(Gluten Free) Cookies & (Dairy Free) Milk

I was ready for football, but Big Al's wasn't ready for me

2011-09-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

I love football. And before I went gluten free, I would enjoy going to Sports bars on occasion. Besides sports, a sports bar generally offers 2 things: 1. Beer and 2. Bar food- which consists of burgers and many deep fried things (and sometimes pizza). This doesn't really bode well for the gluten free crowd. But, with the promise of a gluten free burger bun on the menu, we headed out to Big Al's anyway.

First off, let me say, Big Al's IS a great place to watch a game, and looks like it would be a really fun place to bowl a few games. With 3 huge screens and several other screens in the sports bar area, watching the game is no problem, no matter what game you came to watch.

When we arrived, after taking in the enormousness of the place, we took a look at the menu. Indeed gluten free buns were available. The problem however, quickly became evident shortly after that. It turns out, you can order a burger, but you can't really get anything that is supposed to come with it. Fries? Nope, they're beer battered. Chips? Nope, cooked in the same oil as the fries and seasoned with gluten, according to our server. Caesar Salad without croutons? No, the dressing has gluten? Plain lettuce with vinaigrette was our only option- all the other dressings had gluten. For future reference I asked our server if the chips used in the nachos were corn. He said yes, but they have gluten. I clarified- are they fried in the same oil as gluten containing products, or do they actually have gluten in them? They have gluten in them he confirmed. So, we could eat the plain proteins and gluten free bun and that was about it according to our helpful server.

So, I got a chicken sandwich, with bacon. My wife got a burger. They tried to give us some chips, even though we'd already had that discussion with the server. The gluten free bun was fine, maybe bordering on good. Taste wise, it was pretty decent for bar food. However, even after all the conversation with our server and back and forth with the kitchen, and my lame salad, I'm pretty sure I STILL got glutened. I had an upset stomach all night on into the morning.

The bottom line is this: if you are looking for a gluten free place to watch the game, Big Al's is currently not an option. However, if you can eat gluten, and for some reason want to enjoy a gluten free burger bun, Big Al's is there just for you.

p.s. If you know a good place for GF Portlanders to watch a game, please post it in the comments section here. I for one, am dying to know!

Back to the Blogosphere

2011-08-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

I read in a book recently that to develop a following with a blog you have to post EVERY DAY. That probably explains why I have very few followers. Sorry I haven't been very good about posting lately. We just moved. But now we are somewhat settled and I'm back to blogging.

I have a couple things coming up that I'll tell you about now:

A review of Scratch restaurant in Lake Oswego. We had a chance to go here for my wife's birthday.

I plan on making gluten free donuts this weekend. I'll let you know how this experiment goes.

Also, to all the gluten free folks in the Portland metro area (and maybe elsewhere?)- check out your local Grocery Outlet, they have some really great gluten free pasta in right now (at least at the one in Tigard).

That's all for now, but I'll post more, I promise!

Gluten free bread and brownies at many Subways starting Monday 7/11

2011-07-08T13:20:00.001-07:00

Starting May 11 many Oregon (and SW Washington?) Subway locations will be offering gluten free bread. I don't have a whole lot of information on this, but you can confirm this information here: http://graindamaged.blogspot.com/ and here: http://orwasubway.com/ and here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ORWA-Subway/112425058844103. Apparently Portland is the second test city after success in Texas. While I was always a Quizno's kinda guy pre-GF, I'm willing to give this a try. I've had salads from Subway in the past with no problems. Most of the meats are gluten free with some fairly obvious exceptions- teriyaki chicken and meatballs.

Pan Fried Chicken

2011-07-07T01:18:00.000-07:00

Gluten free fried chicken is not only possible, but it can actually be better than the gluten version. It doesn't really require a recipe- just wet and dry ingredients. This fried chicken is nice and crispy on the outside, and perfectly moist on the inside.

Wet ingredients-- If you are okay with dairy, soak your chicken pieces for about at least a couple hours (preferably longer) in some buttermilk. If you don't use dairy, use some coconut or other non-dairy milk and if it is not thick enough to coat then use an egg. I also mix some dijon mustard into the wet mix.

