I’ve been making variations of these cookies for years. Loosely based on the Chocolate Chip Cookies in my friends Shauna and Daniel Ahern’s cookbook Gluten-free Girl Every Day, I’ve tinkered with the recipe to make them work with just two easily found flours and reduced the sugar a tad.
Tasting very much like the traditional chocolate chunk cookies I used to make as a chef, they’re also nut-free making them perfect for school lunches.
I prefer the texture with the psyllium added and they hold their shape every-so-slightly better, but you can totally get away with leaving it out, if you don’t have any on hand.
EVERYDAY BUCKWHEAT CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES
Makes approx. 24–28, depending on size
140g (1 cup) buckwheat/quinoa flour
70g (½ cup) brown rice flour
¾ teaspoon gluten and aluminium-free baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
good pinch of fine salt
1 teaspoon psyllium husks (optional)
115g salted butter, softened
100g (½ cup) golden caster sugar
50g (¼ cup) packed muscovado sugar (or use brown sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large free-range egg
125g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease two oven trays and/or line with baking paper. Sieve flours, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl, then add salt and the psyllium husks, if using, and whisk well to combine.
- Cream butter, sugars and vanilla with electric beaters or with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until well combined (you may need to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl at this point to get the egg to mix in well).
- Add dry ingredients and chopped chocolate, and mix to form a soft dough. With clean dry hands, shape the dough into generous tablespoon-sized balls (if you find the dough starting to stick to your hands, wash and dry them again and carry on).
- Transfer to oven trays, press down to flatten slightly and bake for 10–12 minutes, or until golden, rotating trays halfway to ensure even cooking. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Will store in an airtight container for 5–7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
This recipe is an extract from ‘My Darling Lemon Thyme: Every Day’ by Emma Galloway (HarperCollins, $60)
