I made you more cookies. Is it too late?
We may be down to the wire, but they’re just cookies!
These are kinda like brownie bites. Except gooey brownies make me a wee bit mental. If it’s ooey gooey, you probably didn’t make it for me. I don’t even like saying “ooey gooey.” I just said it (twice) because I love you. And I suspect you like ooey gooey.
I said it again.
These cookies are the first to go at a party. Make ‘em small, and pop one right in your mouth. They’re rich, but not filthy rich. Just the right amount. If you won’t use butter, pleased to try virgin coconut oil & report back.
The chocolate gets melted with the butter. In go the brown sugar, molasses, an egg and vanilla. Perfectly smooth. Just right.
Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt), cause it’s faster that way.
Add the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix.
With a small ice cream scoop, drop dough about 1 inch apart on a USA Pans jellyroll pan and … freeze for 10 minutes (do it!)
They crack a bit on top, in a really good way. Have I earned your trust? If not, I’d love this chance to do just that.
| Brownie Cookies |
- 1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose gluten-free flour (I use Better Batter)
- 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (omit if using Better Batter)
- 2 tablespoons (10 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 8 tablespoons (112 grams) unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup (145 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons (43 grams) unsulfured molasses
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and whisk to combine well and set it aside.
- In a separate, medium sized bowl, place the chopped chocolate and the butter. Microwave for 45 seconds at a time at 50% power, stirring well in between, until the chocolate and butter are melted and smooth. Allow to cool briefly. Add the brown sugar, and mix until smooth. Add the egg, molasses and vanilla, and mix again until smooth. The mixture should be smooth and shiny (see photo).
- Add the chocolate mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients, and mix until combined. The mixture will be thick, and not as smooth, but should be uniform in consistency. Scoop the dough by the tablespoon, and roll each gently into a ball. Place, about 1 inch apart, on nonstick rimmed baking sheets, and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes, or until firm.
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until just set. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Love,
Me
P.S. I’m doing volume and weight measurements. I think it’s better. I think it’ll help. I generally go by weight, but I won’t go all postal on you if you don’t. So I include both. It seems like the right thing to do.
P.P.S. I’m not the boss of you. We’re in this together.
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Oh Em Gee, Nicole! Maybe I’m alone on this, maybe I’m not, but I can’t say I’ve ever noticed a time when I even considered it was “too late” for yet another incredible cookie delight! Since going gluten free, I’ve been disappointed in almost every prepackaged brownie mix or bite I’ve tried, whether by texture, taste or both. These just look so promising I can’t help but get excited about them! Okay, so now I’ve got another question for you. Have you ever attempted to make a gee eff cream puff? My mom makes them a lot this time of year (and hers are arguable some of the best I’ve ever had, all familial partiality aside, scout’s honor!), and this is the first holiday season for me that gluten has been a concern so it didn’t cross my mind until she started baking them the other day. When she and I were talking about it, her biggest concern was whether the Better Batter could be fluffed enough for a good puff or if it would fall prey to the dreaded density of so many gee eff baked goods. I was willing to bet it could be done, and would be happy to share the original recipe for conversion’s sake if you (or anyone else) is interested in taking it for a test drive while I’m still without my own kitchen for another couple of weeks. Even if you’ve got a suggestion or two, I’m all ears :)
Hi, Erin,
Since you’re so excited, now I’m all excited. These cookies don’t disappoint. Promise. Now, to your question..
1. Better Batter can do anything. Fear not.
2. If by “cream puffs” you mean something like Choux Pastry filled with cream, there’s a recipe in my cookbook on pages 49 to 51 for Choux Pastry (and variations), and you can most likely just use your mom’s recipe for the filling. They come out perfect. I just made some last night for some eclairs. Light & airy, puffy perfection.
3. If you mean, or might like, something like a cream-filled pastry, have you seen my recipe for custard-filled pastries?
There’s nothing you used to have before that you can’t have now – except gluten itself. And you should expect it to taste like you remember, or it’s just not good enough. That’s a promise. Stay excited!
xoxo Nicole
You make my day. Almost every day. Thank you!
Aw, thanks, Janine. You’re so welcome. Thank you for being such an active part of this community. You’re the lifeblood!
xoxo Nicole
I love feeling like we’re not all alone. Thank you for hosting everyone this way!
Janine, I couldn’t have said it better myself. That’s what it is all about. Not alone. Not afraid.
xoxo Nicole
I must agree with you Janine! Nicole you are such a joy to follow. I think I love you…is it appropriate to declare such a thing to someone you’ve never met & only know through food? ;) Half the love is for your amazing recipes & the other half is for your witty banter that makes me giggle continuously!
P.S. It is NEVER too late for a delish cookie recipe!
P.P.S. I will totally be making these to add to our holiday yummies. :)
Wow. That is so kind of you, Shannon. What a ride it has been this year. What a year! I appreciate you, and Janine, and this whole community. Of course it’s appropriate! All the best relationships are based on food, aren’t they?
Merry holidays and very happy returns. And love.
xoxo Nicole
P.S. I love my USA Pans pans. My biscotti stuck, but that may have been user error. But my jelly roll pans rock super hard. Thank you for the recommendation!
