The very best (gluten-free) chocolate chip cookie recipe, period.

So, a little over a year ago, I posted my recipe for chocolate chip cookies. After several years of tinkering with the recipe in the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, I had perfected it, & thought it important to share it with the world. After all, everything is better with a perfect chocolate chip cookie.

A few months later, I went gluten-free, & haven’t had cookies since. Sad, that, but a necessity when trying to reach optimal health. But… it’s Christmas! As I’ve talked about before, cookies are among my favorite parts of the entire holiday season, & I just couldn’t bear to let this Christmas pass without my usual chocolate chip & gingerbread. I’ve looked at so many recipes, wondering how they compared to mine, knowing I’d be disappointed if they weren’t tasty. I’d intended to try the recipes in Elana Amsterdam‘s Almond Flour Cookbook, but I never got around to ordering true blanched almond flour, & whaddaya know, it’s already December 19th & I haven’t tried any of the recipes out there!!

Knowing that Christmas is a treat, & that I haven’t had cookies since last Christmas, I decided to just make my regular recipe with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free flour. This recipe isn’t primal in the slightest – even if we ignore the massive amount of sugar used, the legumes used to create the flour place this directly into gray area known as 20%. But, it’s something I can eat without being in pain, & so I’ll savor every bite.

I was so nervous about this decision; checking on tips for using the flour, even making a mad-dash to our local health store for xantham gum. Turns out there’s not really any way to avoid using it, & as my cookies turned out absolutely perfect, I’m happy I made the trip.

A couple of comments before we get to the recipe:
» Yes, you have to use the xantham gum. It’s not particularly cheap, but you’ll have it the rest of your life. Using only a 1/4 teaspoon for each cup of flour means I ought to run out in about ten years, even if I do make more than one batch per year.
» As someone mentioned on the Bob’s Red Mill site, the dough is kinda gross. But don’t let that stop you from making better cookies!
» These cookies taste scrumptious, but I’ll be honest: after a year of using far less sugar, I’m amazed at how sweet they are. I *might* try to tweak the recipe in the future, but I don’t want to sacrifice consistency for taste. What can I say? I love the perfectly chewy cookies I make. :)

Now, let’s get this gluten-free party started!!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated (regular) sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free flour
3/4 teaspoon xantham gum (there’s no getting around it; you gotta have it)
2 cups dark chocolate chips (the darker, the better)
1 cup walnuts (you can leave these out if you really hate nuts)

Special Equipment:
parchment paper
a small ice cream scoop (I use one similar to this)
electric mixer

Twelve Easy Steps:
01 Preheat oven to 375°
02 Soften butter/margarine in microwave for about 45 seconds
03 Combine butter/margarine, sugars, baking soda & salt in a large bowl using mixer. Scrape the sides as you go, to ensure proper mixing.
04 Add eggs & vanilla; mix thoroughly
05 Add xantham gum & 1 1/2 cups of flour; mix thoroughly
06 Add remaining flour, stirring thoroughly by hand if needed.
07 Add chocolate chip & walnuts; stir thoroughly by hand
08 Drop cookies onto parchment covered cookie sheets (they really do work best) using the small ice cream scoop (mine is 1 1/2 inches across), keeping size & shape consistent. Don’t try to put too many on one sheet; usually 12 is perfect on a standard size cookie sheet.
09 Move oven racks to middle most slots; I recommend only baking two sheets at a time.
10 Bake for 10-12 minutes; they’ll look a little lighter than you’d expect, & will still be a bit doughy. Never fear – once cool, they’ll be perfectly chewy.
11 Remove from oven & remove from cookie sheet as soon as possible – the parchment cools very quickly, & you should be able to move it, cookies & all, after a minute at most.
12. Repeat steps 8-11 until all cookies are baked! You’ll have about four dozen cookies to share with your favorite people (& make sure that you do!)

Voila! Perfect cookies, every time. Be sure to share! Tomorrow I’ll post a cookie recipe that’s much more primal friendly, but just as tasty. Enjoy!

Dealing with SADness

The winter blues, seasonal depression, SAD. Various names, but they all mean the same: being bummed out at the cold, snow, & general dark of the winter months. I’ve never been officially diagnosed, but let’s face it – living in Ohio, land of the four-six month winter, can be brutal. I first realized how much winter affected me in college, when I just couldn’t pull out of a funk. It comes & goes depending upon how much sunshine there is, but I’ve found some ways to cope the past several winters.

