thin mint chocolate cookies

It’s that time of year again. Here in the MidWestern U.S., the weather is teasing us, taunting us, tossing us little reminders of what warmer weather feels like, then just as quickly statching it away again. Hey! Remember what it’s like to go outside without a coat? or Remember when you didn’t have to slather lotion on your hands 10x a day to (try to) keep them from getting chapped? The tulips and hyacinths that I planted last year are unfurling their leaves above the ground now, poor brave little souls. I don’t know how they can cope with the incredibly cold weather (I want to tell them to get back down underground until warmer weather is here to stay). And, with the changing of Winter to Spring also, with just as much regularity, come the tables, just inside the grocery stores and mall entrances, manned by cheerful little girls in vests. It’s the Girl Scouts. They’re baa-ack!

Before I found out that I am gluten-intolerant, my favorite Girl Scout cookies were Thin Mints. I never wavered; never went the way of the Do-Si-Do or Samoas; I was faithful to the Thin Mints. Once I find something lovely, it can be very difficult for me to change it up and try something new; if the new one doesn’t measure up, I pine after my real love.

Last week, I was a bit hungry at work, and one of my coworkers offered me a few Thin Mint cookies, before she remembered that I couldn’t have them. Oh, just the sight of them took me back, and I could practically taste them. The light crunch of the cookie, the breath of mint in the chocolate coating. I had no choice – I had to try to recreate them at home.

I’m incredibly delighted to say that I did it! John said that they’re delicious (he asked me to tuck a few into his lunch today), and another coworker of mine said that they taste just like the “real” thing. Success!

Thin Mint Chocolate Cookies
cookie adapted from Bette Hagman’s “Mock Oreo Cookies” recipe, found in The Gluten-Free Gourmet Makes Dessert

for the cookie:
3/4 cup butter (1-1/2 sticks)
1 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

2-1/4 cups Featherlight Mix *
1 scant teaspoon xanthan gum
2/3 cup cocoa (I used Hersheys, and would even up this by a tablespoon)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

* Bette Hagman’s Featherlight Mix consists of equal parts white rice flour, tapioca flour, and cornstarch, with 1 tablespoon potato flour (not starch) per cup of mix used. I substituted the cornstarch with arrowroot starch.

In a stainless steel bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until they are light and whipped. Add in the egg, vanilla, and peppermint, and beat well. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients, and add them, in 1-cup increments, into the butter mixture. Beat well after each addition; if the dough becomes too dry, or too stiff to work with, add 1-2 tablespoons milk (or non-dairy milk substitute). The dough should not be sticky or crumbly. Shape the dough into two 10″x1-1/2″ logs; wrap in tinfoil, and chill in your refrigerator for two hours.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper – do not grease the paper. Cut the dough into 1/4″ slices, and lay them on the sheet, a few centimeters apart from each other. Bake for 8-10 minutes. When they are finished baking, the surface of the cookie will have a dull finish, and look like this:

Let cool on the pan for a few minutes, then set them on a wire rack to finish cooling. When they are thoroughly cooled, they will be crunchy.

Chocolate-Mint Coating:
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/8 teaspoon pure peppermint extract, to taste

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate in 30-second increments, stirring after each (it will take about 2 minutes, total). Stir in the peppermint extract. Prepare your workspace by laying a towel or flattened paper bag under a wire rack, to catch any drips. Using a fork, lower a cookie into the melted chocolate, making sure to coat all sides. As soon as the cookie is covered, move it to a wire rack and let the chocolate harden.

Note: The chocolate might be a little thick; if so, use another fork to assist in both removing the excess from the cookie, and leaving decorative marks on the top.

John and I both especially love these cookies when they’ve been kept in the freezer – that cold mintyness!

Edited to add: I made my slices 1/4″ thick, as it makes for a heartier cookie. Also, I would up the amount of peppermint extract in the cookie dough to 1/4 teaspoon.

in like a lion

happy march, everyone. I hope you all had a lovely weekend. we’re about to walk out the door to watch a movie with friends; I’ll be back tomorrow with a recipe for gluten-free thin mint cookies (quite an excellent replication of the fabulous Girl Scouts cookies, if I do say so myself).

happy weekend, everyone

it’s felt like a very long week at our house; John’s had many stressful assignments – and presented a paper at the university’s history conference today! – and my job is always pretty crazy. there was a light at the end of the tunnel all the time, though; I have a three-day weekend! it’ll be the first time in months that I’m not working on a Saturday, that we actually get to have a full weekend together. we don’t have many big plans; just to lounge around (both), go shopping (myself and a friend), bake often (me), and write a book report (him). happy weekend, everyone.

gluten-free cinnamon rolls

This recipe looks quite lengthy and complicated, but trust me, it is so worth it. I’m planning on making another batch of them this weekend to share with friends. The process takes roughly an hour and ten minutes from the time you start until you have hot, gooey, delicious cinnamon rolls on your plate. Need a little more encouragement?

