Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans

that don't taste gluten-free

adapted from King Arthur Flour by My Little Blue Heron

Blue Heron Kitchen has been on extended leave. As soon as I figure out how the Heron can move over to my new domain, this site will remain intact, but Blue Heron will migrate to its new nest. In due course, Blue Heron Kitchen will be christened, My Little Blue Heron. 

My Little Blue Heron will feature gluten, dairy-free and low FODMAP diet-friendly recipe that don't taste chalky or gritty or wrong. Gluten and dairy-free cookery has come out, and I'm excited to share recipes for artisinal breads that have crust(!), cookies that don't have grit, recipes that aren't dominated by coconut oil, and a vegan parmesan cheese that may not taste like "Reggiano", but the nutritional value and texture will have you sprinkling it on your pizza, pasta dishes and on your salads. I'll share some of my new Japanese recipes. Japanese cuisine is so welcoming to those who are gluten and dairy free. (And it's not all about Tamari. Kikkoman and other soy sauce companies are producing gluten-free soy sauce. And if you stay away from soy, coconut aminos are your friends.) There are alternatives to alternatives, and I'm going to share as much as I know with you. 

It's beginning to look a lot like gridlock alert days. I'll begin with some holiday-friendly recipes. You can't make enough cookies around this time of year...cookies for giving, swapping or slinging, here's a great chocolate chip cookie recipe that gluteneers will love, too.

Get in the kitchen, get baking, take care of yourself and others.  

peace and love,

jane

I bucked convention and converted these from drop to rolled cookies. I made these with butter (the only dairy I incorporate into my cooking), but you can use a non-dairy substitute. If you use one that is salted, omit additional salt. When you roll your own cookies, you can bake as many or as few as you'd like .. on demand. If you don't own a kitchen scale, please get one (already.) Here's a great one. (I own three, and it's my fave.) Weighing ingredients will bring consistent results! 

Xanthan gum is expensive. (I think it's part of we got em by the GF balls conspiracy.) I buy Bob's Red Mill by the bag. As almost always, vitacost.com offers great prices (and variety!)

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

227 g. (1/2 lb.) unsalted butter, room temperature

213 g. (1 c.) brown sugar (If you're measuring it, pack it firmly.)

100 g. (1/2 c.) granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. powdered vanilla (Authentic Foods .. here's the link .. and yes, you can use 2 tsp. regular 

         vanilla extract, but beware: many vanilla extracts contain GRAIN alcohol and aren't GF.)

1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt

2 eggs, size large, room temperature

347 g. Multi-purpose GF flour of your choice*. IMPORTANT: If your flour has xanthan gum in it,                 omit the xanthan gum.

2 tsp. xanthan gum (See above: if your GF flour blend has xanthan gum, omit this.)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. aluminum free baking powder

340 g. (2 cups) chocolate chips (GF .. and if you're dairy-free, the same.)

175 g. (1 1/2 c.) chopped pecans

Procedure:

1. Whisk together the flour blend, xanthan gum (if adding), baking powder, baking soda and salt and 

     set aside.

2. In the bowl of your Kitchen Aid or electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Add vanilla 

    powder (or extract) and beat until incorporated.

3. Add eggs, scraping down the bowl as needed. Make sure all ingredients are well combined.

4. Add dry mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture until blended. 

5. Dump in the chocolate chips and pecans, blending until just incorporated.

6. Using parchment paper or plastic wrap, separate into 3 portions. Roll each into a log about 10"-12"      long, depending on how big a cookie you want. Place the logs on a small cookie sheet and                  refrigerate until firm .. a few hours, or overnight. You can freeze the logs and slice and    

     bake them frozen. Just add additional bake-time.

7. Preheat oven to 350º F.  and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

8. Slice cookies approximately 1/4"-1/2" desired thickness and place on sheets approximately 1"             apart (they don't spread, but they need their personal space.)

9. Bake time depends on your oven, where in the oven you've placed them, if they're cold, room             temperature or frozen, how thick you've sliced them, and like that. But figure about 10 minutes,           more or less. They're ready when they're golden brown.
10. Cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes before removing from parchment. Cool on racks.

Yield will vary, but figure about 3 dozen.
These will keep for a couple of days, but they're best eaten the day they're baked.
They freeze magnificently.

