SS&GF: Simply Sugar and Gluten Free

Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Chocolate Dipped Cornmeal Cookies baked
by my friend, Linda

I love eating a good gluten-free, sugar-free cookie that I didn’t have to bake myself.

Yesterday I got to eat lots of them.  I hosted  my 1st Annual Gluten-Free Cookie Swap and four of my friends showed up, donning their favorite holiday appetizers and plates full of cookies.

Baked with Love…

It just so happens that one of the recipes testers for my book, Linda, lives pretty darn close to me.  We’d done a good deal of chatting via e-mail so I asked her if she’d be interested in coming to a cookie swap.  I was thrilled when she said yes – and even more thrilled when she showed up with these cookies.

I knew Linda was quite talented from the recipes she so graciously tested but it was a whole different thing to taste her food. And, she was generous enough to let me share them with you.

I love the corn-mealy texture of these cookies and the way slight bitterness of the unsweetened baking chocolate pairs with the palm sugar & salt that’s sprinkled over the top.  Learning about food through someone’s culinary creation is one of life’s joys I don’t take lightly.

Other Holiday Happenings

• Link your cookie recipes to Maggie’s 12th Day of Christmas Cookies at She Let Them Eat Cake!  She’s giving away a ticket to the Gluten-Free Allergy-Free Expo (a $350 value!) and 4 copies of Enjoy Life’s Cookies for Everyone. Leave a comment to enter.
• Win my book, Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free: 120 Easy & Delicious Meals You Can Make in 20 Minutes or Less!
• Win on of 12 gluten-free cookbooks at A Gluten-Free Holiday hosted by Ginger Lemon Girl, including books from Elana’s Pantry, Diane Eblin, Lori Karavolis, and Silvana Nardone.
• THURSDAY marks the final week of A Gluten-Free Holiday.  Bring your favorite holiday desserts to my place – I’ll have a linky AND will be be giving away 3 copies of Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free and 3 of Stephanie O’Dea’s soon to be released More Make It Fast, Cook It Slow.

Printer-friendly recipe

Chocolate Dipped Cornmeal Cookies
from Linda W.  (Thanks, Linda!!)
adapted from Lidia Mattichhio Bastianich

1 1/2 cup gluten-free flour (Linda used Authentic Foods Multi-Blend Flour)
1 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup palm sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon non-hydrogenated shortening
3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
palm sugar & coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Butter and fluor two large baking sheets, tapping off any excess flour.  (This isn’t necessary if you’re using nonstick baking sheets.)

In a medium bowl, stir flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt until blended.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together with an electric mixer at medium high speed until light and fluffy.  Add the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla and beat until thoroughly incorporated.  Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir until blended.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut the dough with cookie cutters aproximately 1 1/2″ – 2″ in diameter.  Place cookies on prepared baking sheet about 1/2″ apart.  Re-roll scraps until all dough is used.

Bake until undersides of cookies are golden brown, about 8 – 10 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and cool.

Melt shortening and chocolate in a double boiler.  Dip cooled cookies halfway into chocolate.  Sprinkle with palm sugar and salt.  Let chocolate harden fully.