Although this recipe uses yeast, it does not call for extra rising time. I realized this when the rolls were half-way through baking, but they rose and expanded during the baking time. Wonderfully soft and chewy, they were even good the next morning, heated for a few seconds in the microwave.

For variations, either caramel rolls or iced rolls, please see the end of the recipe.

Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from this book, via this post.

for the rolls:
non-stick cooking spray
2/3 cup milk (I used almond milk)
1 (7 g / 1/4 oz) packet quick-rise, fast acting dry yeast
2 Tablespoons unsalted sweet cream butter, softened (not melted)
1/4 cup white sugar
1 large egg, room temperature (to hasten this process, set the egg in a bowl of warm water for 4-6 minutes)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup arrowroot starch (you can substitute cornstarch)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

for the filling:
2 Tablespoons of butter, softened (optional – but who’s counting calories?! It’s a cinnamon roll.)
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 Teaspoon ground saigon cinnamon
1/2 cup of chopped nuts (optional – sliced almonds or pecan bits would be great, here)

Rolls:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prepare a 9″ pie plate by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray.

Warm the milk to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and add the yeast. Set aside and give it time to proof.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and the sugar. Add in the egg, and beat until fluffy. Stir in the canola oil and vanilla extract.

Separately, combine the rest of the dry ingredients, the starches, baking soda, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. With a mixer on medium speed, add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, alternating with the proofed milk/yeast, and ending with the dry ingredients, until everything is thoroughly mixed. The dough will look very soft, but it will begin to crawl up the beaters. Let it sit for a moment while you prepare to roll it out.

On your countertop or a cutting board, stretch out a piece of plastic wrap, plop the dough in the middle, and place another sheet of plastic wrap over the top of it. (You might need to sprinkle sugar or a little bit of starch on the wrap, so that the dough won’t stick, but I didn’t, and did not have any problems.) Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rectangular shape, about 12″ high by 14″ wide.

filling:
Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts together. Spread the butter on the dough, then sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the dough, covering it completely. Using the plastic wrap to help you, begin to roll up the dough. If it’s sticky, touch your fingertips in starch before continuing to roll the dough. Once the dough is completely rolled, slice it into rolls a little more than 1″ wide. Try to make your slices uniform, or they won’t bake evenly (evidence: photo at the top of post). Lay the rolls into the pie plate.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 20-24 minutes, until tops are browned. If they begin to brown prematurely, cover them with foil.

**Variations:
If you want caramel rolls:
mix together 2 Tablespoons melted butter and 3-4 Tablespoons brown sugar in the bottom of the pie plate (optional: add more sliced almonds or chopped pecans here, too), before laying the rolls in the pie plate. To serve after baking: invert contents onto plate or platter, making sure to top with any caramel that’s left in the pie plate.

if you want iced rolls:
After the rolls are baked and cooled slightly, drizzle a simple icing over the top: 3/4 cup powdered sugar (confectioner’s), 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and just enough milk to thicken.

Note: This recipe can be made dairy-free; to make iced cinnamon rolls, use shortening rather than butter in the rolls, and soy, rice, or almond milk rather than cow’s milk. I suspect it can be made vegan, but am out of egg replacer to try.

sunday morning

sleeping in, homemade cinnamon rolls warm from the oven, and a podcast of “This American Life.” so slow and luxurious, our only day off this weekend..

a celebration

As of seven o’clock yesterday evening, I have been a vegetarian for a full year. a full year! No slip-ups, no back-tracking; no seafood, poultry, beef, pork, or wild game (or any of their broths or flavourings) of any kind. I went from being a omnivore to an herbivore, overnight. I do use cage-free, organic eggs in my baking and occasional meals (from vegetarian-fed hens who have not been pumped up on steroids and antiobiotics), and infrequently have a little bit of good cheese in the house. We drink and cook with almond milk, not cow’s milk. When I became a vegetarian, some people were completely befuddled – why, when I already have to be careful what I eat, why would I limit myself more?

There were a few reasons, these are a few (ranked in order of importance):

* Compassion. Animals are intelligent, creatures, and the idea that any living, breathing creature would be slaughtered just to feed a craving puts my stomach in knots.

* Health. I’m much healthier, not eating meat. Living on grains, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables has made me stronger and trimmer, more easily able to focus, and given me quite an energy boost.

* Environment. The average American consumes 185 pounds of meat every year; that fact alone is incredible, not even including how much land and water are used by raising those animals and preparing them for slaughter.