Dry ingredients-- Coat the chicken with a mixture of 2 parts rice flour to 1 part cornstarch with whatever your favorite blend of spices is (I use garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper). Once coated, shake off excess flour mixture.

Frying- Fill a straight-sided saute pan or cast iron skillet with enough oil or shortening to come halfway up your chicken pieces. Heat the oil to 325 degrees. Cook the chicken until golden brown on first side, then flip and cook until golden brown on opposite side. If you insert a thermometer, the temperature should read around 165. If you are using larger pieces of chicken, you may want to have an oven pre-heated to about 375 on standby. If the chicken is browned on the stovetop but not cooked through, finish the cooking on a sheet pan fitted with a rack in the oven.

(Gluten Free) Biscuits & (Dairy Free) Gravy

2011-06-16T13:21:00.001-07:00

I have to admit, I got a little upset at a random friend on Facebook not that long ago. I don't even remember who it was, and I had no right to get upset. But they had posted something about going to Pine State Biscuits. For those who don't know, Pine State serves up (arguably) the best biscuits and gravy in town, and perhaps one of the best in the country. Pre gluten free I was able to enjoy Pine State a couple of times. The Reggie Deluxe is one of those vivid food memories you will never forget. So, when someone posts that they ate at Pine State, it stirs up memories, and makes me a little upset and sad.

I am happy to report that I am no longer mad that I can't enjoy biscuits and gravy at Pine State. I was actually able to make excellent biscuits and gravy at home, and you can too!

Step 1- Biscuits

You'd think making gluten free biscuits would be the most difficult step in biscuits and gravy. But I promise, it really wasn't that difficult. This photo is from the first batch of gluten free biscuits I've ever made in my life. They turned out nicely browned and flaky. They were soft, but with a nice crunch on the outside.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Spectrum Organic butter flavored palm shortening
3/4 cup Unsweetened Coconut Milk (So Delicious) or other milk substitute
1 egg
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1 cup gluten free flour mix
3/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Heat oven to about 425 degrees.

Blend the wet ingredients (shortening, milk, egg) in a food processor until incorporated. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until incorporated into a soft dough.

Using an ice cream scoop (preferably spring loaded) drop evenly sized portions onto a lined baking sheet. If you want a more uniform looking biscuit spray some pan spray on a round cookie cutter and put it over the biscuit then spread the dough out with a wet spatula until even.

Bake about 13 minutes or until browned.

Step 2- The Gravy

Sausage gravy is pretty simple, and it only takes a couple of adjustments to make it gluten and dairy free.

1 pound pork breakfast sausage (no casing- remove if present)
2 tablespoons white rice flour
Dairy free milk- about 1 1/2 cups- you might use more if you like runnier gravy
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

In a large skillet on medium-high heat cook the sausage, breaking it up into chunks until it is almost fully cooked and the fat has rendered into the pan. Add rice flour and continue to cook about 1-2 minutes.

Add the milk slowly, about 1/2 cup at first- scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the good bits. Add the rest of the milk. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the gravy has reached the desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Step 3- Assemble and eat

It doesn't have to be pretty. Just cut a biscuit in half, slop on some gravy, and if desired, cook up an egg on the side. There you have it- gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free biscuits and gravy!

Review: Divine Pies (simulcast @ www.makemesomepie.com)

2011-04-21T00:54:00.000-07:00

This review was written for my brother's website Make Me Some Pie and I decided to post it here as well for my readers.

The Portland Farmer’s Market has a surprising number of merchants selling gluten free baked goods these days. But how many are selling gluten free, dairy free, almost completely raw pies? So far I count only one, and that is Divine Pies.

Owner Alissa started making these pies when she was on a cleansing diet, eating strictly raw foods for a period of about 6 months. “I was craving sweets like crazy, and I started checking all these books out of the library on raw food and raw dessert making. I went on this raw pie making kick, because I loved how they were so nutrient dense, full of protein, totally rich, not too sweet, and didn't require extensive sprouting or dehydrating like a lot of other raw foods,” she said.

