Thursday, November 18, 2010

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, a great variation

From my previous Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies post, here's another variation. My daughters and I love this one. These cookies turned out to be my favorite chocolate chip cookies I've made for the girls. I'm not sure on the exact amounts I added, but here are the concepts and estimations:

-instead of banana, use flaxseed meal/water. I think I used about 1 1/2 T. flaxseed meal and 1/3 cup warm water. Whisk the flax and water together and let sit 5-10 min. to "gel."
-add corn syrup- I used about 2 T.
-add xanthan gum- 1/4 tsp(I think I'll try this variation without next time to see what happens)
-add shredded coconut if desired. I think our cookies had about 1/3 cup. My 3 yr. old actually just put some in without measuring : )
-let cookies cool about 5-10 min. until they feel firm enough to move to rack.

When I made these cookies this time, first I just followed the previous post recipe, except I used my all-purpose baking mix and instead of banana, flaxseed meal. The cookie "dough" was quite crumbly, as it's mostly oats. I thought of adding more flour, but decided to add some corn syrup. Still needed something more to help hold it together. So I added more flaxseed meal and water. The consistency was then a really nice truly oatmeal cookie consistency. When baked, these cookies actually held together quite well, after letting them firm up a bit before moving them to a rack. And they are so delicious still warm from the oven! My daughter was wanting one after another. And she ate the whole cookie, rather than just picking out the chocolate chips! : ) Ok, she did try this after her third or fourth cookie, when she really had had more than enough : )

When these cookies are completely cool, they lose some flavor. Reheating in the microwave for 5-10 seconds brings back the flavor. If you eat them right out of the microwave, though, they are prone to fall apart.

Because I didn't record exact amounts this time, I'll try the recipe again before actually posting it as a recipe. But I've put down the concepts, and you can try it out! As you bake more and more, you can learn what the consistency of the dough should optimally look like and then make tweaks if you want improvement. Keep a notebook or writing tablet in your kitchen and record what changes you make, and what results you get. You might find it fun to "experiment" and learn. It's so rewarding when I make something that the girls and I really enjoy! Allergies then feel more like a blessing than a bother, with the opportunity to continually learn and strive to eat enjoyable, wholesome foods. And remember, if you have something you consider a "flop," find a different use for it! The success of converting a "flop" into something useful and good is also invigorating!

By the way, it helps for attitude not to consider something a flop if it merely isn't a "perfect" product. If my muffins turn out flat on the the top and thus didn't rise as well as I'd hoped, but they're moist and delicious, they still will be enjoyed! You can work at having the additional feature of more rise to your muffin, but meanwhile, you still have something good to eat! I personally wouldn't consider this a flop. Examples of things I do consider to be made into something else: yeast bread that has too strong of a flavor and just isn't very good to eat for flavor or texture- crumble and put into meat loaf. Cookies that have fallen apart to crumbles- crumble finely and store as cookie crumb mix for dessert use(including sprinkling on ice cream). The more you learn to enjoy whatever you bake, even if you have to be creative, the less nervous you will be to experiment and learn!

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