Speedy post for speedy cookies
I should be having breakfast. I should be out enjoying the sun or watering the withering plants, or whatever it is that people normally do on bright Sunday mornings.
Instead, I’m talking about cookies. Not just any cookies, but decadently rich chocolate ones, and gluten-free to boot. I made these yesterday, based on an Alice Medrich recipe from her fabulous Bittersweet book. They’re part of a succession of gluten-free things I have been making in my kitchen for a wheat-intolerant friend, and also part of my current obsession with throwing glutinous rice flour into almost anything. The flour lends a certain chewiness to the end product (in a pleasing, almost-mochi kind of way) and manages to “hold” ingredients together, like normal flour would. It’s also incredibly fantastic in other things like chocolate brownies.
Helen and Jen wanted the recipe for these cookies, so I thought I might as well write a speedy post to share the recipe with everyone who’d be interested. So here you go. It’ll take much less time to whip up these cookies than it has, to write or read this post 🙂 Enjoy!
Bittersweet Decadence Cookies – the gluten-free version :
(based on Alice Medrich’s recipe from Bittersweet)
1/4 cup glutinous rice flour (or mochi flour) or plain flour, for the original version
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon vanilla salt
226g bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 cup dried cranberries or dried sour cherries
170g bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chunks
Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 175’C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together thoroughly; set aside.
Place the 226g of chocolate and the butter in a large heatproof bowl over a pot of barely simmering water and stir frequently until just melted and smooth. Remove the bowl and set aside.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla together thoroughly. Set the bowl over the same pot and stir until the mixture is lukewarm to the tough. Stir the eggs into the warm (not hot) chocolate. Stir in the flour mixture, then the nuts, dried fruit and chocolate chunks.
Scoop slightly rounded tablespoons of batter 1 1/2 inches apart onto the baking sheets. Bake until the surface of the cookies looks dry and set but the center is still gooey, 12 to 14 minutes. Slide the cookies, still on the baking paper, onto racks to cool.
Tags: chocolate, cookies, cranberry, gluten free
Jen Yu said,
August 23, 2009 @ 12:27 pm
We asked and you delivered! You’re awesome for doing this and for providing a great alternative to those who are GF. My friends are gonna love you (and who doesn’t love you anyway?!). Thank you thank you, my dear.
Tartelette said,
August 23, 2009 @ 12:29 pm
You’re too kind, we practically threw ourselves at you on Twitter for these…ehehe! But heck! It was worth it…They look awesome!
Now go enjoy the sun pretty please and hope you can enjoy the day!
Kamran Siddiqi said,
August 23, 2009 @ 12:35 pm
Wow! I can’t do speedy posts. Well, I probably could, but there would be lots of gibberish in between each sentence. hehe. The cookies look great! I of course would have thrown myself at you just like Helen and Jen did! Great blog and photography, by the way. I’ll definitely be visiting often! 😀
FFichiban said,
August 23, 2009 @ 12:38 pm
OOhh mochi-like cookies! I like the sound of them already! Hahah it is a very sunny beautiful day but right now I’d prefer reading about these cookies mmm *drools*
Anh said,
August 23, 2009 @ 3:02 pm
I really like the look of these cookies. Thanks for sharing, Y. And enjoy the sunshine and warm weather that we are having!
cakebrain said,
August 23, 2009 @ 4:29 pm
Isn’t it a shame that posting a recipe with pictures takes so long? If I could just find a way to speed up the process I would do it and post more often! I wish there were more hours in a day! Your Medrich cookies look yummy! Way to go making it gluten-free! I love her cookbook and it hasn’t failed me yet when I have a hankering for chocolate!
Julia @ Mélanger said,
August 23, 2009 @ 7:11 pm
Y – these cookies look so decadently good. I love the idea of sour cherries. Very nice. The tops look so crackily good! 🙂
Hilda said,
August 23, 2009 @ 7:12 pm
I heart you, and do you know why? because we have a surplus of rice flour around here right now (which just reminds me that I owe you the firni recipe from A. because that’s what the surplus is caused by, his desire to make more firni so he buys rice flour every time he’s out grocery shopping which is often) and I’m going to be able to use at least some of it to make these fabulous-looking cookies. Oh and so very impressed with your ability to speed-post. Me, speed-anything right now? HA!
sandra said,
August 23, 2009 @ 8:17 pm
Wow, I’m impressed. I’ve never been able to write a speedy post!!
