Unbelievably fabulous: Gluten Free Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Really. Un-freakin’-Believably DELICIOUS.

GF Peanut Butter, Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Photo by Kate Chan

I have finally clicked “POST GRADES” on my last class for the semester. The finals are all stacked up neatly and ready to be returned to the students. And I am DONE DONE DONE! I truly love my job (parenting wins, but teaching is great too! LOL) but the paperwork involved is insane. Really. It is.

It follows you wherever you are: classroom desk, reminders written on post-it notes scrunched quickly into pockets or my purse, email (everywhere!), class web page updates, in the car next to the kids day-care bag rides my school BAGSSSSSS, and on every spare surface in the family room/office of the house. Teaching paperwork hangs around link a lingering perfume. And after a while, you are almost drowning in it. And it never ends.

I am just getting better at carving out time for me and my family. There are several hours each day when we are just here together – wherever that may be. But together? Always.

And now both babes are engaged in conversation and action (the baby just sat up for the first time tonight by herself!), life is getting good. The Chicklet and I have been whipping up cookies, rolls and pancakes like nobody’s business. And she has some interesting ideas for flavors. In her mind, everything needs a little cumin. I’m fairly certain that this influence comes from two things: (1) my mention of needing milk and cumin as the purpose for our grocery trip MONTHS ago and (2) her dad will eat anything and EVERYTHING with cumin in it. ;D

I know I’ve been stressed about the paperwork/semester finals etc when we’ve made several batches of cookies. And once again, it’s fabulous to have colleagues to happily volunteer to munch on your test batches of cookies or my booty would seriously needs its own zip code. 😀

Do you have a favorite cookie flavor?

I enjoy peanut butter cookies and my sister’s blue ribbon winning “Aunt Selma’s Oatmeal” cookies. But when I decided to make some cookies, a couple things came up. First, I’m not a fan of using vegetable shortening any more. I can really taste it after making something with it. So that was something I needed to modify from the Aunt Selma’s recipe. And two: I wanted some chocolate! 😀 And that is always a happy thing – unless there isn’t a lot of chocolate in the house.

Anyway, after a few attempts, I have my perfect hybrid recipe. This one is easily adapted too. I’ve used it with almond nut butter in lieu of the peanut butter. I’ve used peanut butter and sliced almonds (instead of the oatmeal) too. I’ve used my GF flour mix with delicious results, and my favorite batch used just millet and sweet rice flours. YUM! Oh – and you can make large or small cookies – and even freeze the little dough balls for “cookies on the fly” if you would like. (This was particularly helpful for me as I am the only cookie-sweet-tooth in the house.) And there is no need for gums of any kind.

Genius, right?

Well, okay. Not really. But it is fabulously tasty. And I will continue to make this recipe over and over again. I think my next trip to the store will involve some hazelnut butter, sliced almonds and dark chocolate chunks. 😀 It’s going to be a fabulous weekend.

How will you make yours?

GF Peanut Butter, Oatmeal, and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe makes 24 -28 small (1.5 inch) cookies or 12 -18 large (2.5 inch+) cookies

Download a printable copy of this recipe here.

Or get a PDF copy of it here. (with a photo to remind you)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, cold but not hard
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1 egg
1 1/12 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup GF Flour OR 2/3 cup millet flour + 1/3 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 GF-certified oats (OR 1/2-2/3 cup sliced almonds)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (OR peanut butter-chocolate chips, or chocolate chunks, etc)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F if baking (not freezing) the cookies.
2. Cream together butter, white sugar and brown sugar for 4 minutes on medium.
3. Add vanilla and egg. Beat mixture again for 2 minutes on medium-high.
4. Add peanut butter. Beat again for 2 minutes on medium-high.
5. Add flour(s), oats, baking soda and salt. Mix again. Dough will be exactly like regular cookie dough.
6. Quickly and carefully (so as not to mash them) mix in the chocolate chips and chocolate chunks.
7. If you are freezing the cookies, form in to the size ball that you want. Place the balls on a plate so that they are not touching. Place the plate of cookie balls with a loose covering of plastic wrap in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. When the balls have hardened and are no longer super-sticky, move them into a freezer-ready package (freezer bag or other type of freezer container). Use as you would any other frozen cookie ball. Remove as many as you wish and bake at 350F for 15-18 minutes (small cookies) or 22-25 minutes (larger ones). Watch the baking time as it will vary based on the size of your cookie, how frozen/cold the cookie dough, and your oven. The photo above shows the golden brown tinges that you are looking for to determine “doneness”.
8. If you are baking the cookies right away, shape into balls. (I use my ice cream scoop when wickedly lazy and wish for large cookies. It works great with this recipe. I might just have to invest in the little cookie scoops.)
9. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet covered with a silpat or parchment paper. Bake for 11-13 minutes for small cookies or for 15 – 18 minutes for large ones.
10. Remove from the oven when the top begins to turn golden brown. (See the photo above.) Allow the cookies to cool for 3-4 minutes before attempting to move them on to a cooling rack. Cool and pack for transport to work (or to a hiding place in the kitchen for your secret stash of goodness).

