Thursday, October 25, 2012

Gluten and Dairy-Free Cookies







In the past couple of years, several of our friends have developed severe allergies to wheat and dairy products. Desserts are the most difficult items to find recipes for. I made these last week and they were a hit. No flour, no dairy, and no added fat, other than from the nuts. Easy and I think they are pretty tasty, too. I found them scouting about the web, on a number of sites.

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I used the Fry's brand we have in Canada)
3 cups icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
pinch of salt
2 3/4 cups of coarsely chopped pecans, lightly toasted and cooled
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 T vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 or 4 baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.

Sift together the icing sugar and cocoa powder to remove lumps. Add salt and pecans and stir to mix. Dump in the egg whites and vanilla and slowly stir to combine. Do not over mix, but ensure that all the sugar and cocoa powder is evenly moistened. 

Spoon batter onto prepared baking sheets, leaving plenty of room (2-3 inches) for expansion. Bake for 15 minutes, or until small thin cracks appear on the surface of the cookies. Let cool completely before removing from the paper.

These keep well for several days, but get chewier as the days pass. Not a bad thing, in my opinion. 

The recipe said this will make 12 4-inch cookies, but I made about 25 2-3 inch cookies. Walnuts or almonds could be used in place of the pecans.

2 comments:

Sharon Lovejoy said...

I can almost smell them!!

Today is another baking day and I'll give this recipe a try. It looks so simple.

Sending love across the miles,

Sharon

Pamela said...

I'm always thrilled to find a gluten free recipe. Eager to try them.