Gluten Free Power Cookies

I’m not gluten free, but I am wheat-free and therefore love to experiment with gluten free baking. I typically use oat bran flour or brown rice flour in place of wheat flour, which seems to work well for me when I make cookies, muffins, and pizza, but a couple weeks ago I wanted to try making a flour “blend” with xanthan gum as the replacement for gluten. Xanthan gum is meant to replace the gluten and therefore it helps add the structure, elasticity, and viscosity back into gluten free products or baked goods. For my first truly gluten-free baking experiment I used the following gluten free flour combination;

Brown Rice Flour (a whole grain!)

Tapioca Flour (gives a nice chewy texture)

Xanthan gum

When using this blend, for every cup of wheat flour called for in the original recipe you instead use 1/2 cup of brown rice flour, 1/2 cup of tapioca flour, and 1 tsp. xanthan gum.

Gluten Free Power Cookies

(Makes 25)

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup tapioca flour

2 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 cup protein powder

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup canola oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg white

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine first seven ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. In a separate bowl whisk together honey, oil, vanilla, and eggs.
4. Stir flour mixture into wet ingredients; fold in cranberries, nuts, and chocolate chips.
5. Coat a baking pan with cooking spray and drop cookie mixture (in rounded spoonfuls) onto pan.
6. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until lightly browned on the edges.
7. Transfer to a plate of a cool rack so they do not continue cooking. ENJOY!

And they are pretty darn delicious…

Today’s Dietitian posted this great article about the use of nut flours in gluten free baking. Have you ever tried almond, hazelnut, or walnut flours in our baking?? I haven’t, but really want to start experimenting soon.

QUESTION: Do you have a gluten free flour combination that you love? I need some ideas for my monthly gluten free support group meetings!