Eventually she began developing recipes and testing them out with friends. Alissa went on to explain “it took off as a business after I brought the chocolate hazelnut pie to a friend's birthday party a few years ago. This girl who was at the party was thinking of starting a food cart in an old streetcar, and wanted to feature my pies there. Long story short, I ended up becoming her business partner and designing a whole raw foods, juice, smoothie and pie menu for the cart.”

The pies ended up being the streetcar’s most popular items, and people would flock to the location every week to find out what new and exciting pie was waiting for them. Eventually the popularity of the pies led her to leave the streetcar for a tent at the market. “I decided after a while that i didn't need to be sitting in the rain everyday of the week in an expensive flashy vehicle just to sell my pies. All I needed was an umbrella and a card table at the farmers market,” said Alissa.

A number of flavors were available at the market the day I went. One that was memorable was the white chocolate lavender cheesecake, and also there was a pretty good rendition of a key lime pie. But for my review, I had to go with the pie that started it all: Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Pie.

Presentation- I like the look of the pie. It is made in its own individual tin. You might not think it okay to eat a whole pie, but this one is little and (comparatively speaking) good for you. Ingredients are listed on the package and the list is pretty simple: Crust- hazelnuts, coconut flakes, dates, cinnamon, salt. Filling- fresh hazelnut milk, young coconut meat, dates, coconut oil, cacao, vanilla extract, lecithin (the only non raw ingredient), cinnamon and salt. Alissa told me the hazelnuts are from Freddy Guy’s hazelnuts, whose booth happens to be right next to her at the Farmer’s Market. She tries to source as many local ingredients as possible.

Crust- Okay, so if you are a pie purist, it isn’t really much of a crust. It isn’t rolled or baked, it isn’t even dough. However, it does provide the desired effect in terms of contrast in flavor and texture. Oh yeah, and it tastes good.

Filling- If you look at the ingredients, nothing seems to sound particularly creamy. I would have expected to see something like coconut milk or cream listed, but it was not. Despite that, the filling is very creamy- a nice velvety texture. This tastes like a good chocolate mousse. It is hard to believe that this was achieved without the aid of eggs, cream, sugar or milk. This certainly didn’t taste raw. It was sweet, but not overly so.

Overall rating- 4 out of 5- This is a good dessert. It isn’t pie in the strictest sense. I really enjoy a good crust, which was hard to achieve in this (mostly) raw pie. Still, it was very good. It requires skill to achieve these unique flavors without cooking anything, even more so without gluten or dairy, but Alissa pulls it off. Highly recommended.

You can find Divine Pies at the Portland (PSU) Farmer’s Market on Saturdays, as well as online at www.divinepieportland.com. If a little personal size pie isn’t enough for you , special orders are available. Just let Alissa know a few days ahead of time and you can have a delicious full-size pie for your special event or just because. They serve about 10-12 people- so you might want to share.

Caramel Apple Pie Recipe- GF, DF, Refined Sugar Free

2011-04-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

Caramel Sauce- see recipe here

Crust (adapted from Carol Fenster’s 1000 Gluten Free Recipes)

1 cup gluten free flour mix (like Bob’s Red Mill or mix your own- I use a mix of Sorghum flour or Brown Rice Flour (35%), Cornstarch (35%- you could also use potato starch or arrowroot) and Tapioca Flour (35%)
¾ cup tapioca flour
½ cup sweet rice flour (also called glutinous rice flour*)
3 tablespoons of palm sugar or granulated honey, divided
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon guar gum
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup Palm Shortening (non-hydrogenated- Spectrum Organic is what I use- try the new "butter" flavor)
½ cup unsweetened Coconut Milk (I use So Delicious brand) or unsweetened rice milk
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 egg beaten with a touch of water or coconut milk (a tablespoon or so) for egg wash

Place flours, 2 tablespoons of palm sugar or granulated honey, xanthan and guar gums, salt, baking soda and shortening in a food processor and process until it resembles bread crumbs. Add the milk and lemon juice and process until the dough forms a ball. You might need to add slightly more liquid, but be careful not to add too much. Once most of the dough comes together, remove the dough and knead it until smooth. Shape it into evenly sized disks, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Filling

6-8 pie apples depending on size (Granny Smith, Fuji, Jonagold, Crispin- I like to use a combination) peeled and cored
Lemon juice to coat slices
2 tablespoons agave nectar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Slice apples ¼ inch thick with a knife or mandolin. Immediately dredge slices in lemon juice to keep from browning. Remove from lemon juice and sprinkle with cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg, then mix lightly with the agave nectar until slices are evenly coated.

