Gingerbread Gluten Free Fudge Puddles
Ingredients
For the gingerbread cookie cups
1 3/4 cups (245 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I used Better Batter; you must use one of my recommended blends)
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (58 g) confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar
9 tablespoons (126 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon (21 g) molasses
1 egg (50 g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the fudge filling (See Recipe Notes)
4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) heavy whipping cream
Dash of salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups (144 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Notes
An alternative chocolate filling
The cookies in the photos that have a darker filling are ganache, which is made from just two ingredients. For this simpler filling, place 4 ounces chopped chocolate in a medium-size heat-safe bowl. Heat 2 1/2 ounces heavy whipping cream in a small, heavy-bottom saucepan just until it begins to simmer.
Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and allow the mixture to sit until the chocolate begins to melt. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
Instructions
First, make the cookie cups. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease well a 24-cup miniature muffin tin and set it aside.
In a large bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and confectioners’ sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the brown sugar, and mix to combine, breaking up any lumps. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, molasses, egg, and vanilla, and mix to combine well. The dough should come together and will be soft.
Roll the dough into balls about 3/4-inch in diameter, and place in the greased wells. Using the tip of your pointer finger, make a hole in the center, and press the cookie dough against the side of the muffin well.
Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 9 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and, working quickly, place the bowl of a teaspoon into the center of each well and press down to create a well that’s as deep as the bowl of the spoon.
Return the tin to the oven and continue to bake for another 3 minutes, or until the cookie dough seems set and doesn’t glisten (about 3 minutes more). Remove from the oven and allow the cookie cups to cool for at least 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cups are nearly cool, make the fudge filling. Place the butter, chopped chocolate, cream, and salt in a small, heavy-bottom saucepan and melt over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla, and then the confectioners’ sugar, and whisk to combine. If the confectioners’ sugar has clumped at all, you can use a hand mixer to whip the fudge until smooth.
Fill the cooled cookie cups to the top immediately with the fudge filling, trying not to overfill them. Allow the filling to set at room temperature before serving.