Tuesday, August 28, 2012

A Written Letter of Apology to The Cookie Monster

Dear Mr. The Cookie Monster,

Ever since I was a child I found your character on Sesame Street to be gluttonous and over the top. Your desire to stuff your fuzzy blue face with all the cookies in the world seemed not only selfish, but also a terrible case of eating your feelings away. Every time you would gobble down all the cookies and proceed to lick your ridiculously blue face I was appalled. Please Mr. Monster (may I call you The Cookie?) forgive me for my egregious error in judgment of character. It wasn't until recently when I made a batch of gluten-free, vegan, chocolate chip cookies that I fully understood what exactly fueled your cookie eating fire. When something is that delicious, and is right in front of you, the only option is to devour it completely and stab people with a fork to keep them at bay. <-That last part they didn't show on S-Street, but I can only assume there is behind the scenes footage of this barbaric display.

It is with an extremely uncomfortably full belly of cookies that I write this letter of apology to you dear The Cookie. Please forgive my foolish ways, and please also direct me to your diet coach (as my belly is so full I am not entirely sure what to do with myself).

Sincerest Apologies,
Casey



Yes, that is my written letter of apology to the one we call The Cookie Monster. I never fully understood his obsession with eating all the cookies he could find until recently, and now that I know I fear I can never go back to regular cookie eating. The other night I created my cookie masterpiece! A combination of gluten free flours, maple and brown sugars, chocolate chips, and heaven. This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies, and I can swear under oath that only one cookie made it to see the light of day. You may think thats not a big deal, but there were only three people in my apartment that night... you do the math.

So I share this recipe with you, and I share a warning with you as well. Do not make these cookies unless you are fully prepared to either eat your weight in wonderful cookie heaven, OR have a gathering of friends that can help you eat the cookies. These cookies have the ability to throw all your self-control not only out the window, but they are waiting outside the window ready to beat the crap out of your self-control, curb stomp your self-control, and then throw your self-control into on coming traffic. The result is you waking up on the kitchen floor covered in cookie crumbs, and a slight cookie hangover. (Maybe I'm over exaggerating... but you at least have been warned.)

Would I do it all again... heck yes I would. These cookies are better than any I have ever had (and I haven't been vegan or gluten free my whole life). Here it is, from my kitchen to yours:



The Chocolate Chip Cookie Monster Cookies
makes about two dozen
gluten-free

Wet Ingredients:
1 cup apple sauce
3/4 cup maple sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla

Egg Ingredients:
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
6-7 tablespoons warm water

Dry Ingredients:* 
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup quinoa flour
1/4 cup arrow root powder
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1&1/2 cups vegan dark chocolate chips

*Whoa whoa whoa, I can only assume I lost some of you after the second or third listed flour. You are more than welcome to use 2&1/2 cups gluten free flour blend (be sure if it has xanthan gum in it to NOT add more). However, I feel like if you are baking gluten free due to allergy, or for health reasons these are all flours you are going to want to have in your kitchen. Plus when you add in the different flours the taste ends up being much better. I have used store bought blends before and just feel kind of 'blah' about them.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Step One: In a small bowl blend together your egg ingredients. Whisk the ground flax seed up with the warm water till it is a little frothy, and set aside for about 5 minutes. 

Step Two: In a large bowl blend all the dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Stir the flours/powders together so they blend well. 

Step Three: In another bowl blend all your wet ingredients including your egg mixture. Stir everything together really well!

Step Four: Pour your wet ingredients into your dry and stir away! Once you have a nice looking cookie dough consistency add in your chocolate chips and fold them in the dough nicely. 

Step 5: Last but not least prep your cookie sheet (with spray or with parchment paper). Using two spoons scoop the dough into golf ball sized mounds onto the sheet. Make sure you are getting enough chocolate chips in each cookie. We don't want one of them to feel left out. Then bake these little cookie loves for about 9 to 11 minutes, or until lightly golden on top. Set on a cooling rack and enjoy. 

I would like to tell you how long you can keep them for, but If you pay any attention to my ramblings you would know I didn't really have to save any... But I'm sure in an airtight container you can keep them for up to a week. Good luck with that! ;)



4 comments:

  1. One word, YUM!!! Can't wait to try making these.

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  2. Could you replace all those flours with 2 3/4c whole wheat flour?

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    Replies
    1. If you are going to use whole wheat flour you will need to use less flour as it binds much differently than GF flours. You will probably only need 2 to 2&1/4 cups whole wheat flour. Happy cookie baking :)

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  3. Yes yes these sound like they would get gobbled right up in our house! : )

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