Chocolate cookies are a favorite for many individuals; especially soft, chewy homemade cookies made with lots of cocoa powder, chocolate chips (or other baking chips), and a variety of nuts. When a gluten-free diet is necessary, knowing how to tweak a family favorite can be challenging. With the help of homemade gluten-free flour mix and extra flavor enhancers, baking chocolate chocolate-chip cookies that are gluten free can be tasty, as well as enjoyable.
Baking Cookies With Dutch Process Cocoa Powder or Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Knowing which type of cocoa powder to use when baking cookies is thought to depend upon recipe ingredients. Most recipes use the acidity in cocoa to react with baking soda creating a leavening reaction when the batter goes into the oven. However, Dutch process cocoa powder is treated with an alkali that neutralizes its acids, so it doesn’t react to baking soda.
Unless the recipe contains acidic ingredients, it is thought that Dutch process cocoa powder needs a recipe that calls for baking powder. However, Cooks Illustrated decided to test the theory. For testing purposes, they chose two different recipes that called for the different types of cocoa; one for devil’s food cake and one for hot pudding cake. After baking each recipe with both types of cocoa, the test kitchen found no discernible difference in leavening among the four samples.
However, in terms of taste and texture, Cooks Illustrated discovered that the Dutched process improved baked goods tremendously. They did give a warning to the overzealous baker though. While the Dutched process helps to rid unsweetened cocoa powder of its bitterness, too much Dutch cocoa in the recipe caused the finished product to take on a taste and consistency of talcum powder.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup soft butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1 cup Jen’s Gluten-Free Flour Mix
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (regular or mini)
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts (Planter’s, or other gluten-free brand)
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, cream together butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add egg, and beat well. Set aside.
- In another bowl, stir together gluten-free flour mix, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add to creamed mixture, stirring until well blended.
- Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.
- Chill dough if necessary; warm dough needs to be chilled before transferring to a room-temperature cookie sheet or cookies will spread too much.
- Drop by rounded teaspoon onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8 minutes. Be careful not to over bake.
- Cool slightly before removing from baking sheet, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookie sheet needs to be room temperature before baking another batch.
There are a variety of chips that are gluten free and can be substituted for the semi-sweet chocolate chips when baking cookies:
- Reese’s peanut butter chips
- Hershey’s butterscotch chips
- Nestle’s Premier white morsels
- Nestle’s Premier
- Nestle’s semi-sweet chocolate baking chunks
- Nestle’s milk chocolate and peanut butter swirled morsels
- Nestle’s semi-sweet chocolate and Premier white swirled morsels
- M&M candies (regular and mini)
Always check the label each and every time a baking chip is purchased. While the brands listed here have assured the gluten-free consumer they will always declare gluten on the label, the formula can change at any time.
References:
Joy of Baking, “Cocoa Powder” (accessed July 28, 2010)
Cooks Illustrated, “Cocoa Powder” (accessed July 28, 2010)
Vickie Ewell - Vickie has worked with autistic individuals for 9 years. She has celiac disease and specializes in gfcf living.
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