Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

Boy howdy, are these cookies delicious! I had all these grand plans for making Christmas cookies this year, and believe me, my plans were grand. I was going to make no less than 12 different types of cookies, and share them with all my family, friends and neighbors, and be know as the most awesome home baker in all the land.

HA HA HA.

I did end up making about 5 batches of cookies all told, but you know... stuff happens. And I didn't even especially like most of the cookies I tried... except this one! This cookie recipe is so different and unexpected. I love the cinnamon and chile with the chocolate, which makes for a delicate chocolate cookie that is spiced but not spicy. It has a really unique flavor profile, and is definitely something different. If you like Mexican food at all, you will love this cookie!








Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
adapted from Martha Stewart's Holiday Cookies

Like a snickerdoodle cookie, this cookie is made with cream of tartar and rolled in a cinnamon sugar mixture, but ground chile gives it a "smoky, earthy" flavor. You can find ground chile (such as arbol, ancho or chipotle) in the spices section of your grocery store, or you can substitute cayenne pepper if ground chile simply cannot be found (but you will lose some of the smokiness).

I am also giving the gluten-free version of this recipe that I have adapted, but you can always make it with all-purpose flour like the original Martha Stewart recipe. Simply substitute all purpose flour cup for cup with the gluten-free flours mentioned below.

A note about gluten-free flours: After trying and testing virtually every gluten-free flour and combination of flours out there, this is it. Oat + sweet rice flour is the absolute perfect combination of flours for cookies, and nothing can match it for natural taste and texture. This is how a cookie is supposed to taste, and you would never even know it's "gluten-free:" it's that good! So don't mess with something that ain't broken, I say. Use these flours!



Ingredients
1 cup oat flour
1 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup UNLEAVENED all-purpose gluten-free flour, such as Bob's red mill (some come with baking soda already in the flour, and this will mess things up!)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1.5 cups white sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon chile

For sugar and spice powder
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground chile


1. preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in the upper and lower thirds (or be lazy with me, and put one rack right in the middle. I'm too busy to be bothered with the turning and rotating of baking sheets during baking. Sorry Martha!)

2. Whisk together 1 cup oat flour, 1 cup sweet rice flour, 1/4 cup all purpose gluten-free flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon chile powder. Set aside.

3. In a stand mixer, combine 1 cup (2 sticks) room temperature butter with 1.5 cups white sugar for a full 5 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture. Beat until just combined.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon chile. Roll 1 heaping tablespoon of dough into a ball and role in the sugar-spice mixture. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet, and bake until cookies are set in the center and beginning to crack, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Enjoy!

Baby James' Favorite Chocolate Pancakes (And Mine Too!)

Now that he is all grown up and one years old, Baby James has decided that he no longer needs to eat any kind of food other than white food: cheerios, turkey, string cheese, french fries, noodles, doughnuts, and of course, milk. That's it! Notice anything missing from that list? Anything like, I don't know, fruits or vegetables?

I'm not even going to go into all the things I've done to try and get James to try a bite of juicy peach or a nibble of mango. From the way that kid turns his head away and squinches his mouth and eyes shut, you'd think I was asking him to eat dirt! Which, by the way, he will eat. Yes, that's right: He will eat dirt, but he won't eat a bite of peach.





So I've had to resort to being tricky. There is one non-white edible substance James will deign to eat (other than dirt, which does not count), and that is chocolate. James LOVES chocolate. He's wild about it, and whenever he suspects we have some he will wave his fat little hand for it and cry like there is no tomorrow. So when I found this recipe, it seemed perfect: What better place to hide a few blueberries and some spinach than in a chocolate pancake?




I know what you are thinking: Blueberries and SPINACH in a pancake? Yuck! And that's exactly what I thought too. The first time I made this recipe, I was just hoping they were not too horrible to eat, mainly so I could get some fruits and vegetables into my child. I never expected them to be so absolutely delicious, and I certainly never expected to like them so much I wanted to eat them all myself! And the spinach? It's pureed so fine, you can't even taste that it's there. Really, I promise. What you can taste is how incredibly soft and moist these pancakes are. There's no need to slather them with gobs of butter and syrup, because these pancakes are tender and soft all by themselves. I like to roll them up with some fruit inside, but baby James likes them just the way they are.




This is just photographic proof that my child has at some point eaten something containing spinach and blueberries. Note the cheerios on the tray and the football hold he has on the bottle of milk.