Those decadent cookies were the reason why I bought Alice Medrich’s Bittersweet more than 2 years ago: they are incredibly easy to whip up and so good!
http://sandrakavital.blogspot.com/2007/02/la-mort-par-le-chocolat-biscuits-trs.html
shaz said,
August 23, 2009 @ 9:02 pm
These look awesome. Thanks for sharing the recipe, I have the two components needed – glutinous rice flour in the cupboard and a gluten intolerant friend (not in the cupboard) :). They might even convert my non choc-chip cookie eating child.
snooky doodle said,
August 23, 2009 @ 10:28 pm
oh these look so rich and chocolatey! yummy . Wow and gluten free too.
Visit my new blog at http://snookysrecipedoodles.blogspot.com/
anna said,
August 24, 2009 @ 12:09 am
Um, these sound like they would be AWESOME with mochi flour. Chewy and chocolatey – what more could you want?
jillduffy said,
August 24, 2009 @ 3:11 am
What is the difference, if any, between glutinous rice flour and rice flour?
Christie, Fig and Cherry said,
August 24, 2009 @ 4:57 am
Lurve the addition of dried sour cherries! Just gorgeous.
Laurel said,
August 24, 2009 @ 7:47 am
Okay, I NEED a good gluten free cookie. But, what are 170g and 226g of chocolate when they’re over the Pacific and in America. Please, you can’t do this to me or I’ll have to buy the book!
P.S. I love it when you do gluten and dairy free. Thanks from all of the challenged bakers of the world.
Steph said,
August 24, 2009 @ 8:28 am
Love the idea of using glutinous rice flour in everything! Would tapioca flour work too or is that too starchy?
veron said,
August 24, 2009 @ 10:01 am
I love these cookies. Have not tried it with glutinous rice flour!
the caked crusader said,
August 24, 2009 @ 5:23 pm
Great looking biscuits – I’d love to see if I could taste any difference.
Alli said,
August 24, 2009 @ 5:58 pm
They look delicious! Hey, I thought normal people did bake on a Sunday morning :o) Actually I’m not very good a sleeping in so when others in the household are snoozing I’m usually pottering in the kitchen, great way to start the day.
Y said,
August 24, 2009 @ 6:32 pm
Thanks for the comments everyone! I’m hoping to post about more gluten-free treats in the near future.
Jen and Helen : Thanks for the inspiration. I probably wasn’t going to post about them otherwise 🙂
Kamran Siddiqi : Thank you! Probably the first and last speedy post I’ll ever manage 😀
cakebrain : Same here! I have yet to try a recipe of hers that I haven’t liked.
anna : There isn’t all that much flour in it, so they aren’t actually all that chewy (not like mochi cake! 🙂 ) but the flour holds the cookie dough together like normal plain flour would.
jillduffy : Glutinous rice flour has a stickiness to it, when used in cooking/baking. Normal rice flour is has a more short texture.
Laurel : The measurements are 170g = 6 ounces and 226g = 8 ounces. Hope that helps.
Steph: I havent baked much with tapioca flour. Maybe that should be my next project.
Reemski said,
August 24, 2009 @ 7:50 pm
oh, so delicious, again….
Arwen from Hoglet K said,
August 24, 2009 @ 8:15 pm
More chocolate than flour – they must be good!
Aran said,
August 24, 2009 @ 9:17 pm
hope you enjoyed some sun yesterday! i will definitely bookmark these as i am really trying to be 100% gluten free. they look great!
Cakelaw said,
August 24, 2009 @ 10:34 pm
Oooh, these truly are decadent – love the dried sour cherries/cranberries added to them.
shez said,
August 25, 2009 @ 9:01 am
*gasp* It’s like all of my favourites in one fell swoop! These sound deliciously more-ish Y (y’know, the kind of cookie you could eat “just one” of before proceeding to demolish the whole batch!)