*A simple GF blend (make sure you use SUPERFINE rice flours for baking. Both white and brown superfine rice flours are sold by Authentic Foods. Vitacost.com is your best and least expensive resource for these (and so many other ingredients. Vitacost.com produces their own house brands that are great and are less expensive than Authentic Foods.): 

6 c. superfine brown rice flour, 2 cups corn or potato starch (I like one of each, but either will do), and 1 cup of tapioca starch. Whisk together, combine them WELL; and keep in a tightly lidded container. I suggest you buy Cambro containers for flour mixtures. They will do you a solid for storing flour mixtures and later on, dough mixtures! I have them in many sizes.

If you want to buy a GF flour blend, here are a couple of good quality blends:
Authentic Foods

Cup4Cup (pricey but good - very 'soft' blend, but there are now different varieties .. check it out!)

Better Batter (has xanthan gum)

Coconut Wafers

Coconut Wafers

Adapted from Alice Medrich’s “Flavor Flours” by Blue Heron Kitchen

These simple coconut cookies are crispy, buttery, flourless, don’t look anything like a macaroon, are gluten-free, and are open to variations. Just in time at the last minute, here’s a Passover-friendly dessert that you’ll want to bake anyway, anytime.

Banned from gluten, I’ve been in a downward baguetteless, donutless  croissantless vacuum. It was kismet that I opened this poppy field, “Flavor Flours”. You'll want a copy for your library. Medrich is a master pastry chef.  

For the cookies: If you have vanilla sugar, use it. There are three basic ingredients: vanilla, butter and coconut, nothing less than a patisserie ménage à trois. Truc:I keep several ‘flavored’ sugars in my pantry: cardamom, rose and vanilla. Throw the pods from vanilla beans you’ve used (or if you have vanilla beans that are old and expired and you’ve never used them, put them into a jar of sugar and leave them there for a few weeks!)

Coconut? I like Bob’s Red Mill. Whatever brand you use, be sure it's fresh and unsweetened coconut.

I’ve always used Kosher salt when I bake, but for these recipes, where the batter is ‘fine’, and mixed by hand, I prefer ‘fine’ sea salt, but either will do.

We’re going to my friend Rick’s seder again.  He’ll make the famous “Molly Kugel”, his “Chrain”, and this year, he’s sous vide-ing brisket. 

Charoset truc: Add a teaspoon of Lyle’s Golden syrup to the apples, cinnamon, walnuts and (don’t laugh) Manischewitz Concord Grape wine. Splash in a bissel of balsamic vinegar (mine's flavored with fig) and some freshly grated or chopped ginger. 

To freedom and breaking through power, laced in corruption, greed and xenophobia. Three cheers and at the very least four glasses for Harriet Tubman!

peace and love,

jane

Coconut Wafers

Equipment:

Aluminum foil lined baking sheets, dull side up, buttered, or use non-stick aluminum foil

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp./45 g. unsalted butter, melted (more for greasing the foil, if you’re not using non-stick foil)

3 egg whites, size large

1 c. plus 2 Tbsp./100 g. unsweetened dried shredded coconut

½ c./100 g. granulated white sugar (or vanilla sugar, or ‘other’ aromatic sugar)

Optional: ½ cup finely chopped toasted and cooled pecans

Optional: melted chocolate for drizzling

Procedure:

Line baking sheets (you’ll have three, in all) with regular or non-stick foil. If using regular, dull side up, brush with melted butter.

Mix egg whites with coconut, sugar and salt until well blended. (By hand is fine.Take time to beat and really blend the batter.)

Stir in the butter. 

Let batter rest for at least 15 minutes to allow coconut to absorb moisture.

Even better: cover and store in the fridge for several hours or for up to 3 days!)

To bake: If you’ve refrigerated the batter, remove from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature (an hour.)

Position racks in upper and lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 300º F.

Stir batter well. Drop level tablespoons onto baking sheets, about 3” apart. Flatten each into a round, about 1/4” thick.

If you’re adding pecans, sprinkle (generously) each flattened round with the toasted and finely chopped pecans.

Bake for 20-25 minutes (or longer), until nicely golden, rotating baking sheets, top to bottom and front to back, half way through the bake. Be sure they are nicely golden, or the cookies won’t be crispy.

Move to cooling racks. Leave on foil until easily transferred to cooling racks. Cool completely before storing in airtight container as soon as they are cool. If you don’t store them as soon as they’re cool, they’ll lose some of their crispiness.

