Now, these cookies sound really good, but...they were not quite what I was expecting. Gluten-free breads/cookies/pastries are really hard to make taste like their wheat counterparts because they do not contain gluten (which is a protein that helps make doughs elastic). It is hard to achieve that nice, chewy consistency that good breads or cookies are known for. However, I am fascinated by recipes that try to make something familiar out of unusual ingredients. Plus, coconut flour is touted to be high fiber, high protien, and low-carb, so it's good for you!
This recipe deserves a disclaimer: this is not your average chocolate chip cookie! Don't expect something gooey, chewy, or even crunchy. These cookies, while good, are more like your average shortbread: dense, dry, crumbly. I was really disappointed when I bit into the first one while it was hot. It was almost chalky in texture. After I let them cool a bit, they improved slightly. They tasted OK, but were still dry and needed to be paired with tea.
First Try:
T.E.A's Gluten-free Cinnamon Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes about 12-15 cookies
1 cup coconut flour
1/4 plus 1 TB brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 eggs
1tps vanilla
almond milk, enough to bring the dough together, about 1/4 cup
1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and chocolate chips. Mix until well combined.
2. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, add eggs and vanilla. Whisk well with a fork. Add to dry mixture and mix well. Dough will be crumbly. Add enough almond milk to bring the dough together. *Dough will be slightly crumbly, but should be wet enough to roll into balls.
3. For each cookie, roll about 1-2 TB of dough into a ball and flatten slightly with your hands. Place on baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
4. Bake for 12-15 mins. Cool completely.
Now, if this is what I expected the cookies to taste like, I don't think I would have been so disappointed. These actually aren't bad little short breads. But I was determined to make a better batch. Here is the list of pros and cons about the cookie which helped me determine how I wanted to change the recipe:
Pros:-coconut flour tastes and smells like coconut
-nice little shortbread/tea cookie
Cons:
-too dry
-not enough sugar
-not enough fat
-not sure if the chocolate chips actually helped or hindered? They were a bit bitter.
First of all, my first recipe had very little fat in it. I got a basic coconut flour cookie recipe off the Internet and changed it slightly to fit what I wanted in my cookie. The only fat in it was egg, and it wasn't enough to counteract the very pasty coconut flour. My next experiment was adding in coconut oil to try and make these more palatable.
I also added more sugar. I skimped on the sugar the first time because I don't like my cookies overly sweet, but they needed a little more. Plus, I thought more sugar might give them a little more crunch.
I also tried flattening the cookies a little bit more. I thought a flatter cookie would be less dense. I used a fork sprayed with oil to flatten them evenly.
Also, the original recipe used 1 banana or 1/2 cup applesauce instead of eggs. This makes the cookie vegan as well. I didn't have either of these at home, so I used eggs instead, but the fruit might actually be good in these, too.
Second Try: (I made a smaller batch)
Coconut Shortbread Cookies
makes 12-15 small cookies
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 TB coconut oil, melted (or butter if you prefer)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
almond milk, enough to bring the dough together
Directions: see above, except flatten cookies with a fork for more even baking.
The Verdict: Well, the second recipe was better. They were soft and buttery, and had a nice, smooth texture compared to the first. But they were still dry. I'm pretty sure this is due to the lack of gluten in the coconut flour. Without the gluten protein to hold things together, the flour remains soft and chalky.
But if you need a good gluten-free cookie, this recipe is good. Just expect that these will be slightly dry, but will still make a good little tea cookie. You could also serve them with jam, or crumble them onto ice cream.
Enjoy! :)
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