The Artisanal Kitchen: Gluten-Free Holiday Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 5 dozen 3½-inch cookies

Oat and brown rice flours give these cookies extra butterscotch flavor—and a beautiful butterscotch color as well for a classic and elegant addition to your holiday dessert spread. You will love the buttery, crunchy edges and delicate cakey interiors. Resting the dough overnight—or for at least a couple of hours—makes these cookies especially good.

1¼ cups (125 grams) gluten-free oat flour

1 cup (135 grams) brown rice flour

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (65 grams) potato starch

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon xanthan gum

½ pound (2 sticks/225 grams) unsalted butter, melted

¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar

¾ cup (150 grams) packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups (340 grams) chocolate chips or chunks or hand-chopped chocolate

1 cup (100 grams) walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped

Equipment

Baking sheets, lined with foil (dull side up) or greased

Combine the flours, potato starch, salt, baking soda, and xanthan gum in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk.

In a large bowl, mix the melted butter, sugars, and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the flour mixture. With a rubber spatula, mix the batter briskly for about 45 seconds (to activate the binding power of the xanthan gum—the more you mix, the chewier and less crunchy the cookies will be). Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. If possible, let the dough stand for 1 to 2 hours, or (better still) cover and refrigerate it overnight.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.

Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Rotate the pans from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through the baking time. For lined pans, set the pans or just the liners on racks to cool; for greased pans, use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to racks. Cool the cookies completely before stacking or storing. They will keep in an airtight container for several days.

Variations

Pecan Spice Cookies

Add 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, and ½ teaspoon ground ginger with the sugar. Omit the chocolate chips and use 2 cups (200 grams) lightly toasted pecan pieces for the nuts.

Nibby Nut and Raisin Cookies

Omit the chocolate chips. Add 1 cup (140 grams) raisins and ⅔ cup (75 grams) roasted cacao nibs with the walnuts.

Classic Ginger Cookies

Makes about 50 cookies

The flavor of oat flour is so perfect with the ginger and other warm spices, you will never look back. These easy one-bowl ginger cookies are the perfect choice for a last-minute gathering and may become one of your favorites!

½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

⅓ cup (65 grams) packed brown sugar

2½ teaspoons ground ginger

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground allspice

2 teaspoons baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup (85 grams) unsulfured mild or full-flavored molasses (not blackstrap)

8 tablespoons (1 stick/115 grams) unsalted butter, melted and kept lukewarm

2 large egg whites

2¾ cups (275 grams) gluten-free oat flour

¾ cup (115 grams/4 ounces) ginger chips or crystallized ginger, cut into ¼-inch dice, shaken in a coarse strainer to remove loose sugar

About ½ cup (100 grams) granulated or coarse sugar, such as turbinado, for rolling

Equipment

Baking sheets, lined with parchment paper or unlined and ungreased

If you are baking the cookies right away, position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, mix the ½ cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, baking soda, salt, molasses, butter, and egg whites until blended. Stir in the flour.

When the flour is no longer visible, beat the dough briskly with a spatula or a wooden spoon, about 40 strokes, to aerate it slightly. Stir in the ginger chips. The dough will be very soft. If possible, chill it for an hour or two to firm it up, or (better still) cover and refrigerate it overnight for the best flavor and texture.

Form the dough into 1-inch balls (15 grams each). Roll the balls in granulated or coarse sugar and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies puff up and crack on the surface and then begin to deflate in the oven. Rotate the pans from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through the baking time. For chewier cookies, remove them from the oven when at least half or more of the cookies have begun to deflate; for crunchier edges with chewy centers, bake for a minute or so longer.

For lined pans, set the pans or just the liners on racks to cool; for unlined pans, use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to racks. Cool the cookies completely before storing. They will keep in an airtight container for several days.

Variation: Molasses Spice Cookies

Substitute ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (175 grams) light or dark brown sugar for the granulated and brown sugar in the dough. Substitute ½ teaspoon ground cloves for the allspice. Substitute 1 large egg for the egg whites. Omit the ginger chips. Makes about 40 cookies.

Nutty Thumbprint Cookies

Makes thirty-six to forty 1½-inch cookies

These thumbprint cookies are actually a filled version of ultra-tender, not-too-sweet Russian tea cakes (also known as Mexican wedding cakes), which are similar to the divine crescent-shaped Austrian cookies called Vanillekipferl. See the variations for instructions on how to make both.

1½ cups (150 grams) walnuts or pecans

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (55 grams) white rice flour —or—½ cup plus 1 tablespoon (55 grams) Thai white rice flour

1¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons (140 grams) gluten-free oat flour

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon baking soda

⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar

¼ cup (60 grams) cream cheese, cold, cut into chunks

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks/170 grams) unsalted butter, slightly softened and cut into chunks

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¼ cup (20 grams) powdered sugar for dusting

¼ cup chocolate frosting, Nutella, jam, preserves, lemon curd, or dulce de leche or cajeta (see Note)

Equipment

Food processor fitted with the steel blade

Baking sheets, lined with parchment paper

Fine-mesh strainer

Put the nuts, rice and oat flours, salt, baking soda, and granulated sugar in the food processor. Pulse until the nuts are coarsely chopped. Add the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Process just until the dough forms a ball around the blade.

Wrap the dough and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.

Shape slightly rounded tablespoons of dough into 1-inch balls. Place the cookies at least 1½ inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom. Rotate the pans from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through the baking time. As soon as the cookies are out of the oven, press the handle of a wooden spoon about halfway into the center of each one.

Set the pans or just the liners on racks to finish cooling. Let the cookies cool completely before storing. Unfilled cookies will keep in an airtight container for at least 2 weeks. Use the strainer to dust the cookies with powdered sugar. Cookies may be filled in advance with frosting or Nutella, but moister fillings should be added shortly before serving to avoid making cookies soggy.

Note: Cajeta, or goat’s-milk caramel, is available in cans or squeeze bottles from better supermarkets and Hispanic groceries.

Variations

Russian Tea Cakes/Mexican Wedding Cakes

Simply skip the “poking” and filling steps and dust the cookies with powdered sugar.

Vanillekipferl

Substitute 1½ cups (215 grams) blanched or natural almonds, or use 2 cups (200 grams) purchased almond meal or flour. Increase the vanilla to 1½ teaspoons. If using nut meal (or nut flour), pulse it with the dry ingredients just to mix (rather than pulverize) before adding the rest of the ingredients. Shape the dough into fat crescents and skip the poking step.

Nutty Sablés and Sandwiches