The Secret to Cookies

Lately, I've been on a cookie craze. I don't know why. I've been craving the taste of mom's chocolate chip cookies. 

So, I took it as a challenge and set out to make a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. 

First of all, mom and I discovered a plethora of gluten free foods/flours at a small "healthy" store (it basically had the same ingredients as a normal store). We were about to leave when I looked up and saw a whole shelf for gf stuff. Yeah!! We bought this flour which also contributed to my cookie making craze. 

The first batches I made were incredible!! My first taste of cookie dough nearly made me have a heart attack. These cookies (especially the dough) taste exactly like mom's cookies. I'm not even joking. Granted you still probably don't want to eat mom's cookie dough and then mine, but still this is the closest I've ever gotten to "real" tasting cookies. I strongly suggest you try it!

However, I still was not completely satisfied.

That's because the cookies didn't spread out in the oven. They stayed in the exact same position they were in before being cooked. The only reason their flat is because I pushed them down.

I'd say it's the ultimate cookie mystery.

Why don't these cookies spread out and mom's do??

Google.

Answer :)

The culprit is sugar.

Now I'm sure your all going, duh, of course it's the sugar. A cookie is not a cookie without sugar. Well, there's more to it. I had been using honey in this recipe, but as it turns out sugar is the ingredient that makes the dough spread out when cooked. Sugar melts and dissolves when you warm it up, so when it's in a cookie, it melts causing the dough to spread out. Honey is already melted so it wouldn't expand the cookie any.

Now you all know the science behind cookies :)! (granted other ingredients play a little part too).
I would definitely be a potions student if I were in Harry Potter.

My next trial run I used coconut sugar instead of honey. I was so excited to see the result because I was sure it would make them spread out.

Wrong. They didn't budge. Urgh! What could it possibly be then?!! They did "grow" a little more than the others but not like I wanted.

 I was going to try again with less flour, but it turned out I didn't have enough flour so instead I made a cookie cake! Yum. It turned out pretty darn good.

 Pair it with some homemade vanilla ice cream (or icy vanilla-tasting soy milk:) and you've got yourself a winner! A nice warm cookie cake with cold vanilla topping. So good.

 And now for the recipe. Sorry for the super long post.

REAL Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from mygutsy.com)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup oil
2 egg whites
1/2 cup. coconut sugar (or 1/4 c. honey)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon (the secret to the best cookies on earth! all cookies should have this)
scant 1 cup gluten free flour (or any flour)
1/2-1 oz. unsweetened baker's chocolate, chopped (or any choc. chips)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Mix together oil, egg whites, and sugar (or honey). Add vanilla, salt, soda, cinnamon, and mix together. Add flour, starting with 1/2 cup and adding more until desired cookie dough consistency.

*For cookie cake add only 1/2 cup of flour.

Enjoy!