Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter Cookies - gluten free, flour free

Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter Cookies

Usually, when I decide to make peanut butter cookies, I use my gluten-free recipe and, of course, I add chocolate chips.  I was thinking of using the chocolate hazelnut spread, but, when I went to WalMart, this product jumped out at me - Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams.

  

Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter Cookies

I used the Flourless Peanut Butter Cookie recipe from King Arthur Flour and used the Dark Chocolate Dreams for the peanut butter.   And, yes, I did add the mini-chocolate chips. The result?  Well, here's a bite for you!

Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn.  Hope you'll visit again soon.

Love,

Susan

• Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter Cookies 
• Adapted from Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
• Yield:  18 cookies
• 
  
• 1 cup Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a mixer on medium, combine the Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter, brown sugar and baking soda. Add the egg and vanilla, and blend until the dough comes together.  Stir in chocolate chips.. Scoop a Tablespoon of dough per cookie, roll into a ball, then, flatten the top slightly.  Leave a little room in between cookies as they do spread a little. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes - tops will be slightly crinkled.  You do not want the edges to brown.  Allow to cool on the pan.  They will be soft, at first, so let them set up before devouring.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Biscotti - Vegan recipe

It's the time of year when everyone is baking cookies.  With so many people dealing with food allergies and intolerances, I decided to look for a biscotti recipe that I could adapt to be gluten free, dairy free and egg free.  I found a recipe on the PETA website.  Yes, there are recipes on the website for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

I halved the recipe  and used white rice flour in place of the wheat flour.  Two small Macintosh apples yielded the perfect amount of applesauce for the recipe.  (I peeled and cored the apples, then, microwaved them until soft - just a few minutes was perfect.)  And, I melted a little extra chocolate to drizzle over the top.

The result?  Beautiful biscotti!   I thought they were delicious.  Kim said he couldn't believe how good they were, considering they were gluten free and vegan.

Let me know if you try the recipe and how it comes out for you.  Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn.  Hope you'll visit again, soon.

Love,

Susan

Almond Chocolate-Chip Biscotti (slightly adapted from "Biscotti Bliss")

Yield:  15 - 18 biscotti

1 1/2 cups rice flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 ounces applesauce (2 small apples, peeled, cored, microwaved, mashed)
1 1/2 teaspoons  oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup  dark chocolate chips

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper..
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, applesauce, oil, and extracts.
• Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. As a firm dough starts to form, knead in the chocolate chips with your hands.
• Shape the dough on the parchment paper on the cookie sheet into a log.
• Bake for about 25 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven and let cool on a cooling rack for 10 - 20 minutes.
• Carefully slice biscotti to desired thickness - about 1/2".  If the slices fall apart a little, just press them back together.
• Place the slices back on the cookie sheets, cut side down.
• Bake for 10 minutes, flip the slices and bake the other side for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
• Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let the biscotti cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
• If desired, melt 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and drizzle over the top of the biscotti.)
• Store in an airtight container.  

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut - no gluten, dairy or eggs

chocolate chip cookies with coconut - gluten, dairy and egg free

I've been working on this recipe for over a week and I am finally ready to share.  Today, I made these cookies as bar cookies and sliced them into the triangles you see above.  Of course, you can scoop them into traditional round cookies, too.  This recipe uses rice flour, but, you could use regular all purpose flour if you do not need to be gluten free.  If you don't like coconut, don't try this recipe.  The warm cookies are reminiscent of a Mounds chocolate candy in cookie form.  The golden edges are crispy and the center is a little soft and chewy.  Bake them longer for extra crispy, less for extra chewy.  I know some of you might resist the corn syrup.  But, just like in pecan pie, corn syrup provides that extra special textural component that no other sweetener can do.  And, if you don't want to use the coffee, simply substitute a Tablespoon of whatever liquid you prefer, almond, soy or coconut milk would be great.

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn blog.  Hope to see you soon.
Love,
Susan

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut (no egg, no dairy and no gluten)

Yield:  12 cookies

3/4 cup rice flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

pinch salt

1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 Tablespoon corn syrup

1 Tablespoon hot coffee

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together rice flour, baking powder and salt.  Add coconut and chips.  Mix and set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, mix the coconut oil, brown sugar, corn syrup, coffee, and vanilla with a rubber spatula, stir until completely combined.
5. Stir dry into wet ingredients, using rubber spatula stir until combined.
6. Scoop the dough into 12 equal portions and press into shape on prepared cookie sheet.  (Or, press dough into an 8 x 8 square pan, lined with parchment)
7. Bake for 10 – 14 minutes or until golden around the edges.  Cookies will still be soft.
8. Cool on cookie sheet for five minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. They will crisp up as they cool.  (If baking in 8 x 8 pan, using parchment paper, carefully remove from pan on parchment paper after the 5 minutes cooling time and cut into desired shapes while still warm and soft)

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes, you just want a chocolate chip cookie.  You want it now and you want it to be homemade.  I've been holding onto this recipe for several years (I have no idea where it came from) and I decided to try it.  Kim said they were really good, although, not as good as the ones with butter and eggs.  But, for a vegan recipe, he said it was a winner.  Hope you like it!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Makes 8 - 12 cookies depending on size

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup real maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon  molasses

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 cup canola oil

1/3 cup chocolate chips

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt, and stir until well combined. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup, molasses and vanilla, then stir in the oil until well combined. 
4. Add the wet mixture to the dry, along with the chocolate chips, and stir through until just well combined (do not overmix).
5. Place large spoonfuls of the batter on the cookie sheet and flatten a little.
6. Bake for 11 minutes, until just golden (if you bake for much longer, they will dry out). 
7. Let cool on the sheet for no more than 1 minute (again, to prevent drying), then transfer to a cooling rack.
8. Let them cool a little before eating.
9. Enjoy!

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