Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

 We love sugar. We love dairy. And we definitely love anything Gluten...

But sadly...Oh so sadly...our bodies do not. Ben and I have both had skin issues and struggling with eczema for quite some time now. Each person we mention this to says the exact same thing as the last person. Go gluten-free and this problem will go away. For the longest time I've been in denial about it. No way can I part with those many delicious loves of my life!? But over the past few months I've slowly been convinced and come to terms with the fact that this is a huge part of the problem. 

So here's the thing...

We're half on the gluten-free band wagon - and half off. I've agreed to try out more gluten free recipes to see if this changes anything. BUT...they have to taste good. I would rather live with insanely itchy hands for the rest of my life and be eating delicious food, than to have perfectly normal skin and be eating pasta that tastes like a sandy wet paper towel. 

Last week was an inside week for us. We had no desire to prove anything to anyone and brave the cold! Instead we had many cozy days inside with lit candles and comfy clothes. Got lots of cleaning and organizing done around the house and had a few baking and cooking sessions with my little dude. Last Wednesday was a bit of a hectic day. I couldn't keep Landon out of trouble! That little stinker. I think he woke up that morning and made himself his own personal checklist of all the things he's NOT supposed to do...started from the top and worked his way down. Once Jeremy was down for a nap I asked him to be my cookie assistant (since that was something I knew would keep him out of trouble for atleast 30 min) and he gladly volunteered. 

"Cookie what??? In his mind the first part sounded good. So...Yup..I'm in!"

He's getting much better at actually scooping and pouring the ingredients right into the bowl, not so much on the floor anymore. Which definitely makes baking with your kiddos a much more enjoyable process! :) 

These cookies turned out exactly what we were hoping for - delicious! You couldn't even tell they were gluten-free. Ben actually prefers them over the original recipe. And well...Landon couldn't get enough! 

We'll see how this little experiment goes. As for right now - there's no way we can cut out gluten, dairy, and sugar cold turkey. That would just be torture cruel! The plan is to start with the flour first. Wish us luck - we'll need it!

Have a great day everyone!

S.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 1 1/2 dozen cookies

1 stick butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cup Gluten Free oat flour

3/4 cup chocolate chips 

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Mix together the butter and sugars. The mixture will be slightly crumbly. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Mix together the soda, salt, and flour and add to the wet ingredients. Mix until well incorporated. Dough will be slightly sticky. Add the chocolate chips. 

Bake on ungreased baking sheets for about 10 minutes or until the edges are just becoming golden.

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

I love it when family and friends associate me with food. It’s nice because it makes you feel good knowing how much people enjoy what you make and to have them admire your passion. These White Chocolate Cranberry cookies were a huge hit with family and friends and hearing that from them all is always so heartwarming. So I thought I'd post the recipe for those that might be interested.

 I think since Christmas is fast approaching I was in the mood to bake something that reminded me of the holidays - and these are perfect for this time of year! The sweetness of the white chocolate balances the tartness of the cranberries so the combination of the 2 is just divine. I knew I had to give most of these away and just save a few for us, otherwise the whole jar would of been gone in just a few short days! So for those of you that took some off our hands - THANK YOU! :) I hope you enjoy them as much as we did! Man...I guess I should of kept a few more. I could really go for one right now with a big glass of milk!

If you'd like to try this recipe out here is everything you'll need:

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Cup unsalted butter at room temperature

¾ Cup of Granulated Sugar

¾ of a Cup of Brown Sugar

1 Cup of white chocolate chips

1 Cup of dried cranberries

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Combine together the first 3 ingredients and set aside.

2. In a mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars. Mix together. 

3. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix together until all creamy and combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed well.

4. Add the dry ingredients and mix just to combine. Add the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Mix just to distribute them through the batter.

5. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop the cookie dough 2 inches apart onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly golden brown around the edges.

6. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet then remove onto wire rack and cool completely.

And Enjoy!

Why not try out this festive cookie recipe so you can snack on them while wrapping presents this year? I think I might have to make a new batch next week...

My little picky eater sure enjoyed them! 

Have a great night everyone!

Reese's Cup Chocolate Chip Cookies

I feel like it's been forever since my last post - even though it's only been a couple of weeks! Life has been pretty crazy around here but I'm loving every minute of being a mom:) I made these cookies the other day and I'm not gonna lie, I was kind of sad when the last one got eaten - so I guess I'll have to make more soon! They were absolutely AMAZING!!!! They are chocolaty, peanut buttery, and all around delightful! They're a tender cookie (not crunchy and definitely not cakey), and when you bite into one...you'll most certainly discover the surprise of the reeses peanut butter cup nestled inside.

Pudding Cookies

When I was a little girl my parents would always call me their Cookie Monster! My mom would put a tray full in the oven and I would sit on the floor staring through the oven door window and watch them bake - patiently waiting for that timer to go off. Once they were done I would always snatch a few off the cooling rack when they were still warm and gooey when my mom wasn't looking.

Nutella Cookies

For some reason this week seems to be my cookie week. It is one of my favorite things to snack on in the evening with a big glass of cold milk to dunk them in! I've sent Ben off to work this morning with over a dozen cookies because this recipe makes 3 dozen - and we all know what will happen if they sit on my counter. One by one...or two by two...they will disappear.

M&M Cookies

Hey guys! So I'm gonna try to make this quick because my bed is calling my name right now...but I just wanted to let you all in on my new discovery! I'm not sure if any of you have ever made m&m cookies - I'm sure you probably have! But today was my first time ever making them and they turned out Aaamazing! I still can't get over it! I thought only Subway sandwich shops had the best m&m cookies in the world...but not after today! Ok, maybe they're not "better" than Subway - but they taste exactly the same! I never thought I could get this ecstatic about a cookie! Haha.