Hooray for USA Pans! So glad you’re having a good experience. I honestly barely remember what it was like to bake without them.
xoxo Nicole
Oh my goodness, these look so good and quite easy. Not a ton of ingredients either which is always good. I am looking forward to trying them out in the kitchen and just making them completely dairy-free as well. Thank you for the recipe!
You bet!
xoxo Nicole
Thank you!! Can’t wait to try (patiently awaiting my Amazon order of Better Batter…have to save my last 2 cups for cinnamon rolls this weekend…). Thanks again for posting the weight too – it makes baking soo much easier for me. Now I just need to convince the hubby to buy a freezer big enough to stick a cookie sheet in lol
Merry Christmas!!
Merry Christmas to you, too, Tiffany. If your freezer won’t fit your cookie sheet, just line the dough up on a plate lined with wax paper or a cutting board, and stick that in the freezer. Transfer to the sheet before before baking. There’s a way!
xoxo Nicole
Santa’s little helper Nicole…
these are absolutely wonderful!!! Made them last night for the work party today & was soooo impressed at the flavor. YUMMMMM
Thanks and Happy Holidays!!!
Hi, Pam,
So happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe. I love hearing that!
Happy Holidays to you and yours, Pam.
xoxo Nicole
These look great! And it’s never too late for chocolate! :>}
I have two questions that I could just look up for myself, but I bet I’m not the only one who has these questions, so this way we can all know.
1) What is the difference between “virgin coconut oil” and the coconut oil I’ve been buying that doesn’t say “virgin” on the container?
2) What kind of scale do you use to measure grams for baking? I have a kitchen scale that has pounds and kg (kilograms?) that I use when I need to weigh veggies for blanching, but I don’t see how that would measure grams. All I can think of for a scale is the science supply pages of a homeschool catalog. So, I guess part two of this question is do they sell what you use in a kitchen store?
Thanks!
Hi, Diane,
. It measures in grams and ounces, and converts between the two. It also has a “tare” feature, which will zero out whatever is one there, so you can measure flour in a bowl and subtract the weight of the bowl, and then measure something else on top beginning from 0 again. It doesn’t sound like your scale is sensitive enough for smaller amounts (i.e., grams rather than kilograms).
1. Virgin coconut oil is unrefined, and healthful. Regular coconut oil that has been refined is not healthful. Spectrum makes both.
2. Yes, generally digital scales like the one I use are sold in kitchen stores. I have this scale
I hope that helps!
I hadn’t explained much about baking by weight, since many people resist it and I didn’t want to push. And, yes, when you ask, everyone benefits. :)
xoxo Nicole
Cool! Thanks for the info, Nicole. I keep learning things on your site. :>}
Hi, Diane,
You’re very welcome. You learn from me, and I learn from you as well. Win-win!
xoxo Nicole
Okay, so I made these last night with coconut oil (and am now waiting to hear the answer to Diane’s question — I used Spectrum “refined” coconut oil, maybe not the right kind?). They were tasty, but not what I was expecting from Nicole’s description. Will be making another batch tonight to compare, because, why not?
Janine
SO much better with butter (vs. the wrong kind of coconut oil!). Glad I made another batch!
Hi, Janine,
I’m glad, too! I bet they’d be good with virgin coconut oil, though. Maybe I’ll try that sometime, so you don’t have to take a chance. ;)
xoxo Nicole
So, I decided that these were a must to add to my list of treats. I made them up & when it got to the step to roll them into little balls I was doubtful. I thought, “No way this is rollable!” So I used a pan with 6 little Spiderman heads. I thought my nephews would get a kick out of them. I added crushed peppermint candy canes to them too! They are currently done baking & in the freezer because the little buggers didn’t want to come out of the pan, even though I greased them up really well. BTW…they taste divine! I sampled the one that graciously only half peeled out of the pan. :P I also made little gingerbread people, trees & candy canes! Next…icing them!!
Those sound amazing, Shannon! If you didn’t make any alterations to the dough, though, I promise they’d have been rollable. They seem like they’d be sticky — but I promise they’re not! Mmmm I love peppermint with chocolate.
xoxo Nicole
Just discovered your blog a few days ago (my 16 year old son has a wheat allergy), and since we wanted something chocolate for dessert for a gluten-intolerant Christmas dinner guest, my son and I just made a double batch of these, and they are fabulous! The only things we did differntly than what the recipe said, because we live in the freezing Adirondacks, was to stick the whole bowl of dough outside for a few minutes, which made the balls really easy to roll, then stick the unbaked cookies outside again for a few more minutes, and between that and our new convection oven (which speeded up the bake time considerably, so watch them!), they came out just wonderful. I`m amazed that we made something GF that has the texture and mouth feel of regular brownies, and I`ve just hidden them away in a container for tomorrow so we all stop sneaking them as we pass by. Thank you for this recipe, and your wonderfully informative blog, in general!!
Hi, Marilynn,
I love that your freezer is the great outdoors! Ingenious. ;)
You should expect all your GF foods to be virtually indistinguishable from their gluten-containing counterparts — if not better! So glad you found the blog, and that it’s been useful to you. Gluten-free is a great resource for those with wheat allergies. I hope you’ll come back!
xoxo Nicole
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