Eating gluten-free has become not only popular for those with celiac disease but also for dieters that hope to stave from wheat and other carbohydrate products. Gluten-free desserts and breads are often snubbed, though, as they can be crumbly, tasteless or heavy on baking soda to compensate for traditional flour. With stores like Rose’s Bakery in Evanston, as well as countless GF recipes meeting the demand, it’s clear that certain tweaks can go a long way in perfecting a wheat-less recipe. The featured photo is the GF plate of cookies. Pretty identical to regular flour, eh?
With a few additional ingredients to a chocolate chip cookie recipe—including a swap of xanthan gum with gelatin—the GF version rival cookies made with all-purpose flour. Compare these two recipes to see which flour you like better, or go GF if you are loving that wheat-free life.
Prep Time: 10 minutes per batch
Cook Time: 8-12 minutes, or until brown on edges
Total Time: 18-22 minutes per batch
Servings: 2 dozen cookies per batch
Photo by Katherine Richter
Ingredients (non-gluten-free):
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Photo by Katherine Richter
Ingredients (gluten-free):
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1-1/3 cups gluten-free multi-purpose flour
2 teaspoons gelatin powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions (non-gluten-free)—adapted from King Arthur Flour:
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Mix the butter, egg and sugar together until completely combined.
Photo by Katherine Richter
3. Stir in the flour then the chocolate chips until combined.
Photo by Katherine Richter
4. Scoop into mounds onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Photo by Katherine Richter
5. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing. Cookies will continue to cook on the sheets during this time.
Photo by Katherine Richter
Instructions (gluten-free)—adapted from Baker Bettie:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Beat the butter, sugars, vanilla, egg and salt until fluffy. Make sure everything is well combined.
Photo by Katherine Richter
3. Whisk together the flour, gelatin powder, baking powder and baking soda in a separate bowl.
Photo by Katherine Richter
4. Beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, then blend in the chocolate chips. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure everything is blended.
Photo by Katherine Richter
5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour, or for up to 2 days.
6. Scoop mounds of dough onto greased baking sheets. Leave space between the cookies so they can spread.
Photo by Katherine Richter
7. Bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Allow proper cooling time, then enjoy.
Photo by Katherine Richter
Which ones did you like better? Let us know in the comments!
More cookies please!