by Elizabeth on July 30, 2010
Since Allergy-Free Desserts came out, the one question that people ask more than any other is “Where’s the chocolate chip cookie recipe?” I mean, come on, I had to hold something back, right? Mystery is alluring, so I’ve waited awhile to give this one to you. I love this recipe because you can eat the dough as you go, and there is no bean flavor there to ruin the experience. I also love this Chipwich recipe because you really get a two for one– chocolate chip cookies and one of the best frozen treats of all time. Summer is not summer until someone breaks out the Chipwiches, so I hope that you can kick off your summer right now. Whip up a batch of these, kick off your shoes, put up your feet on the porch railing or jump into the hammock and enjoy!
1 1/3 cup Chinese rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
6 tablespoons water
1 cup organic palm fruit oil shortening
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups gluten, dairy, soy, nut and egg-free chocolate chips + 1/2 cup for coating the ice cream at the end
2 pints So Delicious Vanilla coconut milk ice cream (or appropriate ice cream of your choice)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set them aside until ready to use.
In a small bowl, combine the flaxseed and the water. Set it aside until ready to use.
In a large bowl, whisk together the Chinese rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour, baking soda, baking power, salt and xanthan gum. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the shortening and sugars until they are very light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in the flaxseed mixture ad the vanilla extract. Beat the batter until it is light and fluffy again and then scrape down the bowl. Stir in the dry ingredients until they are thoroughly combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Scoop the batter onto the lined sheets with a very small ice cream scoop. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 15 minutes and then move to cooling racks to cool completely.
The cookies may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days or frozen in an airtight container for up to three months.
If making the chipwiches, when the cookies are completely cool, pour the remaining mini chips into a shallow bowl. Taking one cookie at a time, place one small scoop of ice cream on top of a “bottom” cookie and gently press a second cooled cookie on top to form a sandwich. Roll the Chipwich in the shallow bowl of chocolate chips to coat. Tightly wrap the Chipwich in Saran Wrap and place it in the freezer to freeze for 30 minutes (of course you can also eat them immediately but they might get a little melty). Repeat this process until all of the cookies have been turned into sandwiches.
Store leftovers wrapped and frozen in an airtight container for up to three months.
Makes 18 chipwiches
by Elizabeth on July 19, 2010
It was one of those days.
I woke up to a beautiful, sunny morning only to realize that it was before 6 and that my youngest had kicked me in the side to waken me. She insisted on crawling in bed earlier in the night, and sleepy, I was too weak to refuse. Run behind me, I came home to clean up (both myself and the house) before two couples and their 5 children descended upon us for brunch. Don’t misunderstand, I was really looking forward to their arrival, but I am a neat-freak, so I had a lot of Windexing to do before they showed up.
I neglected, at such an early hour, to remember that half of the electricity in my kitchen went out yesterday and that I was going to have to make everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING on the grill. Fortunately, I had baked a coffee cake the day before, so at least I wasn’t going to have to bake on the grill. Now, I have to admit, that in this case, the cake was full of everything that would make you or I very sick. However, I was in the clear minority: of the 13 people at the house, I was the only one with food allergies. I digress.
I fired up the grill an hour before our guests came in order to boil enough water to make coffee for everyone. We use a Chemex ’round these parts, but even if I had wanted to use a coffee machine, the electrical problems prevented it. Water simmering, giant, not-oven-proof pot being ruined, I went up to my room to shower before coming back to the grill to make something else that I couldn’t eat, frittata. Of course, I was distracted from showering for over an hour while I found and Swiffered up stray hairs, cleaned the tiny hand prints from various windows and mirrors and came across laundry that had been left scattered about the house by anonymous family members. Our friends were to arrive at 10:30, so a 9:45 shower was cutting it close but not unreasonable.
Just after drying my hair, standing buck naked in my bathroom with the door open, I heard our friends’ children burst into the house shouting: “WE’RE HERE!” Yes, I screamed and panicked as I ran, now wrapped in a towel, to my closet. Standing atop the Nordic Track that had been stowed there for the brunch, I quickly dressed and went to tend to the now boiling water, acting as though it was no big deal that they may or may not have seen me in the flesh. The grill is not, after all, induction, so the water was just about boiling by then, and I was just about to die from embarrassment.
I am pleased to report that I scrubbed the char from the outside of the water pot, no one saw me naked, the grilled frittata was a success and we had a great time. Right now you are probably thinking: “I don’t care about her entertaining snafus,” but there is an allergy-free idea that came from all of this. I realized after all of this chaos that there are many ways to achieve the same results. In this case, it was cooking over an open fire while I waited for the Long Island Power Authority (or maybe it’s National Grid these days) to show up. However, studying the coffee cake at brunch, I realized that there are different ways to approach my recipes, too. Take, for example, the Moist Cinnamon Cake in Allergy-Free Desserts. In the original recipe, I use an 8-inch square pan for baking, but it could have been just as delicious and maybe just a smidgen more festive if I had baked it in a tube pan. So, test it out for me. Try baking that one in a tube or a Bundt pan and see if your family feels just a little bit fancier. Because when life gives you lemons, grill up a Bundt cake.
