Every so often, I have a special request baking commission, such as the vegan cookies I made HERE. I’ve even dabbled with gluten free (GF) baked goods before, with some success, like the GF macaroons I made, and some major failures, like the GF carrot cake that exploded all over my oven and irritated me to no end!

This time around, I was asked to make a simple batch of GF chocolate chip cookies. Since it was a short-date request, I had no time to gather ingredients together to make my own GF baking mix, yet I hadn’t yet found a pre-packaged GF baking mix I was happy with. One thing I’ve come to appreciate after trial and error with pre-packaged GF baking mixes is that they work best with the recipes that have been specially formulated by the manufacturers of that baking mix. It’s a serious gamble to substitute a GF baking mix cup-for-cup with regular flour, and I don’t recommend it at this stage in the gluten-free flour manufacturing cycle (we are just not quite there yet). Then again, if you don’t mind a failed recipe or two, you can certainly give it a try! Don’t let my own failures stop you from experimenting…

…although I *was* strongly reminded of that scene from Friends where Monica, desperate for a job, agrees to develop some recipes for the ominous-sounding Mockolate, which she then inflicts on her friends as her taste testers:

I’ve researched gluten-free baking before, and in my data mining, I came across a website called Gluten Free Girl, that I really trust and admire for the author’s life-long passion for and commitment to gluten free baking. She has plenty of advice and information for anyone who wants to make their own GF flour, and goes through the slightly complicated process step by step. This is a short link to her Guide To Gluten Free Baking.

Having said that, as I had the time restriction mentioned above, I happened to have on hand a random package of gluten free chocolate chunks I had purchased the week before for no particular reason, as well as a bag of gluten free baking mix from B.C.-based Cloud 9 Specialty Bakery (bought at Costco here in Ontario), so I was willing to give them a try for these cookies, because, well, why not? That’s what it’s made for, right?

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: Cloud 9 Specialty Bakery

• 1¾ cups Cloud 9 All-Purpose Baking Mix
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ⁷/₈ cup butter
• ½ cup sugar
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 250g bag chocolate chips
• Optional: 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, peanuts, or any other nut of your choice

1. Preheat oven to 375°F, adjust rack to the middle of the oven. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the Cloud 9 Baking Mix, baking soda and salt together to create the dry mix and set aside.
3. Melt butter then mix together with sugar, brown sugar and vanilla to create the wet mix. Whisk until fully mixed, add egg and yolk, and then whisk again thoroughly. No lumps!
4. Let mixture stand for 3 minutes. Whisk again and complete this process two more times.
5. Stir the dry mix into the wet mix and add the chocolate chips (and nuts if desired).
6. Using a spoon, place 16-18 cookies onto the prepared sheets.
7. Bake 10-12 minutes, cookies should be puffed and golden with edges set.
8. Let cookies cool completely and enjoy.

The Review:

I made up the recipe EXACTLY as it was written, and the cookies did come out fairly nicely, with some looking better than others of course (just like people, haha). Taste testing by a couple of victims volunteers went fairly well as well; the cookies are best when they are still warm from the oven, but their flavour at room temperature the next day wasn’t bad either. My only concern with them was the texture.

This baking mix is a blend of rice flour, buckwheat flour, cornstarch, potato starch, tapioca starch and xanthan gum. I’m guessing the buckwheat flour is a little grainier than the other flours, and it left an odd after-texture (as opposed to aftertaste) in my mouth, and particularly stuck in my teeth, which didn’t really thrill me.  It just didn’t remind me of a chocolate chip cookie enough to ever want to make them again for myself, as I’m not Celiac, but I can understand why others who can have nothing with gluten in it would be thrilled with them! I’ll update if/when I hear back from the recipient about whether he liked them. :o)