In celebration of the one-year mark, we had a veritable feast. Our grocery store just started carrying a line of gluten-free tortillas, and I picked up a package of them just the day before. On the menu? Cilantro-Lime Rice, Cumin Black Beans, and Fiesta-Style Peppers, with sides and toppings. Oh, my. Since there are only two of us, and I made quite a bit of food, we had leftovers for a couple more meals, and were really sad when we finished them off.

Cumin Black Beans
2 cans (15 ounces) prepared black beans (I use Bush’s)
1 small onion
2 Tablespoons cumin
1/4 Teaspoon chili powder
1/8 Teaspoon ground coriander
Sprinkle of finely chopped cilantro leaves
Sprinkle of fresh lime zest
Small splash canola oil
Sea salt and ground black pepper

Drain and rinse the beans, reserving the liquid from one of the cans. Place the beans in a 2-quart pan, over medium-high heat. Finely chop 1/2 medium onion, and mix it, the spices, cilantro leaves, lime zest, oil, and salt + pepper into the beans. Stir gently until mixed; try not to break up the beans. If you can’t see liquid, add a Tablespoon or two of water into the pan. When the liquid starts to simmer, cover the pot and turn the heat to low. Stir occasionally.

Cilantro-Lime Rice
2 cups long-grain rice, such as Basmati
3 cups water
1/4 Teaspoon fresh lime zest
Juice of one lime
1-2 Tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves *
Dash sea salt
Splash canola oil

Place all the ingredients into a heavy-bottomed pot. Cook rice according to package directions. When finished, use a serving spoon to fluff it (and to mix the cilantro leaves in, if they’ve risen to the top during cooking),

* Note: How much cilantro you put in depends on how big a fan you are of it. I still swear it smells like Ivory soap, but use it because I understand that it does impart a flavor to the dish – I just don’t use a ton of it. People who like cilantro would, of course, use more.

Fajita-Style Peppers
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium green bell pepper
1 medium yellow bell pepper
1/2 poblano pepper
1 small/medium onion
1 clove garlic
1 Tablespoon canola oil
Dash ground red pepper
Sprinkle oregano
Dash paprika
sea salt and ground black pepper

Deseed and julienne all the peppers, except for the poblano, which should be finely sliced. Cut the onion in half lengthwise, then slice into half-moons. Sautee the garlic and onions with the spices and oregano until you can smell the flavors, but not until the onions are translucent. Add in the peppers and turn up the heat, tossing until just barely cooked; the peppers should still have a little bit of a crunch.

If serving with tortillas, warm the tortillas between wet paper towels in the microwave for 30 seconds; this makes them softer and more pliable. This meal is also delicious without tortillas; just serve the beans and peppers on a bed of the rice.

Sides
lettuces
chopped fresh tomatoes
sliced black olives
shredded cheeses
guacamole

surprises

the beautiful tulips were from John for Valentine’s Day. he knows I love having fresh flowers in the house – tulips or peonies are the best), but never splurge on them myself; I love it even more when he buys them for me! he’s always so happy and proud of himself when he surprises me with flowers — as I was yesterday when I surprised him with a food processor that I discovered for $5.99 at Goodwill!!

It’s a chunky, heavy General Electric model that wouldn’t look out of place next to my parents’ 70’s blender, but it still works like a charm. John and I had held off on purchasing a new model, as they can be quite expensive, but we’ve always discussed how much we would love to have a food processor – in fact, we had just talked about it the night before.

Hurrah for beautiful flowers and great finds at Goodwill – they definitely make it easier to ease back into the workweek.

dreamy dark chocolate cookies

Mondays always have a sense of inevitablilty about them. The perfect antidote: a chewy, melty, crunchy chocolate cookie.

I used to make fun of my mom for favouriting zillions of sites. Anytime anything was of any interest, click! and it was bookmarked. For future reference, just in case. I have say “I used to,” because I just was confronted with the realization that at least Internet-wise, I am becoming my mother. John has a nice, tidy, concise list of favourites; click on the unassuming “dänika’s” folder, though, and good heavens! You might fall asleep, scrolling all the way to the bottom. There are a handful of links that I do use on a regular (or at least semi-regular) basis, but most of them are things that I bookmarked ON THE CHANCE that someday, I’ll have loads of time and be able to thorougly explore every site.

All this to say that today, while scrolling through my extensive list of favourites, I came across a recipe that I had bookmarked a while ago, but had never gotten around to making. My advise to you: be ye not so stupid as to wait as long as I did.

This recipe is amazing, and naturally gluten-free. They may not be the prettiest cookies around, but I know – with a sense of inevitability, again – that this will be a recipe I come back to again and again.

