Double Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

What are they like?

-Crisp on the outside & Chewy on the inside

-Full of Hazelnuts & Chocolate Chips

Recipe

These cookies are exquisitely chewy and chocolaty, with the delicious crunch of hazelnuts. They are also made with one flour, buckwheat flour, but you would never know it. The natural nuttiness of buckwheat pairs so well with chocolate that it is a match made in heaven. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Dry
1 cup buckwheat flour, 136g (try 3/4 cup?)  (And add 1 cup oats + 1/4 cup sugar?)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp psyllium husk powder

“Wet" 
1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp sunflower oil, 95g
1 tbsp water, 15g (try only oil no water?) 
1/4 cocoa powder, 25g (check g) 
1/2 cup sugar, 105g
1/4 cup brown sugar, 40g
1 eggs, 52g
2 tsp vanilla

Additions 
1/2 cup chocolate chips, 70g  
1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped 

Note: 
For best results rest the dough in the refrigerator overnight. However, If you would like to bake the cookies right away you can. It is most important to rest the dough if your brown rice flour is not super finely ground. It helps ensure a moist cookie.  

Directions:

1. If you do not plan to rest the dough overnight, preheat the oven to 350F / 175C. 

2. Add the flour, baking soda, salt and psyllium powder to a bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, water, and sugars. The whisk in the cocoa powder, followed by the egg and vanilla. 

4. Add the dry mixture to the wet. Once the flour is almost mixed in, add the walnuts and chocolate chips and stir only until incorporated. Place in the refrigerator overnight. This step can be skipped if you would like to bake them right away.  

5. Remove from fridge 2 hours before baking to allow the dough to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350F / 175C. Bake for 8-10 minutes, just until the edges are set and the middle has lost its sheen. Cool the cookies on tray for at least 10 minutes (ideally 20) before transferring so that the cookies fully set. Once cooled, store in airtight container. Enjoy! 🙂

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

What are they like?

-Chewy & Tender

-Packed with Peanut Butter & Chocolate

Note: The bars in the photo above have nuts in them. The recipe does not call for whole nuts, but if you would like to add more flavor, you can certainly add them.

Recipe

This is an adaptation of my chocolate chip cookie recipe and it is absolutely delectable. In fact if you follow the chocolate chip recipe you can just swirl in 1/2 cup peanut butter. Do not blend in the peanut butter, you want streaks of it running through the dough. If you would like some cookie baking tips (which apply to many bar recipes), you are welcome to listen to the accompanying podcast or check out the show notes. 

Dry
1 cup gluten free flour, 136g
3/4 tsp baking soda 
1/2 tsp salt 
1 tsp psyllium husk powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips, 67g

Wet
1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp coconut oil, 90g OR sunflower oil, 84g
1/2 cup sugar, 105g
1/4 cup brown sugar, 40g, do not pack 
1 egg, 52g
2 tsp vanilla 

Additions
1/2 cup unsalted peanut butter, 106g

Directions:

1. Place the flour, baking soda, salt, psyllium powder, and chocolate chips in a bowl and whisk to combine. 

2. Warm the coconut oil over low heat or microwave until quite warm to the touch. Then add the sugar and whisk well to incorporate. The mixture should now be warm but not hot (or it can cook the egg). Whisk in the egg, followed by the vanilla. 

3. Add the dry mixture to the wet and stir with a spoon only until incorporated. Place in the fridge overnight. This step can be skipped if you’d like to bake them right away.  

4. Remove from fridge a couple hours before baking to allow dough to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350F / 175C about 15 minutes before baking time begins. 

5. Put the dough in an 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) greased baking dish (grease with 1/2 tsp oil or butter). Swirl in 1/2 cup peanut butter. Do not completely stir it in—you want to have streaks of peanut butter running through the dough. Then flatten the dough evenly. 

6. Bake for about 20 minutes or just until the edges are firm and a fork inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

7. Allow to cool before eating. Store in airtight container. Enjoy! 🙂

Chocolate Chip Cookies

What are they like?

