Gluten-Free-Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie

By / Food / May 30th, 2011 / Like

gfdf_choco-chip_cookiesI bet you thought that going gluten-free-dairy-free meant the end of scrumptious desserts. Well, that’s just not true. A few substitutions here and there, and you’ll find yourself creating food that’s as, if not more, sumptuous. Take ice cream, for instance.  Ok, so you can’t have dairy. No problem; use coconut milk instead. I recently had a few scoops of dark chocolate ice cream made entirely from coconut milk. It was so thick and creamy, and what coconut taste there may have been melded perfectly with the chocolate. There’s also the ubiquitous soy milk that can be used anywhere regular dairy is used.

So, when a friend of mine dropped by for a visit yesterday, I thought I’d throw together a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I didn’t, however, want to use any of the butter substitutes available on the market because that would have involved a time-consuming errand. So, I pulled out one of the ever-present staples in my pantry — olive oil. I can just see your eyebrows arching at that revelation. The olive oil won’t lend its strong taste to the cookies. First, the recipe calls for only a little bit of oil. Second, there’s so much sugar in the cookie that whatever olive flavour might be there is effectively disguised. However, feel free to use butter, if you can, or a milder oil, like canola.

I found the original recipe at How To Eat A Cupcake. But, it has apparently made the rounds via a number of other food blogs. It can even trace its roots right back to the Chicago Sun-Times. Here’s my version adapted into a gluten-free-dairy-free version.

I used Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Baking Flour. It’s derived from a combination of chickpea flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, white sorghum flour and fava bean flour. But, feel free to use your own combination. I found (mid-way through mixing, of course) that I was completely out of baking soda. So, I used about a 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum. I had a package of Camino dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips. But, any dark chocolate will work, too. The original recipe claims that it produces 4 to 5 dozen cookies. But, I think I must have a genetic inability to make small, teaspoon-sized cookies. Mine always end up measuring about 8 cm in diameter or more, probably because I scoop the dough out of the bowl with a tablespoon. Anyway, I ended up with exactly 20.

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about  20

2 1/4 cup gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda (or 1/4 tsp xanthan gum)
2 eggs
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl.
3. In a larger mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add olive oil and beat until completely mixed with eggs. Add sugars, vanilla and mix until combined.
4. Beat in dry ingredients slowly. The dough will be very stiff. Carefully fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a large ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes in the middle of the oven until bottom of cookies are golden brown.
Let stand for 2 minutes. Cookies may stick to the pan a bit, so remove them carefully to wire racks to cool.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rosemary Mantini has always loved words. When she isn't working as the Associate Editor at Tidings Magazine, she's helping others achieve their writing dreams, and sometimes she even relaxes with a good book and a glass of wine.

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