Ingredients

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper, and set them aside.

• In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the brown sugar, and mix to combine, working to break up any lumps. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, shortening, vinegar, vanilla, eggs, and about 1/8 teaspoon of the gel food coloring, and mix to combine. Work the gel food coloring into the wet ingredients in the center of the bowl to avoid streaks of red color in the cookies. The color should be a relatively deep red color, as it will fade during baking. Add more food coloring in very small amounts, if necessary, to reach the desired color. Add the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed throughout the dough. The dough will seem almost a bit crumbly when mixed with a spoon, but will hold together well when squeezed in your palm.

• Scoop the dough into 20 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 tablespoonsful, then roll each into a ball, then place on the prepared baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. For the thickest cookies, place the baking sheet in the freezer for about 5 minutes to chill. Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 11 minutes, or until the cookies are just set in the center. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. These cookies freeze amazingly well when sealed in a freezer-safe container. The cookie dough itself can also be shaped, frozen in a single layer on a baking sheet and then stored in a zip-top bag in the freezer. Defrost to cool room temperature before baking.

• Originally published in 2014. Most photos, video and most text are new. The recipe itself is unchanged except for some minor clarifications.