Gluten Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Got my first order in for anything gluten free the other day from a friend of mine who is allergic to both wheat and soy. I've never been so paranoid in the kitchen as I was when I was prepping all the ingredients and making up the dough. I obsessively washed the mixing bowls, chopping board, weighing scale bowl, storage tin, counter tops..... The kitchen was sparkling clean before I'd even put butter and sugar together! Having seen what even the tiniest bit of wheat does to him I checked and re-checked the ingredients seventeen times to ensure none contained wheat or soy. Having reassured myself, kind of, I set to work.

Gluten (and Soy) Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Makes 12

• 300g gluten free flour mix (I use Dove's farm)
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp gluten free baking powder
• 250g butter, softened
• 340g light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250g milk chocolate chunks (soy free; I used Cadbury's Dairy Milk)

Preheat the oven to 165C

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy

Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla beating well after each addition

In another bowl mix the dry ingredients

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well

Add the chocolate chunks and combine well

Divide into 12 lumps and bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden

The xanthan gum really fixes the crumb structure and gives the cookies the texture of normal cookies. It was the first time I'd used it and I was amazed. When they were cooled I packed them away in my super clean tin lined with greaseproof paper to be ABSOLUTELY sure they could not be contaminated. They were well received and suitably devoured. I think I'll find myself making them more often in future!

Giant Cookie

Question: What do you do for a friend who doesn't like cake on their birthday? 

Answer: Make a giant cookie and watch their face light up!

I love baking things for friends' birthdays, getting something home made and hand crafted always has such a sense of the warm fuzzies about it and I love that feeling. The friend in this case wanted a giant chocolate cookie packed with chocolate and Diam chunks.

This recipe turns out an 11" thick chewy cookie with the perfect cookie texture (or so I was told). Since starting my business I've discovered a number of people I know who don't like cake so I think this recipe is going to come in very handy. 

Giant Chocolate Chunk Cookie

Makes one 11" cookie

• 150g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 90g butter (melted and cooled)
• 75g light brown sugar
• 60g caster/superfine sugar
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 200g Diam bars (broken into chunks)
• 100g chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 150C. Line an 11" round tray (I used a pizza tray) with greaseproof paper 

In a large bowl beat the butter and sugars until well combined

Add the egg and beat well

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and combine well, using your hands if necessary

Pour in the chocolate and Diam chunks and mix

Put handfulls of the dough into the tray and press it all together and into the corners 

to form a solid round.

Bake for 20 mins until the edges are golden and the center is still soft

Cool in the tray for 10 mins then cool completely on a wire rack

If the idea of all that chocolate isn't your think feel free to omit the cocoa powder. Actually, scratch that; feel free to change around all of the mix-in options and try loads of different combinations!