Assembling the pie

Roll out the pie crusts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap until they are just wide enough to hang over the edge of the pie pan. Make sure you keep an even thickness. Press the bottom crust into a nonstick pie pan. Place a single layer of apple filling, followed by caramel sauce, the continue alternating apples and caramel sauce until all filling is used (you probably will not use all the caramel sauce- save some for drizzling). Place the top crust on the pie. Press the two crusts together and form a decorative edge if desired. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with remaining palm sugar or granulated honey. Pierce the top with the end of a sharp knife to allow steam to vent. Place the pan on a baking sheet (nonstick would be good, or coat with foil as the caramel sauce can get messy). Preheat the oven to 375° and bake on the bottom rack for 15 minutes. Move the pie to the middle rack and bake another 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center goes through without effort and the top crust is golden brown. If the crust gets too brown before the filling is done cooking, cover the crust with foil until it is done. Cool on a wire rack completely before slicing and enjoying.

*Sweet rice flour is often labeled glutinous rice flour and can be found commonly in Asian markets. The rice it is derived from is also called sticky rice. It is called glutinous for these sticky properties. However, it does NOT contain gluten.

I took a knife to a gun fight...

2011-04-13T22:02:00.001-07:00

When I brought my very first gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free pie to a pie contest fundraiser at my work, I felt very much like the guy in the movie the Untouchables who brought a knife to a gun fight. This was the very first pie I ever made since going gluten free. I mostly made it so I would have something I could eat since I knew I'd be surrounded by tempting, gluten filled, no doubt delicious pie. The other gluten free person in the office told me she enjoyed my pie, which made me happy. I tried it, and I liked it as well. But I was absolutely shocked when it was announced that my pie actually WON the pie contest. All the other entries had gluten, sugar and in some cases- glorious whipped cream. I took my knife into the gunfight and somehow I came out on top. I'll post some more info on the pie I entered soon. It was a Caramel Apple Pie, and now I can say it is "award-winning". Hee hee.

Updated: Caramel Sauce with a Twist: Refined Sugar Free and Dairy Free

2011-04-13T00:55:00.000-07:00

Update: New and Improved Caramel Sauce

I'm sure some of you may have heard of Mimic Creme before, but I just discovered it the other day. This works much better for the caramel sauce than the previously used Soyatoo. And, as a bonus, this is now a soy free recipe!

1/2 cup palm sugar

1/2 cup light agave nectar

1 cup water

1/2 cup Mimic Creme (almond and cashew cream substitute, available @ Whole Foods)

Combine palm sugar, agave and water in a medium saucepan (don't use small it will bubble up). Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Boil until most of the water has evaporated and the remaining liquid takes on a medium brown color. Remove from heat and stir in the Mimic Creme. Return to low heat and simmer 2 minutes until sauce is smooth. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon. It will thicken as it cools.

Guest Review on Make Me Some Pie!

2011-03-29T22:09:00.001-07:00

My guest review of Queen of Hearts Berry Pie is up now on my brother's pie blog- makemesomepie.com. Head on over and check it out.

GF @ the Portland Farmer's Market

2011-03-26T12:46:00.001-07:00

Portland Farmer's Market opened up last weekend, so we decided to go check it out today. I confess, the main reason I woke up early to hit the market was because I knew (via Facebook) that Petunia's Pies and Pastries was going to have doughnuts. I work downtown, and for some reason this week (maybe because of Spring Break) I saw an incredible number of people walking around with pink boxes. For those who don't know- the pink boxes are from Voodoo Doughnuts (not GF). This made me start to crave doughnuts like mad. As you can see from the picture, the doughnuts didn't make it home. I had chocolate glazed with sprinkles and my wife had a maple bar. Thanks Petunia's for satisfying my craving. It sounds like this could become a regular thing for Petunia's at the market- this week was raised style, next week they will have cake doughnuts. Hooray for gluten free doughnuts, what a treat!