Baby James' Favorite Chocolate Pancakes
adapted from The Sneaky Chef" by Missy Chase Lapine

I was so impressed with this recipe I went out and bought Lapine's book. These pancakes have all kinds of nutritious goodies in them: whole grains, milk, eggs, and antioxidant rich chocolate, spinach, and blueberries. A lot of times recipes call for applesauce to be swapped in for the fat or oil in a recipe, and the spinach/blueberry puree has the same effect: The fat or oil can be reduced because the spinach and blueberries puree bring so much moisture to the cakes. And it tastes maaaeervelous, of course.

Although if you slather these with nutella and powdered sugar, that might negate some of the health benefit, just a little bit. But today is my birthday, so I think I am allowed to have as much nutella on my pancakes as I like!


Ingredients
1 cup pancake mix (I am very pleased with Pamela's gluten free pancake and baking mix, but use whatever healthy mix you like best, gluten-free or not)
1 cup milk (rice milk, soy milk, or almond all make good alternatives)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 cup spinach, packed
1/4 cup blueberries
1 large or jumbo egg
1-2 tablespoons healthy fat, such as coconut oil (you can also use butter or vegetable oil, but these are not as good for you)




In the bowl of a food processor, combine 1/4 cup blueberries...




...and 1/4 cup spinach (packed).




Puree until very smooth. Set aside.




In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup pancake mix...




...2 tablespoons cocoa powder...




...1 jumbo egg...




...1 cup milk...




...and the blueberry spinach puree.




Whisk batter until smooth.




Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, pour batter into heated pan.




Heat one one side until little bubbles begin for form on the surface of the pancake.




flip over. Cook on second side until pancake springs back lightly at the touch. Remove from heat. If desired, keep in a warmed over (200 degrees) until the rest of the pancakes are done cooking.




Repeat.




Top with berries, powdered sugar, nutella, nuts, whiipped cream, whatever. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Chocolate Birthday Cake

Everybody, and I mean everybody deserves velvety rich, gooey chocolate cake on their birthday. Contrary to popular belief, the hardest part about the gluten-free diet isn't saying goodbye to croissants and soft pillowy French bread. I can live without croissants and good bread. No, what is really truly hard about the gluten free diet is the sense of being left out all the time. Breaking bread together (even the expression contains gluten!) is an important part being in communion with friends and family. When we want to celebrate something, be it as formal and fabulous as a wedding banquet or as humble as a coffee date, eating and drinking together is what we do. And when you can't eat gluten, sometimes you get left out. That's what is really hard about the gluten-free diet.





Which is fine. We get by and try to be graceful about it. But on your OWN birthday, not being able to join in on your own celebration, or eat a slice of your own birthday cake? Now that is just downright unbearable. Which is why the internet needs a really fantastic gluten-free cake recipe. Because there isn't one (I looked!) So here it is! Because on your birthday, you deserve a rich, wonderful cake. Like this one! And you deserve a cake that tastes good enough to serve your friends and family. Like this one. Because everyone should get to celebrate with you and be included on your special day, gluten-free or not.

I made about 5 cakes in the run up to James' birthday, because I wanted to find a gluten-free chocolate cake recipe that I could really love. This one was hands down the winner; it was one of those gluten-free things that people can't believe is gluten-free. Because hello, it tastes so good!




Gluten Free Chocolate Birthday Cake
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Chocolate Whiteout Cake recipe in Baking: From my home to yours (it's the one on the cover!)


This is an American style "butter" cake, which means it has a rich, dense crumb. It is very chocolaty, and totally delicious! Unlike a sponge cake or a chiffon cake, it doesn't get its volume from whipped eggs whites, so it's VERY important to follow these few tips:

- There are quite a LOT of gluten-free flours to choose from. This recipe calls for superfine sweet rice flour, and superfine white rice flour. I have found that these flours yield the best results for cake, and also have the most neutral, cake-friendly taste. If you want, you can swap out the white rice flour for quinoa flour or brown rice flour, but the sweet rice flour is essential, because it is so fine, and because it is so starchy and sticky - it will help the cake hold together and keep it from crumbling. Don't use an all purpose mix unless it is very fine, and definitely don't use any mix that contains baking powder, since this can mess up how the cake rises.

- Sift the flour into the measuring cup, and level off with the straight edge of a knife. This will make the flour fluffy and aerated, and will keep the cake from getting too heavy.

