I’m always looking for healthy alternatives to the classic sweets that we grew up on. I came across these chocolate chip cookies on a cooking blog that I visit often. I tried them out this past weekend and they were a hit. These gluten free cookies are absolutely delicious. The dark chocolate and fleur de sel make a great combination. No one in my family has a gluten sensitivity, but I much prefer baking and cooking with whole grain flours. I try to stay away from refined white products. All of the ingredients for this recipe can be found at Whole Foods.
Note: Fleur de Sel is a type of French sea salt. If you don’t have any on hand, you can substitute any good quality sea salt. Use a coarse grain salt for sprinkling on top.
Prep Time: 15minutes (not including 1 hour refrigeration time for the dough)
Cooking Time: 10 – 12 minutes (per batch)
Yields: 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed light muscovado sugar
- 1/4 cup natural cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup amaranth flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch (also known as tapioca flour)
- 1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel, plus more for topping
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup dark chocolate (70% cacao or higher) chunks or chips
- Combine the butter, muscovado sugar, natural cane sugar and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the egg and mix until combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the brown rice flour, amaranth flour, tapioca starch, fleur de sel, and baking soda.
- Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix on medium speed until the dough comes together.
- Add the chocolate chunks and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
- Scoop the dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Roll the dough into a log that is approximately 2 inches in diameter and 12 inches long. Wrap the log with the parchment and refrigerate for 1 hour. (You can freeze the dough for baking another day as well.)
- While dough is in refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350F.
- After dough refrigerates for an hour, cut the log into 1/2-inch disks. Place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper leaving 2 inches in between the cookies.
- Sprinkle the tops with a bit of fleur de sel. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges set and start to turn golden. They might look a bit underdone, but this is fine. They will harden as they cool and slightly under-baking them will keep them chewy Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before trying to lift them. Store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Adapted from Aran Goyoaga’s blog Cannelle et Vanille