-Crisp on the outside & Chewy on the inside

-Packed with Chocolate Chips

Recipe

This is an adaptation of the chocolate chip cookie recipe from Gluten-Free Baking Classic. This version is dairy free, gum free, and it makes classic chocolate chip cookies, crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. If you would like some tips for this recipe (or how to make the perfect cookie), you are welcome to listen to the accompanying podcast or check out the show notes. 

Dry
1 cup gluten free flour, 130g
3/4 tsp baking soda, 5g 
1/2 tsp salt, 3g
1 tsp psyllium husk powder, 4g

Wet
1/2 cup coconut blend (see note) - or you can use butter
1/2 cup sugar, 105g
1/4 cup brown sugar, 40g, do not pack
1 egg, 54g 
2 tsp vanilla 

Additions
3/4 cup chocolate chips , 150g
1/2 cup walnut pieces (optional)

Directions:

1. Place all of the flour, baking soda, salt and psyllium powder in a bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine. 

2. Warm the coconut oil over low heat until quite warm to the touch or use the microwave. Then add the sugar and whisk well to incorporate. The mixture should now be warm but not hot (or it can cook the egg). Whisk in the egg, followed by the vanilla. 

3. Add the dry mixture to the wet. Once the flour is almost mixed in, add the walnuts and chocolate chips and stir only until incorporated. Place in the refrigerator overnight. This step can be skipped if you’d like to bake them right away.  

4. Remove from fridge 2 hours before baking to allow the dough to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350F / 175C. Bake for 8 minutes or just until the edges are golden and the middle has lost its sheen. Cool on tray for at least 10 minutes before transferring. Once cooled, store in airtight container.

   Enjoy! 🙂

Notes:
Coconut blend: the best butter substitute that I have come up with for cookies is a ratio of 7 tablespoons coconut oil mixed with 1 tablespoon coconut milk. Now, if you do not have coconut milk on hand, just use two teaspoons of water instead. Furthermore, if you do not have coconut oil on hand, you can substitute 84g (about 1/3 cup) of sunflower oil mixed with 2 teaspoons of water. Just note that a runny vegetable oil will not yield the same result. The cookies will still be delicious but they will not be as chewy and they will not stick together as well, so make sure you let them rest after they are baked. 

Bake time: It is important to be very particular about bake time for cookies. They can go from perfectly baked to over-baked in about 1-2 minute. Although freshly baked cookies are certainly still delicious even when over-baked, if they are taken out of the oven on time (and stored properly) they will stay tender and chewy for couple of days. However, if you prefer them to be crunchy all the way through, give them an extra minute or two. If you prefer them to be chewy take them out just when the middle has lost its sheen. 

Classic Butter Cookies

What are they like?

-A classic buttery flavor

-Delicately crisp (or soft, depending how you like them)

-Experiment with flavor: add nuts, matcha powder, or rose water

NOTE: The pattern on top can be made with a fork but the cookie does not need to be flattened to be baked properly. The design above is optional.

Recipe

These cookies are deliciously buttery. They can be rolled out and decorated or just dolloped onto a cookie sheet for a classic look. If you would like tips on how to make these (or how to make cookies in general), you can check out the podcast here.

1/2 cup vegan butter,115g, softened or melted (see note)
1/2 cup sugar, 100g
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour mix, 150g
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp psyllium husk powder


Icing (optional)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp water

Directions:

1. In a small bowl whisk together the dry ingredients: the flour, salt, and psyllium husk powder. 

2. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the softened (or melted) butter and sugar thoroughly. Then whisk in the egg and vanilla. Then fold in the flour until incorporated. Rest the dough overnight. 

3. Preheat oven to 350F / 175C. (See note for decorative cookies and rolling out cookie dough.) Scoop one tablespoon sized balls onto a cookie sheet two inches apart. If the dough is too cold to work with, allow it to warm up some (see note). 

