Gluten Free Betty: December 2011

Mmmm...chocolate and peppermint. An excellent pairing any time of the year, but especially perfect for Christmas baking. Thanks to Caroline at the G-Spot for hosting this months ratio rally. You can check out the bottom of my post for links to all the fabulous gluten free cookies created by ratio this month.

Ruhlman's ratio for cookies is 3:2:1 of flour:sugar:fat, but this produces a shortbread type cookie and I wanted to do a drop cookie. Ruhlman suggests a ratio of 1:1:1 for drop cookies. I was a little skeptical. 1:1:1 seemed like a lot of sugar and fat and I don't like cookies that leave a fatty film on the roof of my mouth (even if they taste good). Since I am new to baking by weight, I decided to figure out the ratio for my favorite chocolate chip cookies and see how they compare to Ruhlman's. It turns out that Ruhlman knows what he's talking about (surprise, surprise). Shame on me for doubting! My chocolate chip cookies have slightly more sugar and a tad less fat than the 1:1:1 ratio, but they were pretty close. For these chocolate peppermint beauties I decided to compromise and do a 1:1:2/3 (or 3:3:2) of flour:sugar:fat. To make chocolate cookies I used cocoa powder as part of my flour mix and I chose to use shortening as the fat because I didn't want a flat cookie. You'll notice that there isn't any peppermint in the cookie. My husband is not a fan so I only added peppermint to the frosting. You could certainly add a bit to the cookie dough if you'd like. These cookies have a slightly crunchy edge and a soft center. They are delicious frosted or plain and would be fantastic with any kind of chip added in. They'd also be really good if you sandwiched the frosting between 2 cookies. I don't know how they are the next day - we ate them all within a couple of hours!

Gluten Free Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
yield: 15-20 cookies

100 grams brown sugar
66 grams shortening
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
75 grams gluten free flour mix
25 grams cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon guar gum
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream the sugar and shortening together. Add the egg and mix until well incorporated. Add vanilla and mix. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Drop dough by tablespoon onto an ungreased baking sheet. I used a small (2 teaspoon) cookie scoop so they'd be the same size. Bake for 10-11 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and cool before frosting.

Please forgive me for not weighing the frosting. My 2 year-old was helping and I got distracted trying to keep the ingredients inside the mixing bowl...

Peppermint Frosting
1 cup powdered sugar
3-4 teaspoons milk
1/4-1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (less if using oil)
Crushed candy cane for decorating

Combine powdered sugar, half of the milk and half of the peppermint extract in a mixing bowl. Give it a little taste to see if you need more peppermint. Add a drop of food coloring if desired. Mix well. Add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until you get the consistency you like.

Frost cooled cookies and sprinkle with crushed candy cane. Allow the frosting to set (about 5 minutes) and enjoy!