- Sometimes I think some directions (particularly ones about temperature) are silly, and I ignore them. Don't do this! If the butter is supposed to be room temperature, make sure it is at room temperature. If the recipe says to let cake cool completely, let it cool completely.

- This cake was fabulous paired with chocolate buttercream frosting, but I think it would also taste great with a cream cheese frosting, or with Dorie greenspan's Marshamallow frosting. But you can do whatever your heart desires!

Ingredients
1 cup SIFTED superfine sweet rice flour
1/2 cup SIFTED superfine white rice flour
1/2 cup SIFTED unsweetened cocoa powder (dutch processed)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon granulated salt
1/4 teaspoon xanthum gum

1 and 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup superfine baking sugar
3 large eggs, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled (1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips), melted and cooled
3/4 cup buttermilk AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
3/4 cup boiling water
4 oz semisweet or milk chocolate, finely chopped, or 2/3 cup store bought chocolate chips


Getting Ready:
preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and center a rack. Butter two 8x6 inch round, and sprinkle with flour, Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Get out your butter, eggs, and buttermilk, and let them warm up to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

To Make the Cake:
Sift together the 1 cup sweet rice flour, 1/2 cup white rice flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon granulated salt, and 1/4 teaspoon xanthum gum.

In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, beat 1 + 1/4 sticks butter with 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar and 1/2 cup superfine white baking sugar. Beat on medium speed 3-4 minutes, until soft and creamy, and pale in color.

Add in 3 large eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute between eggs. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Reduce the mixer speed to low, and beat in 2 oz bittersweet melted chocolate. When it is fully incorporated, add the flour mixture, alternating the addition of the flour with 3/4 cup buttermilk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed, and only mix until the the ingredients disappear into the batter. At this point, the batter will be very thick, like frosting.

Still working at low speed, add in 3/4 cup boiling water. Scrape down the bowl, and mix in 4 oz chopped chocolate. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans, and smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, rotating the pans at midpoint for even cooking. It's ok with the cakes crack a little bit during cooking. When fully baked, cakes will be springy to the touch, and a fork inserted into the center will come out clean.

Remove from the oven, and let cool 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen cakes, unmold them, and peel off the parchment paper. Invert, and cool to room temperature right side up.

When cakes have cooled to room temperature, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or until cakes are firm. Slice each cake horizontally in half, frost, and fill. Enjoy!

Deep Dark Decadent Chocolate Mousse

When I was a little girl, my mom would take my sister and I out to Sizzler every now and then to eat at the salad bar. We weren't exactly rolling in the money those days, so it was a special treat to go out to a restaurant with mom. And of course, we thought that Sizzler was SO fancy. They had cloth napkins, real plates, waitresses who brought you stuff if you asked for it, and at the end of the meal, chocolate mints on a little tray with the receipt. If there was one thing my sister and I knew, it was that Sizzler was a classy place.

And of course, we loved the salad bar. We always ate the same thing: canned peaches, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese toast, and if we were especially good, chocolate mousse. Oh, we loved chocolate mousse. Other than the chocolate mints, it was the highlight of the meal, the thing we looked forward to from the moment we stepped in the door. Chocolate mousse was the ultimate ending to a fine dining experience, and my little sister and I looked on chocolate mousse as something so classy, so undeniably fancy, that only Sizzler could make it right.




So I am sure you can imagine how completely crushed we were, as adults, to learn that Sizzler no longer features chocolate mousse as part of their salad bar. Is devastation too strong a word? HARDLY.

Thankfully this story does have a happy ending, and I think we both know it's going to end with a recipe. Though I am sure I am remembering Sizzler's chocolate mousse through the rose-tinted glasses of childhood innocence, this recipe is pretty knock-down good (as good as the original I'll wager), and it's simple too. And of course, you should feel free to mix it up and put your own twist on the recipe: espresso powder, raspberries, mint extract, caramel ribbons - go wild! Or stick with the classic original. Either way, it's sure to be classy.






Deep Dark Decadent Chocolate Mousse
Adapted from Everyday Food
Serves 4 (or 2, of you are feeling extra decadent!)

It's important to use a high quality dark chocolate in this recipe. If you try to use milk chocolate it will "seize" up, turn hard, and be ruined. You also want a high quality chocolate since the flavor is really going to shine through. I used the 72% Swiss dark chocolate from Trader Joe's (I think!), but I am sure there are plenty of good options out there on the market.

