This recipe won Third Prize for our Gluten Free Baking Contest! The recipe was made by Caryl Zierbes and we all loved them! Please forgive our poor photography!
INGREDIENTS:
1 ¾ cup Gluten-Free Flour Blend (see recipe below)
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract
1 cup gluten-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
¾ cup chopped toasted pecans
6 wrapped caramels, chopped (I used Fannie May’s) (optional)
Sea Salt, coarse (optional)
- To toast pecans, heat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Starting with about 2-4 ounces of raw pecan halves, place on baking sheet and toast in oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and remove nuts frim the baking sheet to prevent residual cooking. When the nuts have cooled, give them a rough chop to prepare for use in the cookies.
- Next, whisk flour blend, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside.
- Whisk melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together in large bowl until well combined and smooth.
- Whisk in egg, milk, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth.
- Stir in flour mixture with rubber spatula and mix until soft, homogeneous dough forms. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 30 minutes. (Dough will be sticky and soft.)
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a medium ice cream scoop, about 1 1/2 tablespoons, portion dough and space 2 inches apart on prepared sheets. Add several caramel pieces to the top of each cookie. Sprinkle each cookie with ¼ teaspoon of coarse sea salt.
- Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, rotating sheet halfway through bakingtime, until edges are golden brown and have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10- 11 minutes.
- Let cookies cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cookies are best eaten on day they are baked, but they can be cooled and placed immediately in airtight container and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.)
This recipe has been adapted from America’s Test Kitchen.
Gluten Free Flour Blend from America’s Test Kitchen
24 ounces white rice flour
7 ½ ounces brown rice flour
7 ounces potato starch
3 ounces tapioca starch
¾ ounce non-fat dry milk powder
Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl. Store the blend in an air-tight container. It can be refrigerated up to 3 months.