gluten-free essentials: sweet cookie delights

How To Make gluten-free essentials: sweet cookie delights

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  Step 1
  PREP/PREPARE
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  Step 2
  What will you need? You will need a baking sheet, parchment, or Silpat lined, and three bowls.
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  Step 3
  How to store it? Covered, they will last two or three days; however, these cookies can be frozen, in which case they will last 2 – 3 months. Longer, if vacuum sealed.
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  Step 4
  Gluten-Free Flours There are a lot of different gluten-free flours that work well with baking cookies. Some of them include: • Almond four • Sorghum flour • Brown rice flour • Oat flour • Tapioca flour • Tigernut flour And many more. I have been experimenting with something called glutinous rice flour. Regardless of the name, it does not contain any gluten, but it mimics many of the characteristics of regular flour. For these cookies I used 1 1/2 cups of almond flour, and 1/4 cup glutinous rice flour. FYI: Do not confuse glutinous rice flour with regular rice flour, they are not the same thing.
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  Step 5
  Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
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  Step 6
  Step One
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  Step 7
  Take the butter out of the fridge, and let it sit on your counter for an hour or so, or until it softens.
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  Step 8
  Do not stick it in the microwave or melt it in a pan. We want “softened” butter; not melted butter.
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  Step 9
  Add the butter and sugar to a bowl.
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  Step 10
  Mix until creamed.
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  Step 11
  Step Two
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  Step 12
  Add the maple syrup (or honey), egg, and vanilla to a bowl.
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  Step 13
  Whisk until completely combined.
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  Step 14
  Step Three
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  Step 15
  Add the flours to a bowl and whisk to combine.
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  Step 16
  Assembly
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  Step 17
  Add the Step Two ingredients, to the Step One ingredients, and thoroughly whisk until combined.
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  Step 18
  Add the Step Three ingredients to the bowl.
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  Step 19
  Fold together until completely mixed.
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  Step 20
  Step Four
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  Step 21
  Add a cup or two of the suggested extras or choose some of your own.
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  Step 22
  My first batch used chopped nuts, and dried cranberries… Yummy.
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  Step 23
  Baking
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  Step 24
  Place a rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350f/175c.
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  Step 25
  Add rounded balls of the dough to the parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet.
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  Step 26
  As you can see, I am using ring molds to help to shape the cookies. If you are just putting them on the baking sheet then give them plenty of space, because they will spread out as they are cooking. If you are a crazy chef, like me, and are using ring molds, I would place them about an inch (2.5cm) apart.
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  Step 27
  If you are just placing the dough on the sheet, then bake for 15 minutes. If you are using ring molds, bake for 18 minutes.
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  Step 28
  Allow to cool slightly before removing from the baking sheet.
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  Step 29
  PLATE/PRESENT
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  Step 30
  Some folks like having cookies with a glass of cold milk. My advice is to choose whatever makes you happy. Enjoy.
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  Step 31
  Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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  Step 32
  Namasté
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