Ingredients
3 oz bittersweet dark chocolate, 60% or higher, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt

1. Over LOW heat, whisk 4 large egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar, anda pinch of salt until sugar is dissolved, and mixture is warm to the touch (2 to 3 minutes). Remove from heat, and whisk in 3 oz chopped bittersweet dark chocolate. Whisk until chocolate is completely melted, then mix in 2 tablespoons cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth.


2. In a stand mixer (or a medium bowl, if you are a sucker for punishment), whip 3/4 cup heavy cream cream until light and fluffy, and soft peaks form (don't over mix, or you will get butter!). With mixer on low, gently mix in 1/2 of the chocolate. Gently fold in remaining chocolate by hand with a rubber spatula. Divide among serving dishes and chill for at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days. Top with whatever pleases your fancy. Enjoy!

Crispy Chewy White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (gluten free! or not.)

I would like to announce to the entire world, via the internet, that I HAVE ALREADY LOST ALL THE BABY WEIGHT. Yeah me! I rock!

Well, "technically" I have 4 lbs to go, but my boobs have grown from tennis balls to small watermelons, so I think that those last 4 lbs doesn't count. I mean, 4 extra lbs of boobs isn't exactly anything to complain about. right? Women pay thousands of dollars to plastic surgeons for 4 lbs of extra boobs like this, so I'm going to call it even and say that in only 5 weeks, I HAVE LOST ALL THE BABY WEIGHT! And I have great boobs!

I totally deserve a cookie. So I made myself some.



And by the way? These cookies are excellent. What better way to reward myself than with a totally awesome melt in your mouth cookie? Gluten, no gluten, I can't even tell. You can make them whatever which way you want to.

What I like, nay LOVE, about these cookies (besides the whole oatmeal and white chocolate part) is the texture. Often gluten-free anything is texturally horrible - crumbly and dry, or gummy and wet. Same goes for oatmeal cookies (gluten or otherwise), which are often cakey, crumbly, and dry. But these cookies are nothing of the kind; they defy stereotypes. They are crisp, buttery, oaty, hearty, and chewy all at the same time.

Can't eat gluten? Maybe you have been living under the perception that oatmeal is off limits. WRONG! Recent research has shown that oats do not contain gluten. Any gluten in oats is the result of cross-contamination during growing and processing, and gluten-free oats should now be available at your local health food store. I have been using Bob's Red Mill rolled oats, and Bob? I love you so much. Thankyou for giving me oats again. I am dedicating these cookies to you. Well, that and my body's return to pre-pregnancy jeans. I love you, pre-pregnancy jeans!



Crispy Chewy White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
adapted from Cooks Illustrated

you will need this stuff:
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
1/3 cup quinoa flour
1/4 tsp xanthum gum
1 pinch salt
(1 cup all purpose flour can be used instead of the GF flours and xanthum gum)

1 + 3/4 sticks butter (14 tbs)
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg from a happy, free range chicken
1 tsp vanilla
2 + 1/2 cups GF rolled oats
1 + 1/4 cups white chocolate chips (use real chocolate! buy a 6oz bar if necessary)


Method:
PREHEAT your oven to 350 degrees, and mix together flours and xanthum gum


Cream together 1 + 3/4 stick (14 tbs) butter, 1 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Beat together on high until butter lightens in color (about 5 minutes). Try REALLY hard NOT to sample. Because if you do, well, you will probably start to feel sick. Not that I would know.


Add 1 egg and 1 tbs vanilla, and beat until fully incorporated.


Gently mix in flour mixture on medium setting.


Add 2 + 1/2 cup Oats.


Add 1 + 1/4 cup white chocolate chips. Mix gently together until incorporated.


Divide Cookies evenly into small balls, about 2tbs each, and set on parchment paper on a cool cookie sheet (a hot sheet will make cookies melt prematurely).


Bake 15-20 minutes, until cookies are golden. Let cool, then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Grandmommy's Gluten-Free Flourless Chocolate Cake with Macerated Strawberries and Real Whipped Cream

One of the hardest parts about being on a "restricted diet," as they call it, is that you become "that girl." You all know what I'm talking about. Haven't you ever stood behind some blond toothpick of a girl at Starbucks who orders a tall, half-skinny, half-soy, quad split shot (2 shots decaf, 2 shots regular) latte, extra hot 160 degrees, with extra foam (and can that be whole milk foam please?), in a double cupped grande cup, with a 1/2 pump of sugar free cinnamon dolce syrup, 1/2 pump vanilla syrup, and 1 packet of splenda, and can you put the splenda in first before anything else? And sprinkle the top with extra cinnamon?

