The Battle of the Gluten-Free Cookies
Everyone knows the old joke about the Force being like duct tape. It has a light side and a dark side and it holds the universe together. In baking, gluten is like duct tape: it has a good side (most people tolerate it), a dark side (a few people, including me, cannot eat it at all), and it holds the universe of baked goods together. Without gluten, breads, cakes, and cookies crumble.
It's a challenge to bake a gluten-free dessert of any kind. For me, gluten-free cookies were the hardest to make. The chemistry and math involved in combining three disparate flours and xanthan gum, then determining the right amount of baking soda – which changes radically when different flours are used – drove me to the supermarket shelves in search of a good gluten-free cookie.
This is not as easy as it sounds. A common fault of many gluten-free baked products is that they taste like they are made almost entirely of sand. Another is that some companies employ pungent flours, usually garbanzo or soy, that savor strongly of wallpaper paste. (Don't ask.) Navigating these culinary minefields was not particularly time-consuming; my local supermarket only offered three brands: Pamela's, Enjoy Life, and Mi-Del.
Mi-Del was my first selection, based largely on price. If you prefer your cookies crisp and crunchy, these petite, tasty morsels could be just for you. The flavors offered include pecan, chocolate chip, cinnamon, and even arrowroot cookies, aka animal crackers. Mi-Del uses corn and soy products, which some gluten-intolerant people find problematic. Also, they sell both traditional and gluten-free cookies, so check the label before buying.
Enjoy Life also does a creditable -- if small -- gluten-free cookie. They use sorghum flour, so their cookies have a mild but discernible “not-wheat” taste, which becomes enjoyable for its own sake. Enjoy Life cookies are moist, soft, and a little heavy. This company offers a variety of flavors, from chocolate chip to oat-free oatmeal, and all are peanut-, egg-, and dairy-free.
Pamela's cookies are my personal favorites. They can be a little pricy, especially compared to Mi-Del, but they are so delicious that the rest of my family occasionally sneaks them – even the ones who can eat regular baked goods. These cookies are buttery, tender, fair-sized, and a bit crumbly; the chocolate chunk, lemon shortbread, and pecan are all exceptionally good. Since they are made from mild flours (tapioca and rice), Pamela's cookies are the closest to the traditional article. However, this company uses dairy, eggs, and nut products.
If you want home-baked cookies without a first obtaining a chemistry degree, there are several good mixes out there. For newbies, these can cause sticker shock. For example, one bag of good-quality gluten-free brownie mix costs around $7 at my local supermarket. I prefer Trader Joe's Gluten-Free Brownie mix; the ingredients are almost identical, and they cost less than half the price ($3). Both mixes make sweet, dark-chocolate brownies with a minimum of math.
While nothing can quite equal a traditional chocolate chip cookie, at least gluten-intolerant foodies have several acceptable options. Tastes and budgets may differ, but a little delicious research can turn up a cookie that can conquer cravings without dire consequences.
It's a challenge to bake a gluten-free dessert of any kind. For me, gluten-free cookies were the hardest to make. The chemistry and math involved in combining three disparate flours and xanthan gum, then determining the right amount of baking soda – which changes radically when different flours are used – drove me to the supermarket shelves in search of a good gluten-free cookie.
This is not as easy as it sounds. A common fault of many gluten-free baked products is that they taste like they are made almost entirely of sand. Another is that some companies employ pungent flours, usually garbanzo or soy, that savor strongly of wallpaper paste. (Don't ask.) Navigating these culinary minefields was not particularly time-consuming; my local supermarket only offered three brands: Pamela's, Enjoy Life, and Mi-Del.
Mi-Del was my first selection, based largely on price. If you prefer your cookies crisp and crunchy, these petite, tasty morsels could be just for you. The flavors offered include pecan, chocolate chip, cinnamon, and even arrowroot cookies, aka animal crackers. Mi-Del uses corn and soy products, which some gluten-intolerant people find problematic. Also, they sell both traditional and gluten-free cookies, so check the label before buying.
Enjoy Life also does a creditable -- if small -- gluten-free cookie. They use sorghum flour, so their cookies have a mild but discernible “not-wheat” taste, which becomes enjoyable for its own sake. Enjoy Life cookies are moist, soft, and a little heavy. This company offers a variety of flavors, from chocolate chip to oat-free oatmeal, and all are peanut-, egg-, and dairy-free.
Pamela's cookies are my personal favorites. They can be a little pricy, especially compared to Mi-Del, but they are so delicious that the rest of my family occasionally sneaks them – even the ones who can eat regular baked goods. These cookies are buttery, tender, fair-sized, and a bit crumbly; the chocolate chunk, lemon shortbread, and pecan are all exceptionally good. Since they are made from mild flours (tapioca and rice), Pamela's cookies are the closest to the traditional article. However, this company uses dairy, eggs, and nut products.
If you want home-baked cookies without a first obtaining a chemistry degree, there are several good mixes out there. For newbies, these can cause sticker shock. For example, one bag of good-quality gluten-free brownie mix costs around $7 at my local supermarket. I prefer Trader Joe's Gluten-Free Brownie mix; the ingredients are almost identical, and they cost less than half the price ($3). Both mixes make sweet, dark-chocolate brownies with a minimum of math.
While nothing can quite equal a traditional chocolate chip cookie, at least gluten-intolerant foodies have several acceptable options. Tastes and budgets may differ, but a little delicious research can turn up a cookie that can conquer cravings without dire consequences.
