Worth the Wait: Crunchy-but-not-crunchy Cookies

The only 'family' recipe that has been passed down to me from my mom's side is my grandmother's Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. Everyone says its the best. Perfectly soft. Plenty of chocolate. I like to imagine that my grandmother made these numerous times and sat at her kitchen table in the afternoon eating them with friends and family. 

I've modified this recipe accordingly to finally create the elusive Crunchy-but-not Cookies. As mentioned before, these cookies have been several years in the making. I've had many troubles with cookie dough in general. Straight up substitution of GF flour in cookie recipes makes hard biscuits, at least in my experience. Too little flour can render your cookies flat pancakes of mush. This flour combination was just perfected last night.

And then there was the ultimate question: how to make it perfectly crunchy? The answer has been elusive and vague. I tried cooked rice, rice crisps, puffed rice, quinoa. (Cooked rice in cookies IS a terrible idea. Don't ever let a crazy girl like me convince you otherwise.) None of them were, to borrow the colloquialism, just right.

This recipe has been fought so hard for I almost didn't want to share...but for the greater good, I'll relinquish it to all my faithful readers for the time being ;)

Crunchy-but-not Cookies 

1 c coconut sugar
1 c coconut oil softened
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs

1 1/4 c almond flour
1/2 c coconut flour
3/4 brown rice flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

3/4 c coconut flakes
1/2 c flax seeds
1 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut flakes on greased cookie sheet and place in oven for 3-5 minutes to toast.

Combine coconut sugar and coconut oil in a large bowl. Add vanilla and mix. Add eggs. Beat for 2-3 minutes, or until rather fluffy and batter pulls away from side of bowl.

In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

Slowly add dry ingredients to wet. Fold in coconut flakes, flax seeds and chocolate chips.

Form into round discs and place on pan. (These do not spread like traditional cookies, so if you want them to look pretty, make an effort before placing them in the oven. They do rise a bit; don't make them too thick.)

Bake for 11 minutes, or until a light golden brown.

Let cool  and set for a few minutes on pan, then transfer to cooling racks. You may now enjoy one yourself.

Dough on the pan

I exclaimed 'Perfection!' Look at those beautiful babies :)

My constant baking companion: Fritter Kitten. He was very playful at 11pm last night.

Om nom nom.

P.S. I was baking in celebration! This week I received a part-time job offer at a local bakery. So. Freakin. Excited.

Vancouver Coffee Cake

So there's this national (possibly international) coffee chain that makes a coffee cake called "Portland Coffee Cake". And I never understood why. The company is based out of...well let's just say, not-Portland. And on top of that, the coffee cake was never cinnamony or moist enough.

When I set out to make a coffee cake, I wanted one like your grandma would make. Lot's of crunchy topping; soft, moist cake; and plenty of spicy cinnamon. And, to be honest, this may be the closest to gooey cinnamon rolls I will ever get. I named it after my home town, because: One: It actually makes sense since I live in Vancouver. And, Two: It drove all over Vancouver with me yesterday and fed many of the people that I love. When I got home I had 6 pieces left, and by the time I woke up this morning, only two small pieces with nibbles all around the edges were left. My sister will never admit it, but that is her MO.

Vancouver Coffee Cake

(adapted from this original recipe: http://www.hautappetit.com/2011/12/gluten-free-coffee-cake-worth.html. My modifications make this low sugar and dairy-free.)

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13"x9" pan with a bit of olive oil.

1 c almond milk
1 TBSP white vinegar (apple cider is even better)

Pour almond milk into bowl, then pour vinegar over. Set aside and let sit for 5-10 minutes (or until the recipe calls to add it). This process creates dairy-free buttermilk, which is very exciting. Gosh, I love science.

Isn't that SO cool looking? Ok, ok. I'll stop nerding out. For a bit.

1/2 c coconut oil, melted 
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Mix oil and eggs in a large bowl. Add vanilla and mix again.

Sift together the following dry ingredients. (I just use a fork and blend them well together in a small bowl. No sifter needed.)

1/4 c brown rice flour
1 1/4 sweet rice flour
1 1/2 c almond flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 c coconut sugar
3 dashes salt

(Side note: A new blog title could be "Almond Flour on My Laptop")

Add your newly created buttermilk to the egg mixture. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet, mixing thoroughly to avoid flour pockets.

Scoop and spread batter into the pan you greased earlier.

Now to make the crumble topping.

1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP cinnamon
5 TBSP almond flour
1 c walnuts
3 TBSP melted shortening

Combine all ingredients excepting the shortening. Pour the shortening over top of mixture and mix lightly with a fork. It will be crumbly!

Sprinkle over batter in pan. Place cake in oven and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

While waiting for this delicious smelling cake to finish, and after cleaning up your mess, make the Maple Drizzle. (I know, I know...your mouth just watered more.)

1/2 c powdered sugar
1 splash vanilla
1 TBSP maple syrup
2 TBSP almond milk

Whisk all these ingredients up in a bowl. When cake is done, drizzle over top and let cool completely.

Now go share with the one's you love over a cup of coffee on a drizzly Saturday morning.

Cookie Monster

I'm working on an exciting new project: Crunchy-But-Not Cookies. I've had this theory since I was a little girl that rice would be great in cookies. Think Nestlé Crunch rice.

Anyways, I'm working on a healthy alternative. Lot's of experimenting to do and they're not quite ready, but so close!

Here's a sneak peak at the trials. My friends have been happy to gobble these down for me, even though they haven't yet reached perfection.

First try:

So maybe more than just my friends have been gobbling these up...