Who hasn't rolled their eyes at that girl?

The thing is, when I see a waiter coming at me in a restaurant, I start to feel like I'm that girl. Take the first night I was in the hospital as an example: the nurse brought me my "gluten-free meal" and I pulled off the cover to find... lasagna with wheat noodles. Doubting that the hospital kitchen had gone through all the trouble of making gluten-free lasagna just for me, I told her I couldn't eat it. It wasn't gluten-free. She was taken aback, but she took the meal away and brought me... a breaded chicken cutlet. "I can't eat this either!" I said. Obviously very annoyed with me now, she asked, "can't you just scrape the bread off?" No! I said. It will make me very sick! And then she told me, in so many words, "tough luck! If you don't like what the kitchen is making, your husband can go buy you something else. This is all there is." So Nate had to leave the hospital and find me a gluten-free meal somewhere else.

Look, if this were your normal average Joe, I would get that she didn't really know what gluten is. I didn't have a clue about it until little over a year ago. But this is a NURSE in a HOSPITAL. Shouldn't she, somewhere in her education and experience, have heard of celiac disease? Or gluten intolerance? Or even a wheat allergy for goodness sakes? (Thankfully the next morning the nutritionist came in, arranged all the rest of my meals, and slapped a red hot "ALLERGY: GLUTEN" bracelet on my wrist, confirming that I was, indeed, actually afflicted with something besides being a snobby picky eater).




I guess what I'm trying to say is, the hardest part about being on a restricted diet is when people mistake your real, life-threatening health issue for snobby picky eating. No, I can't just scrape the breading off a chicken cutlet. I'm not refusing to eat it because I'm too good for it. If my food even touches gluten, I'll get sick. If my food is cooked in the same pan as something breaded, or handled with the same utensils, of if someone say, handles a piece of bread and then touches my food without washing their hands, I'll get sick. For me, even a little contamination means three days in the bathroom being miserable. So I have to be "that girl," because if I'm not, I'll get really, really ill. And I hate being that girl.

So when someone goes out of their way to accommodate my special diet, to make sure that I am safe, I really, really appreciate it. Like all the wonderful people who have brought us gluten-free meals over the past two weeks. You rock!



When I first told my family I thought I had celiac disease, they thought I was crazy. Another one of Beck's hypochondriac self-diagnoses, to be tolerated until she gets over it and moves on to the next crazy thing. Except, of course, I just felt so DAMN good being off the gluten. EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERY ONE of my other undiagnosable "mystery" conditions improved or went away. Diabetes. PCOS. Fibromyalgia. Peripheral Neuropathy. And of course, the bloating, cramping, constipation, lethargy, fatigue, depression, acne, and facial flushing. Gone! Like a miracle!

So I've been off the gluten for almost a year and a half, and I have never felt better. My mom, in particular, has always been the skeptic about my million health issues. So I can't tell you how touched I was when my mom, she who sort of hates baking, made this gluten-free, flourless chocolate cake just for me. And it was really good!

So here's to grandmommy's chocolate cake. Look, if MY mom can make it, you can do! So if you only have one gluten-free recipe in your repertoire, let it be this one!

Grandmommy and baby James





Grandmommy's Gluten-Free Flourless Chocolate Cake with Dar Chocolate Glaze, served with Macerated Strawberries and Homemade Whipped Cream

1 gluten-free flourless chocolate cake
2 pints fresh strawberries
1 pint whipping cream
1/4 cup + 2 tbs sugar
1 tbs balsamic vinegar

1. Bake the cake according to the directions. Set aside (can be prepared up to a day ahead).

2. Rinse, hull, and quarter the strawberries. Sprinkle the strawberries with 2 tbs sugar and the balsamic vinegar. Toss to coat. Let sit at least 10 minutes.

3. In a stand mixer or with a hand blender, beat the whipping cream on high until soft peaks begin to form. Add the 1/4 cup of sugar slowly, and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Don't overbeat, or you'll end up with butter!

4. Cut a slice of cake. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, and a big spoonful of strawberries. MMmm. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Girl Scout Cookies - Thin Mints!

Once upon a time in a faraway land, I too was once a wee little girl scout. And like any good little girl scout, I sold my fair share of girl scout cookies.

No. Wait a minute. I sold WAY more than my fair share.

