Liz Lovely has the most amazing gluten-free cookies EVER!  We've had the German Chocolate Cake and the Ginger Molasses and both are amazing (until  you look at the ingredients including sugar, palm oil, xantham gum, potato starch and tapioca starch).

My base cookie recipe that is avoid free and gluten-free is this winner from Bob's Red Mill:

http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes_detail.php?rid=438

I use many different flours including teff, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, rice, etc.

I often add ghee as a fat to change the texture.

I use lots of different spices.

This photo from Liz Lovely of the Ginger Molasses cookie before baking has inspired me to try to make something similar on this Valentines Day.



See all the ginger stacked up in the middle?  That bakes down and oh so good.

I do have quinoa flakes and can use them to help "bind" differently than just flour and ghee.  

Anyway, Happy Valentines Day!  

Thank you so much! I love cookies!

http://www.elanaspantry.com/chocolate-chip-cookies/

I just put a small batch of these together - I haven't baked them yet.  I will bake when I get back from dinner tonight

Vicki that is an awesome simple recipe - I play a lot with different gf flours but I often feel like its either not right or complicated - that simplicity rocks

Thanks Vicki That recipe looks amazing!!! I have made the original recipe with normal flour & sugar & love them, (will have to hide them ) so it's great to have an adapted one...

Very nice...thank you.

Thank you, Vicki.  I will try those ginger snaps.

I just made DH some chocolate almond cookies from a recipe in CLEAN EATING.  He said they were really great.  There is no flor to worry about.

1 cup almond butter
3/4 cup succant ( I used date sugar)
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 oz chopped dark chocolate

mix first 5 ingredients together until well mixed, then add chocolate and mix again.
drop onto a lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes in 350 degree oven.
You have to let them cool a bit on the cookie sheet before you can move them to
cooling racks.  Makes about 24 small cookies.

Okay, warning.  I made the Bob's Red Mill ginger cookies using barley malt syrup instead of honey.  Beneficial for me, but not very tasty. I had to put peanut butter on it to make it taste good.  Next time I'll use honey or agave.

Cheers for that Ribbit

Ribbit, and a little molasses adds nice flavor.  

Yes, the barley malt wasn't sweet enough and it had too much flavor of its own.  I'm sure they would be really great with something else.

What I did learn from this is that you don't have to use eggs, baking soda/powder or oil to make a good cookie.  

Quoted from Ribbit

What I did learn from this is that you don't have to use eggs, baking soda/powder or oil to make a good cookie.  

It was probably worth the effort to learn this...  Good job.  Sorry, that the result wasn't what you were looking for, though.

Could you put these in a bowl with some peaches, etc., on top to make them enjoyable? or would you just "ruin" the fruit as well?

Excited about this tread-- cookies are the one thing we (meaning my husband Crow ) still has trouble with. It's the texture...

But I will make sure he gets this thread...

I love cookies...even without milk....

Olygirl,

Quoted Text

3/4 cup succant ( I used date sugar)

Your recipe looks yummy.  I've given up sugar (at least trying to  ) and have been experimenting with agave.  I've never tried date sugar!  Is it granulated like sugar (would love because agave is difficult to sub into recipes with sugar)?  Do you sub in 1:1??  Do you have a favorite place to buy it?

Ribbit, thanks for the heads up on the taste of barley malt!

Vicki, that Bob's Red Mill recipe looks great.  I'm going to try it this weekend.

Kathleen

In the UK I've just found xylitol in the health food section of my supermarket.  Although the name sounds awful, like aspartame or something, it's actually extracted from birch tree bark.  Don't think it's been rated by Dr D yet.  I buy a brand of dairy-free/soy-free chocolate that uses this for sweetness and I've never had any adverse reactions to it.  It's in granulated form and looks (and tastes) pretty much like normal sugar so would be good for substituting for regular sugar in recipes.  I really don't like the taste of stevia  , so this product could revolutionise my cooking in future.

I'm sure you must be able to get it in the States.  Here's a link to the UK site.

http://www.perfectsweet.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=81

Hope this is of use!

Andy  

Vicki, what's that picture of?  Ginger molasses cookies?  Do you have that recipe?

Made the ginger snaps, not a hit with my son 17).
Used agave, they were plenty sweet, if you love ginger you will like these. Make them small and have with tea.

Hey Muchkin76,

Quoted Text

xylitol in the health food section of my supermarket

Thanks for the tip.  I think I've seen it in Whole Foods.... or the health food store.  It does sound awful but if it's from birch tree bark I would think it would be fine.  I'll give it a try.

Kathleen

Kathleen

No worries!  Let us know how you get on.

Andy  

Kathleen,

I got my date sugar from http://www.barryfarm.com.  They have lots of flours and alternative baking products.
The only down side is the shipping is high.  You can also buy date sugar at most healthfood stores.
I used 1.1, if you like very sweet cookies, you might use more.  I was going to use agave, but thought the dough would be too runny.

there are many sides to xylitol
I usualy go by.....

Quoted Text

Dr D
polyols (erythititol or Truvia is a polyol)

"Polyols, such as xylitol, can block the effects of aldose reductase, and as such may create complications down the road from using it as a lifelong, complete substitute for all other sugars. Aldose reductase interference is involved in many of the long term complications of diabetes, such as cataracts, neuropathies, etc. If you plan to use xylitol as a major long term sugar replacement, you may want to incorporate a quercetin supplement, or increase the BTD compliant quercetin containing foods in your diet."

Olygirl,

Thanks for the info!  I'm off to buy date sugar and xylitol. I'll let everyone know how I do.

Quoted Text

I was going to use agave, but thought the dough would be too runny

I tried agave in Jill's Oatmeal Cookies from the Recipe Center, just deleted the water.  They looked and tasted good.    However, I didn't much like the texture?!     Other cookie recipes I've tried with agave were too runny and the end result, not good.

Off to do some baking and eating .

Kathleen

You can use agave in place of honey in a recipe that calls for honey, but to substitute it for sugar you have to totally redo the recipe.

The picture is of the avoid laden Liz Lovely cookies I talked about in the first paragraph of my post.  

Quoted Text

This photo from Liz Lovely of the Ginger Molasses cookie before baking has inspired me to try to make something similar on this Valentines Day.

For the ginger snaps, snap it up!  I use ghee to lighten the texture, I use different spices, I use different flours, etc.  

Anise seed makes a great cookie spice if you can have it!