Daddy's Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.

I cannot remember when I first tried my husband's famous chocolate chip cookie recipe nor, do I know when it became so popular among our friends.  Chris normally makes them a couple of times a year. He makes a lot of cookies and they are gone in matter of days; whether at holiday gatherings, game nights or men's retreats.  He always makes them once during the Christmas season and was disappointed that Samuel couldn't eat them.  We decided that it couldn't hurt to try adjusting the recipe for Samuel and see how they turned out.  Playing it safe, Chris made a small batch and we couldn't believe it!  They tasted as good as the originals!  Sometimes gluten free recipes do no do well on the counter, becoming crumbly if not consumed in 24 hours.  We left a few out and put the remainder in the freezer.  I found that the ones on the counter lasted at least 2 days.  If you are making a large batch, I would recommend freezing any cookies that will not be consumed in 48 hours.

Sorry that I do not have any pictures for you, they disappeared too quickly.  He is planning to make another batch and I will snap some photos when he does.  Just a couple of notes.  Some people who have a problem with gluten will also have a problem with oats, even if they are certified gluten free so, if you are making these for someone with celiac or a gluten sensitivity please ask them first.  Also, I typically mix my own flour but, I used a mix for this since it was our first try.  In the future, I hope to use my own mix of flours.

Daddy's Soy, Dairy, Egg and Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream:

1 cup soy and dairy free earth balance

1 cup organic spectrum shortening made with palm oil

2 cups organic sugar

2 cups packed organic brown sugar

4 TBSP ground flax seeds plus water to equal one cup

2 TBSP gluten free bourbon vanilla

Mix:

4 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix

5 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oatmeal (ground into a flour)

1 tsp salt

2 tsps aluminum free baking powder

2 tsps Bob's Red Mill baking soda

Add to dry ingredients.

2 - 10 oz bags Enjoy Life Allergy Friendly chocolate chips

2 oz dairy and soy free dark chocolate

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

Put the ground flax seed in a 1 cup measuring cup.  Fill the remainder with water and let sit for 5 minutes or so.

In a mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream together the first set of ingredients.

In a food processor, grind the oats into a powder.

In a separate large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.

Put the dark chocolate into the food processor with the metal blade and process into very small pieces, almost a powder.

Add the chocolate chips and dark chocolate to the dry ingredients.

Using a spoon, and sometimes your hands, mix the creamed ingredients into the dry.

Drop generous tablespoons of the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet.

Cook for 11 minutes.

Remove from oven, let sit for about 5 minutes and then move to a cooling rack until completely cooled.

Samuel's Favorite Pumpkin Muffins

Samuel absolutely adores pumpkin pie!  While I was in search of muffin recipes, I came across recipes for pumpkin muffins and knew that we had to try them.  I picked this recipe because I loved, loved, loved that she used coconut flour.  I am a big fan of the nutritional benefits of coconut.  I used the Ener-G egg replacer and almond milk.  I added an extra dash of vanilla  because I didn't have vanilla almond milk.  I also didn't have any lemon juice on hand so I  sqeezed an orange for the juice.  Samuel isn't a big fan of nuts so I chose not to mix anything in.  Next time, I may try adding chocolate chips because we finally have some on hand that Samuel can eat.  These pumpkin muffins were amazing!!  I would choose to eat them over the gluten variety.  I am excited to try more recipes from this website!  Here is the link to the recipe.

Gluten Free Goddess Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

Sweet Hot Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Over the past several weeks, we have picked up 10 pounds of sweet potatoes at our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). This has given me the opportunity to do a bit of experimenting. Samuel didn't eat french fries often but, he really misses them. Most restaurants cook them in soybean oil which is a big no no for Samuel. We don't often buy white potatoes so I decided to try to use the sweet potatoes to make a substitute.

3-4 pounds sweet potatoes

1/2 cup of olive oil

1 large garlic clove, crushed

1 TBS honey

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Dash of nutmeg

Salt

Heat the oven to 350. Wash, peel and cut the sweet potatoes. Use a whisk to mix all the ingredients, except the salt, together. Coat the sweet potatoes in the mixture and add a little salt. Place the sweet potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet (I prefer stoneware). Put in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until they start to brown.