Pamela’s Products Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Cookies are tasty. But the biggest disappointment for me was the value.

The box is small, weighing just 5.29 oz (150g) but in my haste to feed my chocolate craving, I didn’t really notice. Inside the box you’ll find a total of nine cookies. Yep, you read right: nine. The cookies are just a little over 2 inches across, so these aren’t monster cookies by any stretch.

A closeup of the cookie

The texture of the cookie is similar to that of a shortbread. They’re a little “sandy” and dry, not chewy, although the large chocolate chunks do add some chewiness every so often.

At over $3.00 USD a box at Wal-Mart, these aren’t exactly a great buy, though they’re tasty enough. Worth a try once I suppose.

Our Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

It should go without saying, for any household coping with celiac disease, that it is imperative to make sure all your ingredients, work surfaces, and utensils are free of gluten contamination. Special care should be taken with compound ingredients such as baking powder; make sure its ingredients list does not include gluten-containing items such as modified food starch.

Prep Time: ~10 minutes
Baking Time: ~25 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Equipment

Large mixing bowl
Stand mixer and bowl (or a hand-held mixer and a medium mixing bowl)
Wooden spoon
Cookie sheet
Non-stick silicone baking sheet liner (Silpat, etc.)

Ingredients

½ cup (1 stick) (120ml) butter
½ cup (120ml) sugar
½ cup (120ml) brown sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
1¼ cup (300ml) (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) sweet rice flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
Chocolate chips (as many as you like)

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

1. Mix the sweet rice flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
2. In a smaller mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and continue mixing.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Don’t worry about over-mixing; since there is no gluten in the flour, there is no danger of overworking it.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Line cookie sheet with silicone mat and spoon on balls of dough, about 1½” (4cm) in diameter.
6. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Notes

This will likely take longer to bake than a gluten-containing cookie recipe. Baking time will depend on the flour you use, since the protein content of the flour will determine the rate of browning from the Maillard reaction.

The silicone baking sheet liner is important, as these cookies tend to stick to the pan more than most. If you don’t have one, parchment paper might also work.

From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection: en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Chocolate_Chip_Cookies_(Gluten-Free)

James Sklar is a certified yoga teacher, avid hiker, and occasional guitar strummer who loves making delicious, wildly nutritious, and environmentally responsible food. He began his baking career when he was seven, when his eldest sister, Maggie Glezer (author of Artisan Baking and A Blessing of Bread) gave him Jacques Pepin’s La Methode.  After his first soufflé fell, he was hooked.  As a teenager, he continued his explorations with the help of San Francisco à la Carte and San Francisco Encore, wowing family and dates with his culinary prowess.

In early 2006, James finally realized his dream of owning a restaurant and opened Bloom in Hastings on Hudson, New York.  Bloom combined his love of the environment and his commitment to organic and sustainable cuisine.  The restaurant was met with much critical success, including a glowing review in The New York Times, and was featured on the cover of Hospitality and Design Magazine. Bloom’s numerous innovative eco-qualities, like the use of recycled steel, recycled glass, denim jean insulation and filtering water in-house, made it truly a pioneer for green visionaries.  James sold the restaurant in 2008 and moved to Topanga, California in the summer of 2009.

The Quinoa Qookie ^tm was born of a simple request. As James’ wife Alyssa was enjoying a breakfast of quinoa flakes, she asked him to create a cookie.  Always up for the challenge, James created a gluten and dairy free cookie, adding quinoa flakes and amaranth flour, and sweetening the cookie with honey and molasses.

The resulting Quinoa Qookie ^tm is the culmination of his experience in food and his love of the environment. Check it out on their site: www.quinoaqookies.com

“Our Quality Assurance Program provides delicious treats for you and your family while doing everything we can to safeguard you from these specific allergens: gluten, milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts.”

With Dr. Lucy’s certifications for gluten-free, kosher and vegan products – you’re certain to find the perfect treat! Let us know what you think… www.drlucys.com.

Check out their website, it’s full of great information! freerangecookies.com

Read the full article: www.carbwire.com/2009/10/23/have-you-tried-sugar-free-starch-free-zero-net-carb-and-gluten-free-yes-to-cookies-yet, and visit the company’s website: yestocookies.com. Current locations are all in Texas, but you can order online. Let us know what you think!