
It is worth it to be tested. Another thing to be careful about is cross-contamination. The really obnoxious thing about gluten is that it doesnt matter how much you get- a particle or a whole cake!-either way, you get equally contaminated. This is why it is so hard to have only one family member truly gluten free.
There are many resources now to assist a family in their transition to being gluten free. We are a GF family, and, contrary to relatives opinions, we do not live on cardboard and wallpaper paste! 😀
Hope that helps!
Miss Susannah,
Thank you for posting these. I will have to try them for my Beloved Mr. And I am always on the look out for new gluten-free flour mixes that work. Everyone has their favorites, they are all different, and all add different flavors.
Thanks you again.
Blessings,
elizabeyta
You’re quite welcome! 🙂 I’m glad they help!
I like your little story about the cookies being gf. I’m so glad you can continue with your tradition. Both cookies look great. Thanks for participating in the monthly challenge. I’ll be highlighting your post this week.
Thank you so much! I’m delighted to realize that these are Gluten Free! A double win!