Laura said,
August 25, 2009 @ 1:20 pm
I love Bitter Sweet! I make her Almond Sticks and sell them at the Farmers’ Market. Thanks for this recipe, lots of costumers keep asking for gluten free products.
morgana said,
August 25, 2009 @ 4:39 pm
Yehaaaaaaa. Thank you very much for this recipe. My sister was looking for a gluten free chocolate chip cookies recipe for gift to a wheat-intolerant friend of her. I think she will be surprised and happy to made them.
Cheers from Spain.
cyn said,
August 26, 2009 @ 1:34 am
gawd i totally heart the mochi chewiness. putting these into cookies? brilliant.
Laura said,
August 26, 2009 @ 2:01 am
I received a little award so I passed onto some other creative bloggers like you. Check my site. Thanks!
Tim said,
August 26, 2009 @ 4:26 pm
Yum! I *love* the texture of mochi, I must try these.
Sophie said,
August 28, 2009 @ 2:50 am
MMMMMMM,…Y!! These cookies look as a winner!!! MMMMM,..i would like to indulge myself in at least 3 of them!!
Caitlin said,
August 28, 2009 @ 9:30 am
Ha! Another place to use my mochiko 🙂 I can’t wait for the weekend when I’ll actually have time to bake…..
Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella said,
August 30, 2009 @ 9:00 pm
They look interesting! I baked a coupole of vegan things the past few weeks and am surprised at how tasty they were!
alice said,
September 1, 2009 @ 7:48 am
I made these today for an special mom event I am going to. Some of the moms will not be able to eat the cupcakes that are being served.. so these will be great. They taste awesome!!! Thank you!!
Alice
Jess said,
September 2, 2009 @ 5:23 am
Is glutinous rice flour the same as sweet rice flour found in Asian grocery stores? I’m planning on making these this week but wanted to make sure. Thanks! They look fabulous.
Y said,
September 2, 2009 @ 4:59 pm
Hi Jess, the rice flour I use specifically says “glutinous” on it. I looked up sweet rice flour and it appears to be quite similar in properties, so I think it will work fine.
Patricia Scarpin said,
September 3, 2009 @ 1:16 am
Absolutely amazing. I wonder how the texture is, with the rice flour included.
jillduffy said,
September 24, 2009 @ 1:09 pm
I made these and they came out great, but I have a few notes to address the gooey factor:
1. The baking powder puffed the cookies higher than I would have liked, causing cakeyness rather than gooeyness. I’d cut the amount in half next time. The puffiness may have been caused by other factors, though I’m at sea level and I used a appropriate measurement of glutinous rice flour.
2. Flattening the cookies with an offset spatula when they first came out of the oven made them gooier.
3. Wrapping them tightly overnight made them gooier.
4. Freeze the chocolate chunks before adding them. Mine melted a little more than I would have liked.
Jess said,
September 24, 2009 @ 2:15 pm
These are truly fabulous. Mine came out a wee bit flat so I may increase the baking powder a bit next time. Otherwise, they are beautiful and decadent and so chocolatey and the sweet rice flour worked beautifully. I found the flour at my local Asian food store and it is so cheap which is a nice change from very expensive gf flours. Wow wow! Thank you!
Y said,
September 24, 2009 @ 6:16 pm
jillduffy and jess, thanks so much for the feedback. I guess everyone likes their cookies a little different, so it’s good to note the other ways you can use to tackle the recipe, in order to obtain differing results. Jill likes her cookies gooey. Duly noted. 😀
cookiecraze said,
October 23, 2009 @ 10:45 pm
Hi, the cookies look great! May I ask where you bought the dried cherries from? I wanted to use them for a cake I was baking, but can’t find them! =(
heidileon said,
November 5, 2010 @ 6:48 pm
darling these cookies look amazing, really. I mean chocolate cookies and gf?. Best thing in the world. And I love the idea of adding some dried cranberries or sour cherries to kick all that sweet chocolatey flavor.
I´m making these. Today.
h