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You know the saying, you don't what you've got til it's gone. Gluten, it seems, is one of those things simply because it provides the basic texture and structure for so many baked goods. But it doesn't need to be that way anymore! If you're into those fantastic chocolate chip cookies, but can't take the gluten, there's a recipe you need to know about. Tonia talked with Susan Reid, who's the author of the King Arthur Essential Cookie Cookbook. She told Tonia's Kitchen, that King Arthur has spent years formulating a special gluten-free flour blend that mimics that function of wheat flour when baking. It combines brown rice and potato flours with some tapioca and xanthum gum. Together, these ingredients help give baked goods the structure seen with most conventional flours.
Reprinted from kingarthurflour.com
1) Beat the butter, sugars, vanilla and salt till fluffy.
2) Beat in the eggs one at a time, being sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl midway through to make sure everything is well combined.
3) Whisk together the flour or flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, and baking soda.
4) Beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, then blend in the chocolate chips and nuts. Again, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to be sure everything is well blended.
5) Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour, or for up to 2 days.
6) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a couple of baking sheets, or line with parchment.
7) Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets; a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here. Leave space between the cookies so they can spread.
8) Bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, to set, before transferring to racks to cool completely. Or allow them to cool right on the baking sheets.
Yield: 3 dozen cookies
