May 18, 2020

Lockdown Blog 38: Cookie recipe (GF, DF)

Living with someone who is intolerant of both wheat and dairy has its culinary challenges. On the plus side, I *think* I feel healthier for having taken part in what seems to be a leaner, cleaner diet for most of the last couple of months - aside from the occasional dalliance back to full fat ice-cream... Milk with my cereal, tea and coffee is now soy milk; carbs are more often rice than pasta (or its gluten-free counterpart); and butter is now Flora. On the downside, alternative ingredients are just more expensive, such as gluten-free soy sauce (which thankfully makes Japanese cooking possible) and gluten-free flour for our baking needs. But then again, we’re eating way more salads and vegetables in this ever-summery climate and discovering new recipes along the way, which not only seems like a good use of time in lockdown, but allows us to find delicious and flavoursome meals in spite of the lack of certain fundamental ingredients.

When it comes to baking cookies though: IMHO it’s not quite the same. Or so I thought! For today’s blog, I thought I’d unveil for you a timeless, gluten- and dairy-free Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe (taken from a handy gf book), which serves us well at least once a week:

INGREDIENTS

225 g / 8 oz / 1½ cups gluten-free plain flour, sifted

110 g / 4 oz / ½ cup caster (superfine) sugar

½ tsp salt

150 g / 5 oz / ⅔ cup butter, melted and cooled

110 g / 4 oz / ⅔ cup dark chocolate chips

2 medium eggs, beaten

½ tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

1. Mix together the flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.

2. Beat in the melted butter until the mixture starts to come together.

3. Add the dark chocolate chips, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until a stiff cookie dough forms, then cover and chill for 15 minutes.

4. Grease and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. Preheat the over to 180°C (160°C fan) / 350F / gas 4.

5. Take generous tablespoons of the chilled dough and drop onto the trays, spaced apart.

6. Press down lightly and bake for 12-15 minutes until just set and starting to brown.

7. Remove to wire racks to cool before serving, along with some classic KS tunes on Spotify to keep you going!