This year, however, the SAD completely crept up on me. I talked back in September how strange the seasons have been this year, abruptly shifting without much warning, & Winter has been no exception. Although November was chilly, it was definitely still fall weather. Come December 1, the snow started falling, & it’s pretty much been non-stop falling since. Usually the holiday season (I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!) with all it’s jolliness keeps my spirits bright until about mid-January, but Saturday, I woke up feeling unhappy, & didn’t understand why. The same thing happened Sunday. About halfway through the day, when I was staring into space wondering why on earth I felt this way, it dawned on me: I’m sitting, in the dark, no curtains pulled, reading online about the impending snow storm of doom, wondering why I’m all bummed out.

The SAD has arrived early! Rather than let that realization sadden me more, I instantly turned off weather.com, retreated to the brightest room in the house (even filtered through heavy clouds, it’s still daylight!), & got to work. The only way to beat the winter is to think like spring!

Some ways to get through the long winter nights:
» Up your vitamin D. There’s been some controversy about this of late, but one thing I know is true: I’m not getting any D from the sun in Ohio from at least November to April, if not most of the year. We’re too far north, & I live in the second cloudiest area of the country to boot. The Vitamin D Council suggests, rather than the paltry 400 IU daily recommendation from the government, that we get 1000 IU per 25 pounds of body weight per day. That might seem like a lot, but there’s little chance of overdosing on D. Within the past few months I’ve done this, & I definitely feel better. I take the drops in olive oil; just drop ‘em on my tongue before I’m out the door in the morning.

» Get active. I feel better emotionally & mentally when I get my body moving too, & so I’m going to try to get on the stationary bike for about a 1/2 hour every day. But just as I approach my walks throughout the rest of the year, this isn’t as “exercise.” Instead, I’ll keep it to a nice, leisurely pace; listen to music & read while on the bike. Doing this each morning should set me up for a lovely day!

» If you can’t make your house feel like spring, at least make it smell like spring! I picked up a “Greenhouse” Yankee candle (it has hints of hyacinth & other wonderful scents without being too overpowering), & have been lighting it each morning when I do yoga. The stretching definitely helps deal with the aches & pains of the bitter cold weather.

» Moving on to your other senses; let’s talk sounds! Listening to the birds chirping in Peaceful Garden seems to help, too, especially when combined with yoga & the candle.

» Throw yourself into a hobby. You might have noticed an increase in posts around here – definitely not a coincidence. Over the summer, the last thing I want to do is be cooped up inside with a computer, but right now, there’s not much else to do. This winter I’m definitely going to make lots of jewelry, a hobby of mine, & open up an Etsy in order to make a bit of money doing so.

» This one should be a no-brainer, but it needs to be said anyways: keep your eating clean! Get the processed junk out of your house & eat Real Food. You’ll feel so much better on a diet of veggies, good fats, quality meat, & fruit!

» Keep up with the cleaning. I know when I get to feeling this way, the last thing I want to do is housework. Perhaps this is why minimalism is so appealing to me – the less stuff I’ve got, the less time it takes to clean. I feel better when the apartment is tidy, so I try to do a little bit of it every day, rather than spending a whole weekend scrubbing everything clean.

» Get a light box if you can, but if you can’t, find some way to look outside for at least a few minutes during the daylight hours. When the sky is clear & the sun does show his shy face, get outside. Go for a drive, bundle up & take a walk, do whatever, but definitely get out there & enjoy it while it lasts. I live for those rare mild days throughout winter, & plan my life around them.

These ideas have worked for me in recent years, but we all have different styles. What are your strategies to get through the seemingly endless cycle of snowstorms? Are you hunkering down with a book every night, snuggling up to your sweetie, or just cursing at the sky? I want to do the latter (& may have done it on more than one occassion), but I know it won’t make warm weather get here any faster. We’ve a long winter’s night to get through before the sunnier days of April & May. Keep smilin’; we’ll make it through!

Party food!

I promised more party food, so here it is! Before we get to today’s recipes, I thought I’d mention that there are quite a few party-friendly recipes in the Recipe Index. For instance…

Dip made from stuffed tomato recipe, & crackers!

Buffalo chicken dip – serve with veggies!

Liquid chocolate – serve with sliced strawberries, bananas, & apples!

Oopsie pizza! Made a traditional pizza or use the crust to make cold veggie pizza.

…if any of these were served at a party I attended, I’d be pretty happy. All the recipes are gluten-free, grain-free, & primal friendly. & the best part? They taste so good, no one will realize they’re eating what we know as Real Food. Why? Because people don’t even realize that the crap they’re eating doesn’t even taste good!

