Holiday Treats for Everyone

My husband decided to make some different treats for his office potluck this year. One of his new colleagues has celiac disease, and, while he could have brought a savory gluten-free dish without much trouble, he wanted her to enjoy some holiday goodies just like everyone else. 

We opted for making our friend Shauna Ahern's gluten-free version of David Leite's famous chocolate chip cookies. Shauna's been experimenting a ton with the tricky field of gluten-free baking, and she's got it down. The cookies were a huge hit. They were also something of a financial hit, once we bought the flours the recipe needs, but I suspect we'll be using the flours again now that we've got a supply in the pantry. (We did borrow a tablespoon of xantham gum from Shauna, which saved us the $11 a full bag would have cost at the market.) 

The more I talk with people about food, the more I'm amazed to learn how many of them have multiple allergies, perhaps egg, soy, or dairy, on top of wheat. I wondered what we would do for a potluck treat for them. Clearly I wasn't the only one wondering, because look at this new cookbook that appeared in my mailbox: Flying Apron's Gluten-Free & Vegan Baking Book by Jennifer Katzinger. Recipes from the Seattle-based bakery are free of gluten, dairy, eggs, and soy. Allergies or no allergies, these macaroons from the book look worth a try:

Macaroons

Ingredients:

for cookies:

2/3 cup brown rice flour
5 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2/3 cup agave syrup
1 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

for chocolate sauce:

1 cup (8 ounces) dairy-free chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch sea salt  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine rice flour, coconut, salt, agave syrup, coconut milk, and vanilla in a large bowl and mix throughly. The dough will be moist and slightly sticky.

3. Use an ice cream scoop to form the macaroons. Dip the scoop in a pitcher of water, then firmly pack the dough in the scoop just to the rim. (Packing the dough is critical so the macaroons stay together when baked.) Ease the dough out of the scoop and onto a prepared greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake until just barely brown, about 12 minutes.

4. While the cookies are baking, make the chocolate sauce. In a double boiler, or with a metal mixing bowl placed over a pot of simmering water, melt the chocolate chips, stirring frequently, 10 to 15 minutes. When chocolate has melted, whisk in the water, canola oil, vanilla, and salt until well combined. Remove from the heat.

5. Let the macaroons cool for 30 minutes on the baking sheets. Before serving, drizzle with chocolate sauce. Leftover chocolate sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days. To use again, simply reheat in a double boiler.

Makes 14 cookies

-- Rebekah Denn