Besides the obvious gluten free options like all the fantastic fruit and vegetables, there were several other vendors selling gluten free goods. We got pasta from Nonna's Noodles, a berry hand pie from Queen of Hearts, a Chocolate Hazelnut pie from Divine Pie and bagels from New Cascadia Traditional Bakery. I also saw another vendor selling gluten free flours (sorry I don't remember the name) and HeidiHo Organics was selling vegan gluten free "cheese" which was actually pretty good.

Why did I buy two pies? Well, my little brother runs makemesomepie.com, so let's just say it's both for my enjoyment, and research. Oh yeah, and I LIKE pie! Stay tuned for more on that.

I was very happy to see all these vendors at the market, helping to make our gluten free lives a little bit easier, and more delicious!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2011-03-22T00:49:00.001-07:00

Update: I just made another batch of these. This time I used palm sugar in place of the demerara sugar and palm shortening (Spectrum Organic) instead of butter. This makes them dairy free and refined sugar free. Also, they actually turned out even better than the original!

The verdict is in. I thought these muffins were good, and my lovely wife thought they were great! I used some Demerara sugar in this one, but I think palm sugar would work too. Or you could try all agave, but the results might be a little different.

½ cup brown rice flour

½ cup white rice flour

¼ cup tapioca flour

¼ cup arrowroot

1/3 cup Demerara Sugar or Palm Sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup Butter or Palm Shortening (like Spectrum Organic)

1/3 cup dark agave

2 mashed bananas (about 1 cup)

1/4 milk substitute (i used unsweetened coconut)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix all the dry ingredients in a food processor or mixer until combined. Add butter/substitute and mix until coarse. Add the wet ingredients and mix until you have a thick batter. If using food processor, remove batter and add chocolate chips and fold them in. If using a mixer add the chocolate chips and mix until incorporated. Scoop into a greased muffin pan (I used an ice cream scoop). Use enough batter to fill the tin almost to the top. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (except for maybe a little melted chocolate). Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then move to a cooling rack.

Gluten Free Central Oregon Coast

2011-03-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

We went to Depoe Bay last weekend and I just thought I'd post some info on gluten free options for folks since Spring Break is here.

Hilltop Inn in Lincoln City is not fancy. It looks exactly like what it is- an old Denny's. We went for breakfast and the list of gluten free options is pretty good. Apparently one of the owners eats GF. They made us hashbrowns from scratch, with house made GF toast for me and a house made GF chocolate muffin for Kristen. They also get bonus points from me for knowing how to cook an egg to order.

Captain Dan's Pirate Pastry in Lincoln City has a few GF options. I had a slice of chocolate cake that was pretty tasty- nice and moist, but kind of flat and dense. It's worth a try if you are craving something sweet- they have cookies and muffins too.

We were only in town for a couple days, and we cooked at the condo a couple times (I cooked some seafood we got from Local Ocean in Newport- highly recommended). But there are more GF options to try next time:

One place we wanted to try but it was closed on Sunday, and that is Beach Town Bakery. Apparently they have GF options, but I don't know how many or what is available. They do have an Udi's sign on the door, so I'm also not sure if they actually bake the GF options in house or not. *(note: since this review was written I received notice that BTB has given up on gluten free because it wasn't selling).

Also there is a pizza place called Pizza Cucina that had an ad in the local restaurant guide that said they have gluten free pizza available. It is in Newport.

In Newport as well is Savory Cafe, which is in the Nye Beach area. They have GF personal pizzas as well as a large selection of GF items ranging from tacos and burritos to their signature Savory bowls, which are all GF and vegan (unless you add meat). This is one we are definitely going to check out next time.

Cupcakes!

