Wheatless Wednesdays: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am lucky to have a mom who (for the most part) also follows a gluten-free lifestyle. Holiday gatherings are no longer void of all the goodies I savored as a child. Mom’s “famous” chocolate chip cookies now have a gluten-free counterpart at which hardly any gluten-loving family member would balk. The annual gluten-free holiday baking is welcomed – but now I succumb to the holiday bulge with the rest of you!

Mom’s flare with cookies goes far beyond rudimentary; my favorites are her chocolate crinkles and pumpkin chocolate chip. They both seamlessly convert to gluten-free, as most cookies do. And now that gluten-free flour blends are easily found in the grocery aisles, the process is just as quick as your traditional cookie recipe.

Andrea’s Gluten-Free, a St. Louis company with a dedicated gluten-free (and peanut- and tree nut-free) kitchen, sells a superb “super fine grind” gluten-free flour blend that I picked up at Schnucks. I highly recommend it for many reasons. The blend is a cup-for-cup substitute when baking standard recipes (ones that contain gluten) and worked beautifully for these cookies. The super fine grind texture is soft and light without the grit many gluten-free flours produce. The blend includes xanthan gum, which helps the mixture bind. And you’ll save a little dough (no pun intended!) since purchasing xanthan separately is quite expensive. As you mix the cookie ingredients together, your arm will feel the xanthan’s gumming action, but have no fear – it will result in a moist, cake-like cookie.

These beta-carotene-rich cookies make me proud. Take them to your favorite autumn harvest party or holiday get together. And don’t worry, I’m sending my recipe to Mom.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Makes approximately 25 large cookies

1½ tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. milk
1 15-oz. can pumpkin purée (or use leftover roasted pumpkin puree)
1 cup sugar
½ cup olive oil
1 egg
2 cups gluten-free flour blend (without leavening agents)
2½ tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. sea salt
1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup black walnuts, optional
2 tsp. vanilla extract

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small glass, dissolve the baking soda in the milk. Set aside.
• Mix the pumpkin purée, sugar and olive oil together in a large bowl until smooth.
• Stir in the egg, flour blend, baking powder, cinnamon and sea salt and mix to combine.
• Add the milk mixture, then stir in the chocolate chips, nuts and vanilla.
• Scoop ¼-cup dough balls onto the cookie sheet and press down gently to slightly flatten
• Bake about 12 minutes, until cookies are fluffy and cake-like.

This article appears in Guide to the Holidays 2013.