If you’re drizzling or dipping them in melted chocolate, melt some great quality chocolate in a small bowl over barely simmering water or on a lower power in the microwave, stirring every 10-15 seconds. Using a small pastry bag or if you know how to make a paper cone, drizzle chocolate to make a basket weave pattern. You can use the tines of a fork, but you’ll have less control. If drizzling sounds arduous, dip. Place on waxed paper or parchment until chocolate is set. For a quick set-up, place in the fridge! Cookies dipped in chocolate are best served the same day.

Without additions, these should last, stored airtight, for 1 month.

Yield: approximately 3 dozen cookies

Pomegranate Molasses

Pomegranate Molasses (or Syrup)

Adapted from Alton Brown by Blue Heron Kitchen

You can buy pomegranate molasses, but I think it tastes better when you make it at home. Sweet and tart, you're going to find more uses for this condiment than perhaps any other condiment in your fridge. It's a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine; and how about a well-deserved break from balsamic vinegar and its oh so 90's reductions. 

Drizzle some on salad, fish, shrimp or on fried fish or shellfish. It complements chicken, game and pork. Try it on steamed or roasted vegetables, fried or broiled cheese (or vegan fare like seitan or tofu), baked potatoes, toast, yogurt, cottage cheese, pancakes or waffles, ice cream or sorbet, watermelon(!) or on fruit salad. If you made syrup, swirl it into drinks and cocktails.

Here's the thing: you don't have to be a pro to make pomegranate molasses. You do have to be vigilant, attentive - report, hound and harass any Republican who turns his back on his legal obligation to uphold due process by refuting due process in putting a new judge on the Supreme Court.  Oh, sorry. I meant to say it's essential you stand by the pot toward the final stage of reduction. My first attempt rendered pomegranate tar.

Once you've reached a reduction of one liquid cup, you've got molasses (in not just July.) For syrup, reduce to more than a liquid cup - figure 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups. Molasses (and syrup) will thicken as it cools.

paix et amour,

jane

Pomegranate Molasses (or Syrup)

Ingredients:
4 cups unsweetened pomegranate juice (organic, preferred)
1/2 cup sugar, preferably palm sugar (jaggery) If you don't have palm sugar, white is fine. 

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice




Procedure:

For Syrup: 
Put the pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice in a large (3-4-quart) saucepan set over medium heat. 

Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the mixture has reduced to 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups, approximately 30-45 minutes. It should be the consistency of syrup. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the saucepan for 30 minutes. Transfer to a glass jar and cool completely before covering and storing in the refrigerator. 

For Molasses: 
Place the pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice in a 4-quart saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the mixture has reduced to 1 cup, approximately 40-60 minutes. 

It should be the consistency of thick syrup. Take care, especially towards the latter part of reduction, to not let the reduction burn. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the saucepan for 30 minutes. Transfer to a glass jar and cool completely before covering and storing in the refrigerator. 

Pumpkin Rum-Raisin Loaf

Pumpkin Rum-Raisin Loaf

Blue Heron Kitchen

For Mom

If you have leftover canned pumpkin that's staring at you, here's a great recipe that's perfect for these winter days when it's black outside at 4:30. While waiting for the sun, make some tea, coffee or hot chocolate and have a slice (or two) of this delicious spiced loaf that's loaded with spiked raisins. With or without alcohol, it’ll lift your spirits.

You might want to allow for some time to soak raisins. (Do this in the morning, or overnight, covering the bowl and leaving it on the counter.) If you haven't allotted soaking time, no worries .. it’ll work out.

For the oat flour: I made oat flour with regular oats in my Vitamix. You can use any “power blender” to make oat flour. Or: put the oats in your food processor, and although they won’t grind into flour, the result will be a more textured, but still excellent loaf.

Why oats? Th-oat you’d never ask. Oat flour has no gluten (that protein that holds stuff together, but when there’s too much, often produced by over-mixing, it can make pie crusts, muffins, cookies and cakes tough.) If you're rolling out a pie crust and it's resisting your effort to enlarge it by shrinking back, that's gluten! (You can 'relax' the gluten by returning the dough to the fridge and letting it rest.) You can't always 'fix' gluten's sinews. Especially when it comes to cakery. In this cake, the addition of oats softens the texture. But don't think you're off the hook. If you overmix, there's plenty of gluten in the wheat flour. Gluten isn't evil (for those with Celiac it is; and for those with sensitivity to it, it is). It's necessary to bind together baked goods. And it's what you want when you knead bread. 

