By Meet Karina
best chocolate chip cookies
Delicious quinoa chocolate chip cookies. A gluten-free favorite.
Have I Got a Faux for You
My last cookie post stirred up a veritable stew of feelings. From oat-loving high fives and boogie till the cows come home oatmeal cookie bliss, to very sad, That's okay, I'll sit this one out in the corner moping. Because oatmeal? It's not for everyone. Apparently, oats can be unkind to sensitive celiac tummies. So while many celiacs celebrate the availability of certified gluten-free oats (thank you, Bob's Red Mill!), just as many shun this humble cereal grain for the sake of symptoms or safety.
Avena sativa? Not welcome in many a gluten-free kitchen.
Some believe the trouble starts with its globulin or legume-like protein called avenalin. Some think it's the soluble fiber factor. Others believe that the prolemine in oats called avenin triggers a celiac-like response. The debate rages on. And I'm no scientist, I'm sorry to tell you, so I'll sit this one out. But.
The truth is, Babycakes, you don't want to be around moi after I've eaten oats- gluten-free certified or not. Although I tested negative for oat allergy, these tasty chewy little cereal devils produce enough, um, wind in my nether regions to keep Wyoming well lit for a week.
It ain't pretty, is all I'm saying.
So of course I had to play around with the oatmeal cookie recipe. I couldn't leave my oat-shunning peeps out in the cold without a chewy golden cookie of their own. I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. I stirred up some quinoa flakes, quinoa flour, sorghum flour, organic brown sugar, and olive oil and vegan chocolate chips and guess what?
I think you know what.
In fact (shhh- don't tell those lucky oatmeal cookie folks), this cookie is even better than its oatmeal cousin. It is, I swear, my new favorite cookie. I am Patsy Cline Crazy about it.
Quinoa flakes rock.
chocolate chocolate chip cookies
oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookies
These are now my favorite gluten-free cookies. I mean it. These are the best. Delicious, golden caramel flavor with a chewy quinoa center accented with dark chocolate chips. Gluten-free cookie heaven.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes
1/2 cup organic quinoa flour
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour or potato starch (not potato flour)
1 1/2 cups organic light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup light olive oil
3 tablespoons real maple syrup
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract
2 large organic free-range eggs or Ener-G Egg Replacer
Warm water, as needed
1 cup vegan dark chocolate chips
Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours and dry ingredients.
Add in the oil, maple syrup, vanilla and eggs/egg replacer. Combine the wet and dry ingredients with a sturdy wooden spoon until you get a thick, sticky batter.
If you need to, add 1 tablespoon of warm water at a time, as needed, to achieve a (cookie style) dough that sticks together when you pinch it.
Stir in the dark chocolate chips with a wooden spoon. Cover and chill the dough for 30 to 60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with an Exopat or parchment.
Roll spoonfuls of the dough between your palms and form the dough into 24 balls (slightly smaller than a golf ball). Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet and press down a bit to flatten slightly- not too much. Place the pan into the center of a pre-heated oven and bake until golden and set - about 22 to 25 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the center is almost firm. The cookies will still have a little give to them while hot; as they cool they will crisp up.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes; then carefully remove the cookies with a thin spatula and place them on a wire rack to continue cooling.
Lovely warm and melty. Store in a covered container for up to a day or wrap cooled cookies in recycled foil, bag and freeze for longer storage.
Makes 24-30 cookies.