#3 - Double Choco Chunk Cookies (5/5 Stars)

Time Elapsed Prep To Eat: about 30 minutes

Prep Notes: These were easy to make; no need to chill dough. I added a smidgen more oil as dough was dry at end of mix.  I used a combo of 2 Enjoy Life Rice Milk Boom Choco Boom Crispy and 2 Regular bars.  I also bought at Cake Castle store Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa (but you can use the regular as well) which is hard to find but gave the cookies an almost black color.

Drum Roll Please! - Overall Score
Overall: 5 out of 5 stars  - AMAZING 
Standard Ingredient/Taste Comparison Score:  5/5 stars
You could not tell a difference between a 'regular' cookie and these.  Dough was moist and crisp.  


So I thought I died and went to heaven today!!! I made Double Choco Chunk Cookies right before the kids were coming home; these were my best cookies ever since I STARTED baking.  I MEAN MY ALL TIME BEST COOKIE using standard and non standard ingredients.    I am not kidding.  They were fudgy on the inside, lightly crispy on the outside, rich but not sugary.  The kids thought the same thing -- "ten out of five stars," "99 out of 100 stars," "really good."  They gave them more than two thumbs up with their feet and arms.  I think amazing sums it up and yes by sundown they were gone.  

I hope you are reading this so you can taste these at some point!  

#2 - Cinnamon Rolls (4/5 Stars)

#2 - Cinnamon Rolls

Prep/Make to Eat Total Time - @3 hours (with dough rises and bake time...)

These were amazingly delicious, especially when warm and just iced.  So good!  I would make these on a lazy morning, for brunch or maybe even make the dough and let rest overnight (have to try that!) so you can eat them earlier in the morning.    I would also probably double the recipe next time as my family devoured them except for one roll that my lucky neighbor got, plus considering to time involved.  I will try freezing them next time to see how they fare.

The making of these was more challenging (but don't be deterred by that alone!) , as working with gluten free, egg free combinations lends a very 'loose' dough and this was evident during the rolling up.  It required a very gentle and delicate roll.  I will try saran wrap next time to keep things easier.  Now the end product you can't see the mess ups but still.  Whatever you do, don't try to brush shortening in the holes as I tried 'cause that created craters.

After the roll up, you can see the holes where the cinnamon is peeking through...

As far as the taste comparison is concerned with standard sticky buns, the comment was in regards to less buttery taste, not in regards to the dough.  Thinking through this, I would suggest mixing a bit of vegan margarine with the shortening for a more richer taste.  Kids loved it too, devouring them and smiling a lot.

Drumroll please...
****/***** 4/5 stars - Given the taste comments and the roll-up challenges.  Overall, a winner through it all and such an amazing treat!  Totally worth the effort; double it up though.

So, you may ask, "Why do this cookbook?"  That was a difficult choice for me who scours recipes all the time but I have been won by Cybele's first book "The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook."  But I think it's this one has a lot of potential and variety so there may be many great recipes there.  So let's find out!

#1 - Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies (**** 4.5/5 stars)

Time To Eat: about 35 minutes

Prep Notes: These were easy to make; no need to chill dough and I didn't even roll the balls but used a small ice cream scooper to make them and then used the other side of it to flatten them.

Drum Roll Please! - Overall Score
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars  - all smiles
Standard Ingredient/Taste Comparison Score:  5/5 stars
You could not tell a difference between a 'regular' cookie and these.


I gave these to kids in the neighborhood.  They gave them two thumbs up and an 'up tongue' to add!  
They were gobbling them up as we said good bye; cookies were gone before kids got home.  Adults loved them too.  They were chocolately and crispy and light.  Using shortening instead of margarine or oil helped.  If you are looking for a chewy moist cookie, try shortening the baking time or go with another recipe but if you want crunchy, crispy chocolate goodness - these are the ones to bake.


I will bake these again!  This one is a winner.

It's amazing to get results like these after years of trial and error and finding the authors that really come up with recipes that work.   I remember not being able to bake a cookie that didn't turn into a gooey mess in the oven, no matter how many recipes.   Oils in cookie batter ended in disastrous results for me.  I think it must have been sometime in 2nd year of my DD life that she had a cookie for the first time.


It took me months and a friend's help to track down a kosher margarine (Mother's Passover version) that didn't contain soy and milk and I remember purchasing like 40 lbs. of it to safe keep for future.  I remember being in tears when she had her first cookie and probably have a photo of it somewhere.  It was a great moment for me and I learned to persevere and keep at it to make it great.   So don't give up when cooking with alternative ingredients - it's a re-learning process of cooking/baking chemistry!

The Challenge - Bake All Recipes in Cybele Pascal's "Allergen Free Bakers Handbook"

The Book: "The Allergen Free Baker's Handbook" - by Cybele Pascal

The Project: Bake and review all recipes in this cookbook.

The Reasons:


I love to bake!  But beyond that, I am trying to discover whether allergen free baking can be delicious to the point that kids/adults cannot distinguish it from standard baked fare.  I have close to a hundred cookbooks and I do love them but the problem is that when I'm making something I want it to come out great given the cost, time, and energy I'm expanding on it and yet I have not discovered a good site that does what the now famous "Julie/Julia Project" blog by Julie Powell did - really get into these great books to figure out what's amazing, good and so/so.

So as my children are getting older, I have delved into the food preparation overtime having a child with many food allergies.  I have as of lately been told I should go into baking as a career.  I love it but do I love it that much?  Well before I do something more permanent career-wise, I want to test the bounds of my love and dedication.

Food is so personal and simultaneously social.  It unites us in celebration and has the ability to point out those of us that cannot partake because of food allergies, diabetes, and other food related issues.   In my experiences I have met people who were open to new ingredients and others that have refused to try and have looked upon the 'safe' foods with judgment that it just "cannot be good", suspicion about it because it's "not real food!"  And so I am challenged in a way to raise awareness about the 'normalcy' of baking without eggs or milk or gluten or nuts or peanuts.  I want to make it real as it is real to us that manage food allergies on a daily basis.

How will it be evaluated?  The judges of the recipes will be the kids in my neighborhood and in school. Friends and neighbors will also weigh in on the 'debate' of how the recipes are!  Why kids?  Because they don't lie about food and if a recipe is great they'll rave about it or otherwise.

Timeframe: Unknown - Tentative Finish Goal April 1, 2011!


So I hope this may be helpful to you as a bystander so you can zero in on just the right recipe for brownies, cookies, cake and bread.

And we are off!  Wish me luck.