If you don’t have oat flour or any of this equipment, (or you don’t feel like washing another container), add whole oats. Oats from Ireland, the U.K. or Scotland are great choices. Bob’s Red Mill is also a great resource for oats and...

Baking soda: Bob’s Red Mill baking soda is worth the $3.00 (don't gasp - it's a one pound bag.) I'm grateful to my son, who advised me how great this stuff is. When you open the bag, you can see the difference. It's far less processed.  Buy the stuff in the orange box for cleaning and use Bob’s for cooking.

Rum? I’ve used both dark, spiced rum, and clear, ‘white’ rum. Either will do. If you don’t have rum, use bourbon. Maker’s Mark is great to have in your liquor cabinet. It's great for bourbon pecan biscotti, and great for chocolate bourbon pecan pie. 

Theory: alcohol evaporates during the baking/cooking process. Reality: I don’t think it all goes away (I hope not.) If you don’t use alcohol, use water. Try adding a tsp. (or more) of rum extract to the raisin soak. If you’re omitting the alcohol, double the vanilla extract, or split it with rum extract.

Canned (plain) pumpkin is best. I buy the organic stuff. If you roast or steam your own, make sure it’s drained extremely well.

Your spices matter. New Year's (easy) resolution: If spices are more than a year old, replace them. Write the date on the new labels.  (When you open the new batch, compare their aromas. New=fresh and pungent. Old=dull and muted. If they're really old, they're pointless.  If you’re interested in a great spice-monger, try Penzey’s.

Of cloves: If you’re using freshly ground cloves, you may want to reduce the amount by about an 1/8^th to ¼ of a tsp. Until the oils of the cloves dissipate, the spice, freshly ground is “oily” and concentrated.

Truc: Opt for the larger bowl.

Another day home from work is another day closer to springing back to musical life. Until then, there’s always my Blue Heron Kitchen.

peace and love,

jane

Pumpkin Rum-Raisin Loaf

Ingredients:

1 c./5.5 oz./156 g. dark raisins (organic Thomson are great)

¼ c./4 fl. oz./118.29 ml. rum, (dark or light) or bourbon

¼ c./4. fl. oz./118.29 ml. water (room temperature)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (double if omitting alcohol or rum extract)

            or 1 tsp. vanilla + 1-2 tsp. rum extract, if omitting alcohol.

2 eggs, size large, room temperature

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 ¼ c./8.8 oz./250 g. granulated white sugar

1/3 c. vegetable oil

¾ tsp. ground cloves

¾ tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. kosher salt

1 ½ c./200 g. unbleached white flour

¼ c./28 g. oat flour or oats (not quick cooking), ground, processed or “as is”

1 ½ tsp./6 g. baking powder (use aluminum-free)

½ tsp./2 g. baking soda

Turbinado sugar for top of loaf (optional)

Procedure:

When ready to bake: preheat oven to 350º F. and prepare two small or one large loaf pan by greasing with vegetable oil.

Soak raisins in rum or water. Do not drain.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together: flour, oats, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking powder and baking soda and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer (Kitchen Aid or “other”) or by hand, in a large bowl, beat the eggs.

Add pumpkin and sugar and mix well.

Add oil and mix well.

Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Dump in raisins and liquid that they were soaking in. Stir until combined.

Fill prepared loaf pan(s) to 2/3 full.

Sprinkle optional Turbinado sugar on top of loaf.

Bake in center of oven, until tester comes out clean, approximately 40 minutes. Do begin checking after 30 minutes (especially if you’re baking several smaller loaves.

Cool completely before serving. This loaf seasons and improves with age. Wrap well in plastic and then foil. Leave for a day (or two.)

The loaf keeps well in the fridge and freezes for a couple of months.

Pain D'Épices

Pain d’Épices

Adapted from Flo Braker’s Baking for All Occasions by David Lebovitz

and then snagged by Blue Heron Kitchen

Pain d’épices is a tradition in France at New Year’s. It’s a quick bread infused with aromatic and warm spices. Not particularly sweet, it’s an adaptable loaf. It can be dressed up or down. You can smear some cream cheese or butter or jam (or both) on it, or as David Lebovitz suggests, slice it for “shortcake”, layering whipped cream and berries. Sliced thicker, it’s toast! Have some for breakfast with butter and jam, cottage or ricotta cheese.