In fact, being the competitive, over-achieving fiery little red-head that I was, I sold thousands and thousands of boxes every year. I sold so many boxes of girl scout cookies that (gasp!) they gave me awards and my whole troop went to Maui for three weeks, free. (That's a true story btw. My troop really did go to Hawaii off the proceeds from our cookie sales. Twice!).

I've always loved girl scout cookies, and I bet you do too. And those little girls hawking their totally over-priced cardboard processed confections? Irresistible little salesmen. No wonder Thin Mints are the best selling cookies in America after Oreos and Chips Ahoy! It's the marketing.



The thing about girl scout cookies is, those processed factory cookie-like-substances are totally crammed with hydrogenated trans-fats, preservatives, and kooky unpronounceable ingredients. Definitely not natural. Certainly not healthy. And if you can't eat gluten like me? Well, you try explaining to an adorable 9 year old girl scout that you can't buy her cookies because the cookies will kill you. It's no fun. You can't even eat the stupid cookies as a midnight secret indulgence.

UNTIL NOW! I came home the other night to Nate, watching TV, covertly eating his way though a box of thin mints. I had a surge of the familiar "it's not fair!" feeling wash over me. Because it's NOT fair. Some people get to eat boxed $5 girl scout cookies. And some people don't.

Some people get to eat these instead.



I think these people are luckier, because these cookies are as good as the "real" thing. In fact, I think they're better. A light crunchy cookie, dipped in rich minty chocolate. They taste fantastic, and as an added bonus, better for you. So, here you go! Enjoy the recipe! I know I did.



Gluten Free Girl Scout Cookies - Thin Mints!
by me

makes 25 - 30 cookies
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 4 hours

I struggled to get a good recipe for these cookies, and I started by trying to adapt some of the other "home-made" girl-scout recipes out there (some of which call for box cake mix! Ug!). The results were.... awful. Some recipes just do not work gluten-free. Nate and I agreed the first couple of batches tasted like grainy mint flavored dog biscuits.

After enough failed batches, I finally decided to just start from scratch and make my own recipe. I wanted a cookie with the crunch and lightness of the original, but, you know, without the wheat. These cookies? Fantastic. The chocolate? Wow.

Please keep the following two rules in mind:

1. USE GOOD CHOCOLATE. My first batch, I used cheap milk chocolate. Big mistake. So yucky. Please, learn from my mistakes.

2. Mint flavoring and peppermint oil are NOT the same thing. You MUST use peppermint oil (I found some at the health food store), because mint extract/flavoring have alcohol and water in them which = seized up chocolate. And that just leads to tears and ruined chocolate. Please learn from my mistakes and get this!



INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup sweet rice flour
4 tbs cocoa powder
2 tbs corn starch
1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
1 cup + 1/4 sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp mint extract (or peppermint oil)
1 egg

1 lb fine quality semi-sweet chocolate
1 tsp peppermint oil


First, mix together your dry ingredients - the brown and sweet rice flours, cocoa powder, corn starch, and baking powder.

In a stand mixer, beat butter on high until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add in sugar, and beat on high until smooth, another 2 minutes (this aerates the dough and keeps it from getting too heavy).

Add egg, vanilla extract, and mint extract, and continue to beat until egg is incorporated, and batter is light and smooth, 2-4 minutes.

With mixer on low, fold in flour mixture until just combined. You can even stop the mixer once large crumbs form, and mix the last bit by hand with a spatula. You don't want to overmix, or the dough will become too heavy. Dough will be soft and pliable.

Remove dough from mixer bowl and place on a piece of wax paper, form into a log about 1" thick, and roll it up in the wax paper. Set in freezer for 1-2 hours, until dough is very firm (or, you know, however long you want. Make these next year if you want).

Are we back yet aleady? Ok! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Pull your dough out of the freezer, and cut it into thin slices - no more than 1/4 on an inch thick.


Line a cookie pan with parchment paper. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes. Cookies should be crunchy, but not burned.


Get out your fancy chocolate. Can you tell I really splurged?


Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments, until it's smooth, stirring between sessions. Add 1 tbs peppermint oil (NOT mint extract. Mint extract bad! Will make chocolate seize and get hard).


Now place a cookie in the chocolate.


Gently turn the cookie over so it is coated with chocolate.


Pick the cookie back up with a fork, and gently tap the fork against the side of the bowl, so any excess chocolate dribbles back into the bowl.


Place cookies onto parchment paper, and let dry (you can refrigerate them or freeze them to help the chocolate faster).

Enjoy!