Enjoy!
Kate

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Gluten Free Chocolate Chip & Tahini Cookies

GF:  Chocolate Chip & Tahini Cookies, originally uploaded by Kate Chan.

MMM!

So life is exciting around here.  Sorry for the lack of posts, but my body just hasn’t had the energy I’ve needed to keep up with working full-time, grading papers at night, playing with my Chicklet/toddler and managing a household of illnesses in the last several weeks.  I’m thrilled to tell you that we are all healthy again, but now in recovery mode.  Time to get the laundry, grading, etc back up to speed!  I hate it when we fall behind like this… it’s completely normal, but when I’m so stinkin’ tired, I don’t have the energy to catch back up.

Ah, but I did have the energy to make cookies!  Actually, in the last several weeks, my niece has been over to stay a couple nights on the weekends.  (She and her mom just recently moved to our little town.)  She has helped me make gluten-free cupcakes (experimental recipes… not quite ready for posting yet) and I swear she now believes that every Saturday is GF Cupcake baking at my house.  In fact, that is what she told my sister (her other aunt who lives in town here too) when she was staying with them.  She told her that she had a “gluten free cupcake baking date” with me.  Ay!  There are only *so many* cupcakes a girl can eat/bake.  (And I’m a cupcake lover… don’t get me wrong.. but the rest of my family does NOT eat sweets! They’re weird, I know, but I love them.  LOL).

To take a break from cupcake baking, I made a batch of these delicious cookies to share with colleagues on Monday.  None of my colleagues thought the cookies were GF until they saw me munching away on a cookie too.  They looked SURPRISED to say the least.  I actually like the way this recipe turned out so much that I am posting it after only the second batch and I can’t wait to make variations for future batches as well.  I think you will find that this recipe satisfies the need for a chocolate chip cookie with a subtle delicate and creamy finish.

Tahini is made by grinding sesame seeds into a creamy paste.  While it is similar to the idea of peanut butter, it is more creamy and less thick.  You can find tahini made from roasted sesame seeds or plain.  Typically, tahini is used when making things like hummus or other Middle Eastern foods.  It makes a fabulous addition to salad dressings, sandwich dressings, etc.   Normally, you find tahini combined with flavors like:  garlic, lemon, olive oil, chickpeas or mashed eggplant – or even honey!  It is not a sweet flavor, but rather nutty.  If you can’t find tahini, you can substitute with peanut butter, sesame butter, ground hazelnuts, etc.  (See!  An easily adaptable recipe from a flavor profile point of view!  Now you know why I’m excited to try more!)

I think the next batch of cookies that I make will used roasted sesame tahini as it is the batch that I am enjoying the most.  After that, I shall venture forth with this recipe with other flavors – like adding almond butter and a splash of almond extract maybe.  Hmm.. the possibilities are endless.. much like my waistline if I keep baking these!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip & Tahini Cookies

You can print a copy of this recipe by clicking here.
Recipe makes two dozen (or 2 baker’s dozen)

Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) room temperature butter
1/4 cup tahini
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups GF Flour blend
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Combine the brown sugar, tahini and butter in the bowl of your mixer.  Beat until fluffly (3 – 4 minutes).’
3. Add the egg and vanilla extract.  Beat again until fluffly and even. (2 minutes)
4. Dump in your dry ingredients (all but the chocolate chips) and mix again until even.
5. Add chocolate chips.  Mix until well distributed.
6. Form into balls (about 2″ for semi-large cookies) and place on parchment paper (or a silpat baking mat) about 2 inches apart.  The cookies will spread when baking.
7. Bake at 325F for 9 minutes or until the top becomes slightly golden brown.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3-4 minutes on the cookie pan before lifting gently with a spatula to your cooling rack.  Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Happy Cookie Baking, All!
~Kate

Gluten Free: Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies

Gluten Free: Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies, originally uploaded by Kate Chan.

