Australian-based nutritionist Cherie Lyden, who grew up in New Zealand, promised her children she would develop a chocolate chip cookie for her book Gluten-free Baking Made Simple, although she’s made the chips more like chunks for maximum gooeyness.
Chocolate chunk cookies
MAKES 13-14 COOKIES
1¼ cups (205g) gluten-free plain (all-purpose) flour
½ tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
150g butter, cut into small cubes and at room temperature
1/3 cup (60g) brown sugar
1/3 cup (65g) raw caster (superfine) sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
250g dark cooking chocolate, broken into small chunks
Method
Line three large baking trays with baking paper.
Sift the flour, xanthan gum and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and whisk together thoroughly.
Add the butter and sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment fitted and cream together on low–medium speed for 1 minute. (Alternatively, mix the ingredients together in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer.)
Slowly add the vanilla extract and egg and keep mixing, increasing the speed to medium-high, for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through. Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients until everything is just mixed in. Fold in the chocolate using a spatula, then transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and leave for 20 minutes for the dough to chill and firm.
Divide the chilled dough into 50g portions and shape each into a ball. Arrange the dough balls on the lined trays spread 10cm apart, then transfer to the fridge and leave to chill for 30 minutes. (This will help rest the dough so that when it bakes, it keeps its shape and doesn’t spread too far.)
Preheat the oven to 180degC (160degC fan-forced) with the oven racks positioned in the middle of the oven. Gently press each dough ball to flatten slightly, then bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, rotating the trays after 8 minutes, until lightly golden.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. These cookies are also delicious eaten warm while the chocolate is gooey.
Tips
• The dark chocolate can be replaced with any chocolate you prefer.
• To make these into double chocolate cookies, add ¼ cup (30g) cocoa powder to the dry ingredients and decrease the flour quantity by ¼ cup (40g).
Storage
These biscuits will stay fresh in an airtight container for seven days.
Once rolled into balls, the dough can be frozen for up to one month.
To bake, simply defrost slightly, flatten and cook as above.