But, that’s a topic for another day. Because now, here are two more recipes for you to try! Both are easy & incredibly yummy. First up we have stuffed dates. Stuffed with cream cheese & cinnamon, the sweet & savory combo just melts on your tongue. Your guests will gobble these up as fast as you can make them!

What you need:
» pitted, dried dates
» warmed cream cheese
» cinnamon

How to do it:
01) Slice dates in half
02) Mix cinnamon with cream cheese; add a bit of cinnamon at a time until you reach a level with which your tastebuds agree
03) Place cream cheese mixture into small ziploc blag. squeeze it all to a corner, then snip off the tip. Squeeze a la pastry bag onto your sliced dates
04) Serve!

Next up: bacon-wrapped dates. They’re best served warm, so throw them in just before your expect guests to arrive & then serve them fresh from the oven. They’re chewy, sweet & salty bits of fantastic. Try them & see if you don’t agree!

What you need:
» pitted dried dates
» bacon
» bamboo skewers

How to do it:
01) Slice bacon in half lengthwise, then cut across the middle. You’ll end up with four pieces from each slice.
02) Wrap a piece around a date
03) Slide onto a bamboo skewer

04) Once you have as many as needed, make a few more (they’ll go quick!) for yourself. Bake for about a 1/2 hour, or until the bacon is nice & crispy, at 350°. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving!

Are you throwing a party this holiday season? I might be throwing the New Year’s Eve party, & if I do, you better believe there’s going to be tons of yummy food. What will you be making?

Part of Fight Back Friday 12/17

I made crackers!

Crackers! Such a seemingly simple thing, but have you ever made them? Until last week, I hadn’t. I was trying to think of things I could make for an upcoming party using ingredients I had on hand, & I decided to make a dip similar to the one I used to stuff the tomatoes over the summer. But I didn’t have anything to dip with, & so I thought, hey! This would be a good time to try out making my own crackers!

Now, these crackers aren’t your typical Ritz. I started with this recipe for sunflower sesame crackers, & adjusted them to what I had on hand. To be honest, I wanted something more akin to Mary’s Gone Crackers, which I find tasty all on their own, so I dug into my cupboard for some ingredients I keep meaning to try, but never seem to find a use for.

I started with flax meal, & added the following seeds until I thought it looked good:
» sesame
» sunflower
» quinoa
» chia

I also threw in some herbs (basil, tarragon, & oregano), black pepper, & salt. Once the mix seemed perfect, I added about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, & added water by the tablespoon until it was gooey enough to spread. I spread it between two pieces of parchment with a rolling pin, peeled off the top layer, then scored the thin batter into square-ish pieces. I baked it right on the rack at 225° for about half an hour. I checked it often to make sure it didn’t burn, although a few of the outer pieces got a bit overdone nonetheless.

Everyone at the party liked them! I’ll probably tinker more with the mix, but I’m very pleased with how they turned out. They pretty simple to make, & I could definitely see myself making a batch on Sunday for snacking throughout the week.

Part of Fight Back Friday 12/17

He may wonder where the toys went…

This may be my favorite original Christmas song of all time. It’s so silly & funny & clever – everything I love about BNL.

I’m in full-on Holiday Cheer mode, & I can’t get enough of my favorite Christmas songs. My favorite versions of my favorite songs are as follows:

» Frosty the Snowman – Fiona Apple
» You’re a Mean One, Mr Grinch – Rockapella
» Rise Up, Shepherd & Follow – GLAD
» I’m Getting Nuttin’ for Christmas – Relient K
» God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – Barenaked Ladies/Sarah Maclachlan
» Christmas is All Around – Billy Mack (Love Actually)
» The Snoopy Dance
» Mad Russian’s Christmas – Transiberian Orchestra
» Santa Baby – Everclear
» Carol of the Bells – Transiberian Orchestra
» Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms
» I Saw Three Ships – Barenaked Ladies
» Jingle Bells – Barenaked Ladies
» Silver Bells – Martina McBride
» Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
» Have a Holly Jolly Christmas – Burl Ives
» It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
» Angels We Have Heard On High – Reliant K
» O Holy Night – Jewel
» Joy to the World – GLAD
» All I Want for Christmas is You – My Chemical Romance
» One Quiet Moment – GLAD
» Rockin’ On Top of the World – Aerosmith
» Winter Wonderland – Rockapella
» Let It Snow – Dean Martin
» Go Tell It On the Mountain – Jewel
» Holidays are Coming

I have these songs both on a CD that gets played too much during December & on my iPod. There are some other ones too, but these are definitely the ones worth mentioning. Honestly, it’s a shame those GLAD ones are nowhere to be found – it seems the CD is out of print – because they really are gorgeous. Thank goodness my file-sharing fu back in the day (raise your hand if you used Napster & Audiogalaxy!) grabbed them before they disappeared forever!