I don’t think my mom could ever make these cookies fast enough – nor often enough for me. There is something magical about a cookie that melts in your mouth, don’t you think?

I made a few dozen of these cookies to share with my colleagues at an after school meeting (do 4 hours still count as a meeting? Or at what point can I call it “involuntary confinement”?). Our meeting was “postponed” at about 8:00AM (we were to meet from 3 – 7:00PM) and there I sat with 4 dozen cookies in a cookie tin on my desk.

“Oh, he** no,” I thought. “These things are NOT coming home with me! It’s just too much temptation for one woman to handle!”

So I promptly dug about in the cupboards of my classroom and found a roll of paper towels. I wrapped up several cookies in little cookies paper towel-“gift baggies” and sent a few students on errands to deliver the goodies. I promptly sat down to send a note apologizing for interrupting their morning classes but that there was no way I was heading home with 4 dozen cookies! One of my colleagues wrote back and said this: “Notes and phone calls are interruptions. Cookies are divine messages from heaven that I should savor my morning coffee.”

Yeap. I love her.

And she’s right. These are dang good with a great cup of coffee.

I made these with pecans, but you can use any kind of nut (walnut, hazelnut, almond, etc) that you like. I have never tried them with peanuts….so maybe not. I’d skip the peanut option, but hey – I’m not you. Pick your nut and go wild, I say.

When I converted this recipe to be gluten free, I added a bit more fat to give the cookie the right kind of crumble. The first few times I made them without adding the additional fat, the cookies crumbled alright, but in all the wrong ways. They would even break apart when I tried to toss them with the powdered sugar or would be too hard to bite in to. Not fun, I tell you.

This recipe rectifies those early attempts and is now my stand by. Mind you, I don’t make it often. I *AM* trying to get healthier, not more round. LOL

I hope you enjoy these cookies like my colleagues did! I saved a few for my morning coffee this week. Who would have thought that I could savor my morning coffee at home while watching the snow fall? Wahoo! Winter Break came three days early this year. Too bad I have to make up the days in June… I won’t be singing the joy then! LOL OH! But wait! June is wedding month! Maybe I’ll have another excuse to make some cookies then too! 😉

Don’t wait that long to try these. They really are tasty!

Gluten Free Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies
(Otherwise called Russian Tea Cookies)
Recipe makes 4 dozen 1-inch cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup pecan halves
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted + 1 cup more for tossing
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/3 cup whipped cream cheese
2 teaspoons GF vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups + 2 Tablespoons sorghum flour, sifted (with the tapioca)
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons tapioca flour, sifted (with the sorghum)
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

Directions:

1. Toast the pecan halves over low heat until fragrant.
2. Sift one cup of the powdered sugar.
3. Process the toasted pecans and the 1 cup of powdered sugar in the bowl of your food processor until even and fine.
4. Cream together the butter and cream cheese with the powdered sugar/pecan mixture.
5. Add vanilla.
6. Sift together the sorghum and tapioca flours.
7. Add the xanthan gum to the sifted flours.
8. Mix the dry ingredients in to the creamed/wet ingredients until it comes together as cookie dough (2-3 minutes on medium).
9. Roll into 1″ balls and place the balls on a large plate.
10. Refrigerate the 1″ balls for 30 minutes to 1 hour. (*NOTE: If you need to refrigerate them longer, please cover them with plastic wrap. You can freeze the balls at this point too, if desired.)
11. Preheat the oven to 350F.
12. Lay out the balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat about 1 1/2″ apart.
13. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes (Mine bake for 13 minutes) and remove from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool 2-3 minutes before attempting to move them.
14. Dredge the warm cookies carefully in powdered sugar. (I usually put a cup of powdered sugar into a baggie and then toss 4 or so cookies about in the sugar until well coated.)
15. Allow the cookies to cool completely on a cookie rack. (See photo above.)
16. Toss in powdered sugar again, if desired, before serving or packing in an airtight container.

Happy Cookie Baking All!
-Kate

PS. Not in to cookies? Have you tried the pink oranges (Cara Cara Oranges) that are in the markets now? OH MY! They are so good! You won’t miss cookies this season if you taste them. Promise!

BBQ Round-Up – Get out the stretchy pants!

The virtual BBQ party has left me with enough recipes and ideas to make it through every BBQ that crops up this summer. Seriously – you guys are amazing! Check out the goodies everyone brought! Oh, I love it!

