Crispy, Chewy Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gluten free baking has been a lot of trial and error over the past few months.  While I find the chemistry behind the reactions of different flours and starches fascinating, it's also a bit mind numbing with regard to getting the right balance to give your baked goods the right consistency.

So far, I've found two chocolate chip cookie recipes that I'm a huge fan of.  One is a delicious, almond-based confection that while obviously paleo in nature, is still quite palatable.  The second has been what might be the best approximation of a traditional tollhouse-style cookie I've managed yet.  The exterior was slightly crisp while the center remained moist and chewy.  I know the blend of flours may seem a bit unorthodox but with each bringing their own properties to the table, it's been the combination that's yielded the most true-to-form results.  Each of them is also available through Bob's Red Mill and can be found in the gluten free section of any larger grocery store.


Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup arrowroot starch
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup toasted coconut sugar
3 tablespoons grassfed butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

- Preheat oven to 300 degrees
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat silicone baking mat
- In a food processor, pulse the coconut sugar until it forms a fine powder
- In a large bowl, combine your almond meal, tapioca starch, arrowroot starch, coconut flour, salt, baking soda and coconut sugar.
- Whisk in melted butter, eggs and vanilla
- Fold in chocolate chips to evenly distribute them throughout the batter
- Cover the bowl and chill your batter for 20 minutes
- Once chilled, portion out dough into 1 inch balls, leaving a 2 inch circumference around each ball on your baking sheet (the cookies will spread to about double their original size)
- Bake for 18-20 minutes (18 for a chewier cookie, 20 for a crispier texture)
- Allow cookies to cool on a baking rack for at least 10 minutes to achieve consistency