I’ve thrown all those videos into a playlist if you’d like to spend the day jamming out to some fantastic holiday tunes! As you can see, I generally prefer ones with a bit of fun, but I enjoy unique renditions as well. What do you think of my choices?

What are your favorites? Link me to your favorite versions in the comments – perhaps I’ll find something new to love!

Gluten-free Pumpkin Cheesecake

I had no idea cheesecake was so easy to make until I tried it this summer. It’s not time-consuming, doesn’t require weird ingredients, & is absolutely delicious. I almost hesitate to share the recipe – people have just no idea! I could become known as the most talented baker around! But, you know. I love you all too much to not share.

I modified Paula Deen’s pumpkin cheesecake recipe, found at FoodNetwork.com, & it was to die for. Basically, all I did was sub gluten-free cinnamon snaps for the crust, skip the flour (I honestly have no idea what it could be for), & used Stevia in the Raw instead of all that sugar. What you’re left with is an absolutely splendid dessert that you really shouldn’t feel guilty about at all!

The only bit of equipment you might need to acquire or borrow is a spring form pan. I picked one up over the summer for about twelve bucks, & as I intend to make cheesecake whenever a special occasion arises, I think it a good investment.

What you need:
Crust:
8oz bag gluten-free cinnamon or ginger snaps (or some sort of nut meal would work, too!)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted thoroughly

Filling:
3 8oz packages cream cheese
15oz can pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
6 packets Stevia in the Raw (or your favorite sweetener)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional topping:
Whipping cream
cinnamon or pumpkin seasoning for dusting

How to do it:
01 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
02 Throw the snaps into a food processor to thoroughly crumble. Transfer to bowl, & thoroughly mix with melted butter.
03 Press crumbs flat into the bottom of a greased spring form pan, then set aside.
04 Soften cream cheese in the microwave for about a minute or so, then mix it until smooth – the smoother, the better.
05 Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, and sour cream. Mix again.
06 Add stevia, spices, and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.
07 Pour into crust, spreading evenly. Resist temptation to dig in now.
08 Bake about an hour. You’ll know it’s done when it jiggles just a bit!
09 Remove from the oven and let sit for a bit. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, until cooled completely.
10 Before serving, whip up some whipping cream & smother the top of your cake. Dust with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

Enjoy!

On simplicity.

“To find the universal elements enough;

to find the air and the water exhilarating;

to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter…

to be thrilled by the stars at night;

to be elated over a bird’s nest,

or a wildflower in spring -

– these are some of the rewards of the simple life.” John Burroughs

I adore the photography of Harold Lloyd, & use it frequently throughout this blog. Be sure to check out all his stuff!

Buffalo Chicken dip

It’s party time! I’ll be featuring party-type recipes over the next while, & offer other suggestions as well. This particular dish is heavy on dairy, but definitely heavy on flavor. Your guests will love it!

What you need:
2 pounds of cooked chicken (I usually do about 1/2 thighs, 1/2 breasts), shredded
1 brick cream cheese, softened
1 pint sour cream
1/4 cup ranch (make this quick by mixing equal amounts of sour cream & real mayo with a bit of pepper)
Shredded cheese; colby jack, mozzarella, cheddar, or a combination of the three.
Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

How to do it:
01) In a big bowl, mix chicken, sour cream, ranch & cream cheese thoroughly together.
02) Add Red Hot Sauce to the desired spice level. I think I usually add a good 1/4 cup.
03) Pour into a greased glass pan
04) Sprinkle cheese on top, as much or as little as you’d like.
05) Bake at 350° until heated through, usually about twenty minutes

Serve with celery, carrots, & other raw veggies, or tortilla chips!

Thanksgiving!

Green bean cassrole!

I peeled a lot of potatoes…

Before…

…& after!

The rest of the spread…

Peanut butter pie

Pumpkin cheesecake

I had an amazing Thanksgiving! Thursday morning, I started the turkey at about eight o’clock, & it was done about four & a half hours later. All that was left was peeling & boiling potatoes, & warming everything up in the oven. So simple & stress-free – doing stuff throughout the week is definitely the way to go. It was such a nice day spent with family, & I learned so much along the way. Oh, & my turkey? Absolutely delicious. There’s going to be turkey soup in the future, you better believe it! :)

The end of another glorious autumn…

As we wrap up November & head into December, I thought I’d post some of the photos from this fall. I didn’t take nearly as many as I usually do, but I enjoyed every drop of Autumn 2010. Happy last day of November!