The food filled many a virtual picnic table, although I think I’ll have to stay seated for a little while after grazing. The BBQ was a great way to get back in to the swing of blog posting after our family left. It’s taken me a little bit to get my mind organized and back on track. I tend to get absorbed in the commotion of the crowd of eight for some strange reason.

We had a lovely visit (even during the two days of plastic-wrapped windows for house painting!). And now it’s back to life… and adoption “autobiographical sketches” and such. (My goodness! If you have ever written an adoption autobiography, you know what kind of a typing-marathon we are involved in!)

But back to the BBQ. Food. It is, after all, why we are all a community and what brings people together. Family. Friends. We bond by food, regardless of culture. And the gluten-free world is bonded by food so very much more! We become bolder with our food choices and definitely with our questions/answers about in public. Like when I’m shopping and reading labels and people ask me what I’m reading for or they get excited if they know what I’m talking about when I ask if something is gluten-free. The smiles of recognition that covers our faces when we find a food-buddy.

Oh, how I wish this BBQ wasn’t just a virtual one! I wish my house could hold you all. (I think 10 might be our max, however. LOL) I know we could all spend hours together sharing stories, laughing, and eating with reckless abandon (thus my stretchy-pants comment above). Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

I think so too!

So here is what everyone brought to the BBQ online. (Please try not to drool on your screens. It’s rather unsightly for the next computer-user, ya know.)

A = Carrie (Ginger-Lemon Girl) brought an Apple-Mint Salad. I don’t know how she knew to kick off a Pacific Northwest BBQ with apples, but she called that one right. I love mint in things (surprising even myself, to be honest) so I can’t wait to try this. Oh, the million varieties of apples + mint? I’m in!

B = Rachel (The Crispy Cook) made a Broccoli Salad a la Grecque. This recipe looks delicious! She included feta cheese which adds a nice saltiness and zing to salads. I love feta or bleu cheese crumbled on our grilled potatoes in the summer, so I think this salad is right up my alley!

C = Natalie (Gluten Free Mommy) showed up with a scrumptious Cherry Clafouti which had me roaming around the kitchen saying “Clafouti” with a million different trills and intonations. I love her tips about pitting cherries with a straw… sure beats what I’ve been doing this summer with a paring knife! LOL

D = Mary Frances (Gluten Free Cooking School) did a little research and made some Diabolically Deviled Eggs. While she wasn’t a fan of her new pimento-cheese deviled eggs, there were takers at her house!

E = And for any of you deviled egg purists out there, no worries! Melanie (The GlutiGirls) brought some Deviled Eggs of her own. I was happy to see that I’m not the only one who pondered the idea of the Tupperware containers for Deviled Eggs.

Seeing both Mary France and Melanie make Deviled Eggs, it made me think we had a bit of a Tyler Florence Throw-Down, Gluten-Free style happening at the BBQ too!

F = Ginger (GF in GF and FL), bless her heart, kept it clean and brought some Freakin’ Awesome Tropical Chicken that Jen (From DelphiForums) dreamed up. I don’t have a picture to share of the dish, but I do have this lovely pilfered photo of Ginger & her cute kidlet, Jeffery! (Happy Belated Birthday, Jeffery!) (Read Gingers BEAUTIFUL post to her son on his birthday too.)

G = Lynn (GF Gastronaut) submitted a delectable recipe for Guacamole. (Sorry to have seen it late, Lynn!) I love avocadoes and a good fresh guacamole. This is a perfect treat! Bring on the chip bowl, gang! 🙂

H = Heather (GF Vegan Baby) brought some refreshing Honey Rooibos Tea and some Happiness Cookies. The tea looks delicious (especially today as I sit in the sun typing up the Round Up!).

I = A little more from the archives: Ice Cream Sandwiches would certainly go over well!

J = Jacie (Gluten Free Wiggs) made “Jacie’s Gruyere Apple Pie”, OH MY! That sounds so rich and delicious too.

K = Umm.. Kale? Kiwi? Ketchup? (Hey… some government agency used to think it counted as a vegetable for school kids! LOL)

L = Thomas (GFCF Experience) posted a great recipe for his “LIttle Grandma’s Swedish Cookies”. Growing up in Minnesota (semi-Scandinavia), I am quite familiar with the type of delicious cookie he posted. I can’t wait to try his GF version!

M = Karen (Gluten Free Sox) made Memphis-style Ribs that literally had me craving ribs as I read her description of the tender meat easily falling off the bone. The spice list looks wonderful. Yet another “make these before the winter rainy season hits again” recipe for us! That’s for sure!