Dreamy Chocolate Cookies
adapted from a Bon Appétit recipe

non-stick cooking spray
9 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, divided (I used Baker’s chocolate)
3 large egg whites (room temperature)
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar, divided
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon potato starch (not potato flour)
1/4 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Teaspoon ground Saigon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare your baking sheet with a layer of parchment paper, then lightly spray it with a non-stick spray.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, stirring occasionally. This process took about two minutes, stirring every thirty seconds. With a sharp knife, sliver the other ounce of chocolate, and set it aside.

In a chilled metal bowl, beat the egg whites with a mixer on high speed until they form soft, pillowy peaks. Mix in 1 cup of powdered sugar, until it has the consistency of marshmellow creme. Set this aside for a moment.

In a separate bowl, stir together 1/2 cup of cocoa, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 1 Tablespoon of potato starch, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and another 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. With the mixer on low, combine this with the egg white/powdered sugar mixture. When it is fully combined, add the melted chocolate, and then the chocolate slivers. As soon as this is just mixed, leave the bowl for a moment, and let the dough settle; it’s easier to work with if you wait for a minute before shaping it. The dough will be quite stiff, fudge-like, and look a little dry.

Roll a tablespoon of dough into a ball, place it on the prepared cookie sheet, then slightly flatten it into a disc (otherwise they’ll turn out a little puffy and rounded, as in the first picture). Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Bake at 350° for 8-9 minutes. Cookies will be done when the edges are dry and the tops are cracked. They will still be soft in the middle; take them out of the oven and let them rest on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before you move them.

Yield: about 2 dozen cookies.

Note: In order to cut down on the sweetness, I cut back quite a bit on the amount of sugar from the original recipe – partially because I used semi-sweet chocolate, rather than bittersweet. These cookies are still sweet, very chocolatey, but not overwhelmingly sugary. If you like your cookies to be very sugary, add in another 1/3 cup. Not a problem.

saturday night beans

as I promised myself, I did make the Amateur Gourmet’s bodega beans last night. I used the recipe as a basic outline (key points: some kind of white beans, onion and garlic, olive oil, some sort of cheese), used whatever I had in my refrigerator, and ended up with this.

Warm, creamy, cheesy, and flavorful, it was delicious today, as well, and the only thing I would change would be to soak dried beans overnight, rather than use canned, merely for textural reasons.

Saturday Night Beans:
(with a tip of the hat and many thanks to the amateur gourmet)

30 oz of Great Northern beans (2 cans’ worth)
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 a medium red pepper
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup frozen green peas
Olive oil
red pepper flakes
Italian blend of shredded cheese (parmesan, mozzarella, pecorino romano, etc.)

Add a healthy glug of olive oil to a heavy-bottomed sauce pan; turn on your stove to an easy medium heat. Mince the garlic and chop the onion, and add them to the pan, along with a few shakes of red pepper flakes. Sautée until the onions are nearly translucent, then add in chopped red bell pepper and the peas. Stir.

Drain and rinse the beans, then add them to the pan as well, along with a little more olive oil. When the beans are heated through, sprinkle in however much cheese you would like, and mix until the cheese is melted. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve warm. Especially good when topped with a little more cheese and served alongside a piece of bread straight from the oven.

saturday

It’s a slow day at work, as Saturdays always are, and even more quiet than usual, as I’m the only one here today. Generally, Saturdays are the days where I finish up any projects, and then write in my journal, or research ancestry, or other things that aren’t work-related but are the only things that I can do to keep my sanity during the very long, very slow, very empty, nine-hour shift. It’s the last hurdle I have to get over before my weekend, so sometimes it feels as though time is ticking away much slower than usual. Today is a research day, but not on ancestry; rather, it is a recipe-gathering day.

I think it’s because I haven’t had breakfast yet — I got a rather late start this morning, and went nearly straight from bed to work (with slight detours for a bath and clean clothes), but I am finding all sorts of recipes that I am eager to try. As always happens in late winter, I become lazy in the kitchen, tired of not having vibrantly fresh vegetables, tired of potatoes, tired of rice, tired of frozen peas, tired of the same old thing. I’ve had cereal for supper more times than I care to tell you (John and I agree to get our own food on evenings when neither of us are particularly motivated); and hash browns and eggs, though delicious, have become a more than just a dependable stand-by during this dark winter.

Here I am, however, trying to get some motivation, trying to pull myself out of this no-cooking rut. Well, I found the motivation, and I’ll share it (them):

+ Rachel Wharton’s Bodega Beans, via The Amateur Gourmet
+ Asparagus, artichoke, and shiitake risotto via smitten kitchen
+ Orangettes, via smitten kitchen and, oh
+ clementine cake via, yet again, smitten kitchen.

I’m planning on making the Bodega Beans tonight, and I’ll let you know what I think. I’m not a big fan of beans, especially not big beans (something about the texture), but I’ll make them with Great Northerns, and see what happens. That recipe just looked too good to neglect!