2011-03-17T01:09:00.001-07:00

A lot of times with my gluten free baking experiments, I start by trying out someone else's recipe as a base (gluten free or not), then tweak and modify it until I get something better. But sometimes a recipe actually works so well it needs (almost) no modifications. These cupcakes I made tonight are the best I've ever had- gluten or not. The recipe is not mine, and is published in a cookbook that I don't have permission to reprint. But I can tell you, it is from Babycakes NYC, and you can find the recipe on Gwenyth Paltrow's website GOOP right here. I was amazed because the last batch of cupcakes I made had some of the same ingredients, but turned into bricks, unsuitable for human consumption.

I wasn't sure I believed all the hype about Babycakes, but the fans are right, this recipe is the real deal. Of course, one look at the ingredient list, and you gluten free bakers out there can quickly see that these are not cheap to make. Making these regularly could break the bank, so you may want to put this recipe in your special occasions folder. I hate to mess with such a good thing, but I'm already thinking of ways I could make this cupcake just as delicious, but more affordable. Stay tuned.

p.s. Besides being gluten free, these are refined sugar free (sweetened with agave and applesauce), dairy free and even vegan- or at least they were until I put cream cheese frosting on them!

Steak and (Sweet) Potatoes

2011-03-13T20:20:00.001-07:00

Okay, here it is, simple, but delicious. While on our way home from the beach, I stopped by a little market I love called Harvest Fresh out in McMinnville. They always have this cut of steak I can't seem to find anywhere else called "Teres Major" which is sometimes called "Petite Tender". It's a cut from the shoulder and it is second in tenderness only to the filet mignon. It was on sale for $6.99 a pound, yes!

My recipe was inspired by Oba restaurant in Portland. They make a Cuban flank steak with boniato mash. Here's what I did:

1. Marinate 1 piece of teres major (about 3/4 pound) with the juice of 1 lime, 2 cloves garlic and about a tablespoon of honey for about 2 hours. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Season with salt and pepper and sear the steak on all sides and then put on a sheet pan with a rack in the oven.

2. Peel and boil 1 large sweet potato (about 1 pound). When cooked enough to put a fork through drain and mash (or run through a ricer or food mill). Add butter (or substitute) and enough milk substitute (I used coconut) to reach a smooth consistency. Season with garlic powder, salt, pepper and a dash of cumin powder.

3. Thinly slice 1 medium onion and dust the onion with a mixture of rice flour and cornstarch to coat. Fry the onions in about 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a medium skillet. Cook them like hashbrowns- allow them to brown on 1 side, then flip. Drain on paper towel.

4. Once the steak has reached medium rare (145 degrees) remove the steak from the oven. Let it rest at least 5 minutes, then slice into about 10-12 medallions. Serve with the sweet potato mash and top with the frizzled onions. I also served it with a compound butter (you could use a substitute) made with the juice of half a lime, salt, cumin and pepper.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies (Lower GI)

2011-03-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

I've been trying for quite a while now to perfect a chocolate chip cookie that is gluten free and has less processed sugar than other cookies. After experimenting with agave nectar, honey and date sugar, I finally remembered something I'd seen at a local Thai/Asian store- Palm Sugar. I did some research and found out that not only does palm sugar act more like regular sugar than anything else I've tried, it also has a much higher nutrient content and lower Glycemic Index (some report as low as 35) than most of the alternative sweeteners I've tried. Unfortunately, I've yet to find a good sugar free chocolate chip that isn't sweetened with grain (not gluten free), so the cookie still has a bit of regular sugar. The next step will probably be making my own chocolate chips. Try the recipe- you'll swear it isn't gluten free.

Flour mix:

1 part rice flour

1/2 part tapioca flour

1/4 part modified tapioca starch (Expandex- sub corn or potato starch if needed)

Recipe:

2 1/4 cups flour mix (see above)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon xantham gum

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups palm sugar (ground in food processor)

1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla extract

2 large eggs

12 ounces dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, xantham gum) in a bowl. Beat butter, palm sugar and vanilla extract in stand mixer or large bowl with hand mixer until creamed. Add the eggs, one at a time until mixed well. Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture gradually. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop about a tablespoon of batter per cookie onto a sheet pan.

3. Bake about 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes, then enjoy. Or move the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely for storage.