The Ultimate Gluten-Free Cookie Book (8 page)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

In a medium-size bowl, combine the shortening and sugar. Beat well. Add the brown rice flour and beat well. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl at least once during mixing. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well; the dough will be quite thick.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough onto the prepared pan.

Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, until there is the slightest hint of color; the tops of the cookies will be dry. Let cool on wire racks before serving.

pecan meal
MAKES ABOUT 20 COOKIES

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a cookie sheet very well.

Combine all the ingredients and mix very well. The dough will need a few minutes of beating to develop body; this is important. As you beat the mixture, it will first look like a thick table syrup, then, with continued beating, a sticky-looking dough will form.

Place the dough by the tablespoonful onto the prepared pan. With moistened fingertips, press the dough to a scant ⅛-inch thickness.

Bake the cookies for 6 to 9 minutes, until they are lightly browned and appear cooked in the center. Keep the cookies on the pan for a minute or two to “set.” Gently ease them from the cookie sheet with a spatula. The cookies will be pliable, yet have real substance. Let cool on wire racks before serving.

 

brown rice flour
MAKES ABOUT 35 COOKIES

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Very lightly grease a cookie sheet.

In a medium-size bowl, combine the oil and sugar. Beat well. Add the flour and beat well. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl at least once during mixing. Add the remaining cookie ingredients and beat well. Continue beating until the dough comes together; it will be soft. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter to form a crumble. (If the butter is soft, the crumble may not crumble at all. This is okay.) Set aside.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough onto the prepared pan. With moistened fingertips, press them to ¼-inch thickness. Place a small amount of crumble mixture on top of each cookie.

Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Let cool on wire racks before serving.

 

4

Are you ever in a hurry for something wonderful?
This chapter is full of delicious bar cookies. While I am a huge fan of any cookie dark with chocolate (such as my Decadent Brownies!), three of my favorites in this chapter are Carrot Cake Bars, Jam Bars, and White Chocolate Bars. And if you are in a super hurry, try either version of the Rice Cereal Bars. Sure, they are traditionally fast to make in the first place, but you can microwave the marshmallow mixture in just two minutes! Not even a messy pot to clean. I’ve topped the traditional version with just a little chocolate . . . which makes it so much better than you can imagine.

I used to be in a rut, making just one or two favorite bar cookies, but not anymore. I hope you find new favorites here, too.

brown rice flour and almond meal
MAKES 15 COOKIES

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a medium-size bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Beat well. Add the brown rice flour and continue to beat well. Add the remaining dough ingredients and mix well. The cookie dough will be heavy.

Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Layer with the condensed milk, coconut, almonds, and chocolate chips, and bake for an additional 25 minutes. The toppings will take on a bit of color.

Let cool completely and cut into bars.

brown rice flour
MAKES 15 COOKIES

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a medium-size bowl, combine the oil and sugar. Beat well. Add the brown rice flour and beat well. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl at least once during mixing. Add the remaining dough ingredients and beat well. Continue beating until the dough comes together; it will be quite thick.

Press two-thirds of the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Set aside.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine all the topping ingredients, except the retained dough. Stir well. Microwave on HIGH for about 2 minutes, until the apples are soft and the sauce is clear and thick. Stir and check the topping after 1 minute. Spread the mixture over the top of the dough in the pan.

Top with bits of the remaining dough. (It should look crumbly.) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned and a toothpick tests cleanly. Let cool before slicing and serving.

brown rice flour
MAKES 15 COOKIES