Most traditional pain d’épices recipes include dried fruit and alcohol. I like the absence of stuff in this loaf. Flo Braker’s a lovely woman and great baker. About thirty years ago, I took a class with her when her miniatures book was released. She’s a warm and talented baker who understands and writes well for the home baker. David Lebovitz’s blog and recipes are fantastic. He’s a great writer and if you don’t follow his blog, I suggest you have a look at it.

You’ll need a well-stocked spice cabinet. If you don’t have one, this is a great time to begin one. Try Penzey’s (local store or, online for great quality and ease.) Their jars are inexpensive, come with labels; and you can buy spices in bags for much less than in jars. Share the bags with family and friends. Try Vietnamese and Ceylon cinnamons. They’re both wonderful. Penzey’s is a good company. If you have time, read about them.

If you have old spices (more than a year), dump and replace them (the spices and the cologne.) You’ll be astonished when you sniff the difference.

NUTMEG (The hard s(h)ell): The word derives from Latin, meaning “musky nut.” Trees grow primarily in Indonesia, and the outer shell of the nutmeg is a different spice called mace! Myristicin is the chemical found in nutmeg that in large quantities (large quantities) is a hallucinogenic. (Don’t try it – I think you can die from too much of this stuff.) Myristicin has also been found to have some effect in killing cancer cells. It touts health benefits such as antioxidants and other vitamins. Nutmeg is an aphrodisiac! Inexpensive nutmeg graters are easy to find. Penzey’s sells small bags of whole nutmegs. A small amount leaves a giant aroma/taste footprint. Most home recipes require about ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg in a recipe. Grate a smidge over cooked spinach or chard (thanks, Mom!), into ricotta for Italian pasta and sauce dishes; and it’s a magic addition to most Bolognese sauces.

Nutmeg!

Truc: Wrap and rest. Taste improves hugely if you wrap and rest the loaf. After the loaf has completely cooled, wrap well, in plastic and foil. Leave the spices to mull. The loaf will become denser with a rounder spice profile. It’s worth the wait.

If you bought dark rye for the brownie recipe (now, that’s presumptuous!), here’s another use for your rye. If you don’t have rye flour, try whole wheat. I don’t know if you’ll have the same results. Bob’s Red Mill sells small (24 oz.) bags of dark rye flour.

Don’t omit the anise seed. (Deal breaker)

Honey should be of the milder variety. Buckwheat is too strong for this recipe. Clover, Golden, Lavender, Wildflower – all good choices. Spray or coat the inside of the measuring cup with tasteless oil for easy release.

Truc: Avoid grating to the white pith of the orange. Grate using a light hand and stop early before you turn to the next part of the orange.

I strongly recommend that you double this recipe. It’s great to give as gifts and it freezes well.

Warm spices and heady aroma will fill your kitchen and home, welcoming the new year.

Wishing you a year of good scents.

Happy sweet ’16!

peace and love,

jane

Pain d’Épices

Ingredients:

3 ½ c./455 g. unbleached white flour

½  c./60 g. dark rye flour

2 ½  tsp. baking soda

1 ½  tsp. ground cinnamon

1 ½ tsp. ground ginger

¼  tsp. freshly-grated nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground cloves

¼  tsp. freshly-ground black pepper

½  tsp. anise seeds (whole)

2 oz./55 g. unsalted butter, room temperature

1 egg, size large, room temperature

1 c. /340 g. honey

1 Tbsp. finely-grated orange zest

1 c. /240 ml. room temperature water

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 350º (180ºC). Butter a 9-inch (23cm) loaf pan and dust it with flour. Tap out any excess, leaving only a thin coating of flour.

2. Sift together the flour, rye flour, baking soda, the ground spices and salt in a bowl. Sprinkle in the anise seeds.

3. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, mix together the butter, egg, honey and orange zest. When combined, add water.

4. Add the dry ingredients in three additions, scraping the sides of the bowl making sure all ingredients are mixed together. Remove from mixer and give a few turns with spatula to make sure all is combined.

5. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The top of the loaf will darken. This is okay.

6. Cool on rack for 10 minutes, then tip the cake out of the loaf pan. Let cool completely before slicing.

Yield: One 9-inch (23cm) loaf

Wrapped well in plastic wrap, this should keep for about a week. It will freeze for a couple of months.