4. Bake for 8-10 minutes for a soft cookie, just until the edges start to turn color. For a crisp cookie, bake for a few extra minutes, until they are nicely tanned on the bottom. 

5. Let the cookies cool & enjoy. 

These cookies can be decorated if you like—dipped in chocolate or frosted. Store them in an airtight container for up to four days. 

For the Icing: 
In a bowl, stir together the ingredients for the icing. Add just enough liquid to make a thick frosting. If the frosting is too thin, it will run off the cookie. If it is too thick it won’t spread. Add just enough water (or powdered sugar) to get a workable consistency. 

Notes:
Butter: I tested this recipe using Miyoko’s vegan butter which I purchased from Trader Joe's. I prefer this dairy free butter because it does not contain palm oil, the cultivation of which wreaks havoc on the environment and many people also believe palm oil to have poor effects on health. If you would like to use butter, the recipe will likely work nicely, but I have yet not tested it. If you try it, please let me know how it works in the comments section below 🙂 

Resting the dough: You want to the dough to rest to hydrate the flours and to prevent the cookie from spreading too much on the oven. This is a typical step for this kind of cookie. When you portion the dough, it should still be cold but you may want to let it warm up sightly to make it easier to work with, about 1-2 hours depending on the ambient temperature. 

Rolling out the dough: dust a clean surface with flour and roll out the dough. Don’t forget to dust the rolling pin and a light dusting over the top of the dough as well. Roll the dough out when it is still cold. You can cut out desired shapes and sizes, just keep in mind that small cookies will bake more quickly than large ones. If you would like to frost the cookies wait until they cool completely and then make a thick icing to pipe on top (you can dye it desired colors). 

Two Hikers on Horseback - Chocolate Amaranth Bars (vegan & paleo)

What are they like?

-deliciously chewy

-packed with cocoa, cinnamon, and pecans

This photo is a picture of traditional Alegria. The recipe below includes cocoa and pecans.

Recipe

These bars are are 5-ingredient, vegan, paleo, dairy free, and of course gluten free. They are a variation on the Mexican candy Alegria which calls for popped amaranth. It can be made with different spices, nuts or seeds. It is also generally made with honey and sugar, but the coconut nectar pairs nicely with the chocolate.

Make ahead, 5-ingredient, Paleo, Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Nut free, Stove-top, No-bake

2/3 cup amaranth (see note)
1/3 cup chopped pecans (or substitute 1/4 cup sesame seeds for nut free)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup coconut nectar or honey*
1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Heat a large, deep pot over medium heat until it is quite hot, for about one and a half minutes. Sprinkle one tablespoon of amaranth into the pan and place the lid on the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and swirl every few seconds to keep the amaranth from burning. You will hear the amaranth popping. Once the popping slows down, pour the amaranth into a medium bowl and repeat the process until you have 1 cup of amaranth. Not all of the amaranth will pop and that is okay.

2. Stir the cinnamon into the amaranth.

3. Add the coconut nectar (or honey) to a microwavable measuring cup. Heat for about twenty seconds until it is warm. Whisk in the cocoa powder and salt.

4. Pour the mixture over the amaranth and stir to combine. Stir in the pecans.

5. Spoon the mixture onto a 12x12 piece of parchment paper or reusable wax cloth. Using your hands and the parchment paper, press the mixture into a square shape about 1/2-inch thick. Allow it to rest two hour to one day. The longer you let the bars rest the better they will hold together. The bars can be stored in a sealed container for about three days.
   

Notes:
If you’ve never popped amaranth, you may want to have two bowls. The first time I made it, I burned a tablespoon or two and you can pour the burned batch into a separate bowl. You will most likely end up using about 1/2 cup of the amaranth to make 1 cup of popped amaranth.

If you serve these bars an hour after they are made they won’t hold their shape. If you need them to be ready to serve within an hour substitute 1/4 cup sugar for 1/4 cup of the honey. Heat the honey and the sugar in a small sauce pan to 250F/120C before adding the cocoa and pouring over the amaranth.

*Honey is not vegan