N = Cheryl (Gluten Free Goodness) made her Nana’s Skillet Bread. Oh, I love skillet breads! It’s the perfect BBQ accompaniment to those ribs that Karen made.

O = Gaile (Fidgety Budgy) created an Oregon Pasta Salad with cherry tomatoes, gherkins, and salmon. YUM!

P = Jenny (Your Sugar and Spice) made a different kind of Pasta Salad with avocado (love avocado!), tuna, and tomatoes.

Yet another Throw-Down, Gluten-free style!

Q = Lauren (Celiac Teen) made a Quinoa side dish that looks tasty. I like that she cooked the quinoa in veggie broth. I love the flavor and texture of quinoa – it helps me make up for missing out on couscous which we used to eat frequently before the land of Celiac entered our lives.

R = Cassandra (Delightfully Gluten Free) made Rhubarb and Strawberry Crisp. If you have never tried rhubarb, I highly suggest this recipe as a beginning point. Rhubarb has a great tart falvor that combines beautifully with strawberries. And in a crisp? Forget about it! You won’t know what hit you but you WILL run off in search of a scoop of vanilla ice cream to eat along side it all!

S = Vicky recommended that we all try this Sun-Dried Tomato and Pesto Torta from Epicurious. It sure looks good. She said that they use this on Teff Wraps, etc and make the best BLT sandwiches as well with this as a basis. I think it’s a definite party recipe for us to try out. It looks beautiful!

T = Kay (Gluten Free Kay) delighted my eyes with this cute little Tomato Pie. To be honest, tomatoes are relatively new back in our diets (it’s a texture thing… what can I say?). But I love the taste of fresh tomatoes on our sandwich wraps or pizza/flats with basil and mozzarella. I think I will have to give this recipe a whirl with some delicious heirloom tomatoes from the local farmer’s market. (I’m not as green-thumbed as sweet Kay. But boy, do my dandelions grow well! LOL)

U = Sarah (Everyday GF) made some Upside-Down Cupcakes to appeal to the masses. I love this idea too. Mini upside-down cupcakes? Sure easier on our diets than having a huge cake sitting around the house!

V = Vittoria (Deliciously Gluten Free) made a Very Berry Cake that looks to die for too. My love is not big on sweets, but on berries? Berries in a cake? He’s all over it.

W = M-Elle (Cooking, UnCooking) made Watermelon Salsa! Seriously, I can’t wait until we find some good watermelon. I really want to try this recipe out. I think I’m intrigued by the flavor combinations and think it would be delicious on a taco salad made with chicken too. Man, I hope the watermelons start looking good soon! (They are a bit behind this year due to weather.)

X= Me! (Gluten Free Gobsmacked). I made some XXX Cookies. The XXX standing for Powdered Sugar – no worries! Nothing inappropriate. The dough is easy to work with and rather versatile. And India Tree makes some beautiful decorating candies, sugars and vegetable, all-natural food colorings for those of you who can/do use organic. (On a side note, I am amused by the number of XXX google hits that recipe got. Ah, the naive-side of me that thought they were all looking for sugar cookie recipes. LOL I know better now!)

Y = Steve (Gluten Free Steve) had the brilliant idea of bringing a Yummy Caprese Salad. This salad is easy to make and very fresh and delicious. The layers of mozzarella and tomato are delicious – even for me, a self-proclaimed tomato-newbie. Give it a whirl too! You be glad you tried this recipe too.

Z = I haven’t as yet posted a recipe for this, we make Zagablione (Here’s a picture of the Strawberry one we made and here’s a picture of a plain zagablione with fruit on top). There are a couple easy recipes online. You can find the basics of the strawberry recipe here. (Recipes should call for 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon marsala or grand marnier per person. Some call for much more (too much, IMHO) liquor which causes the zagablione to have a strong flavor and not set up as nicely.)

Okay – who’s hosting the next BBQ or party?

And is it just me, or are you guys thinking that a whole GF Community wouldn’t be such a bad place to vacation together either? Boy, that would be NICE!

I’ll be back soon with some new recipes for summer.. and am working my Menu Planning to be able to join the Monday Menu Planners occasionally. As of right now, I plan 4 days at a time. Not quite ready for the prime-time showing of you organized bloggers. LOL I’m working on it though!

Happy July and Gluten-Free BBQing and Eating to all!
-Kate