Big, Fat, Chewy, Perfect: The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I rarely use the word "perfect", and never in reference to my own baking (being my own worst critic and all...). It's a term too often used to describe the generic and mundane rather than the extraordinary. But it's also incredibly subjective with meaning that varies as much as the individuals that use it. So when I tell you that the GIF below is 100% how I reacted to my first bite of these thick and chewy gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, I want you to understand that I'm not using the word frivolously =D. And lest you think this an exercise in self-congratulations, I openly admit to making only minor tweaks to an already incredible recipe by Alanna of Bojon Gourmet. 

While I'm aware on some level that multiple types exist, the only CC cookies that my brain registers are crisp around the edges, chewy in the center, oozing with melted chocolate chunks, and bursting with a flavor akin to butterscotch. All of us who share this concept of Cookie Nirvana as well as an interest in gluten-free baking owe Alanna a huge debt of gratitude. With some slight tweaking of the types/proportions of grains, she's created a GF cookie that stays chewy in the center, spreads like a wheat cookie, and is equal or superior to any CC cookie I've ever tasted (conventional OR GF)! For you skeptics out there, know that all my guinea pigs coworkers loved these, and not one could tell they were gluten-free. 

In this day and age I'm willing to bet that most of you have had reason to contemplate gluten-free cooking. Whether you're baking for a friend with celiac disease or just experimenting with alternative grains, I'm confident your search for The Best (Gluten-Free) Chocolate Chip Cookie will be over as soon as you whip up a batch of these. And being a gift that keeps on giving, I wouldn't be surprised to see other GF cookie posts popping up soon using this base as the starting point...I truly hope you enjoy this "perfect" recipe as much as I have and would love to hear about your results if you try it!

P.S. - I didn't use any ole pecans for these cookies, but Jumbo Raw Georgia Pecans I received from Oh! Nuts. Although I did receive these for free for my holiday baking, I can honestly say (and have said before on this blog) that I loved and paid for their products long before they ever offered me free samples. There's so much to love about Oh! Nuts that it's hard to know where to start. First, there's the incredible taste and freshness. These pecans are huge, fresh, and have a hint of natural sweetness that makes them addictive right outta the bag. Speaking of the bag, I love that all Oh! Nuts products come in a sturdy bags that stand upright, are resealable, and have a window in the front so you can easily identify the right product in your pantry later. Anyway, I'll stop gushing as you surely get the point by now. Oh! Nuts is a wonderful supplier of bulk nuts and candy, and I can't recommend them and their products enough! =D

WANTED: The Perfect Carrot Cupcake (Round 2)

Back in November of last year, I shared with you that P's cousin K had offered me the honor of baking cupcakes for her wedding in October. I decided to start testing recipes almost a year early 'cause I'm sometimes *cough* be a bit *cough* of a procrastinator O=). While I enjoyed the simplicity of the first batch and had a LOT of fun fashioning realistic carrot toppers out of marzipan, the flavor of the cake itself didn't have quite as much OOMPH as I wanted. It was inevitable that there would be a Round 2...I did declare after all that "I [wouldn't] rest until [I'd] found the perfect carrot cupcake for K's wedding day!"

Round 1 had covered the plain and simple end of the Carrot Cake Spectrum, so the goal for Round 2 was to really explore the options when it came to add-ins and alternative prep methods. Early on I was intrigued by a unique recipe from The Silver Palate Cookbook that called for steamed and pureed carrots rather than raw, shredded ones! But what I wasn't taken with were the copious amounts of sugar, oil, and sweetened coconut in the original. Being the irrepressible tweaker you should know me as, I went directly to the cutting board and I think it's accurate to say I went BIG. By the end of this surgical session, I'd cut 1/3 of the sugar, 1/2 the fat, and 1/2 the coconut along with pinches of salt and baking soda.

Having wrapped up Round 2, I can now declare these to be The Best Carrot Cupcakes I've Ever Eaten =D. A feast of flavors from freshly mashed carrot and crushed pineapple to toasted nuts and (subtly) textured coconut. Dense and moist but absent any oily mouthfeel or excessive calories. I credit the texture in no small part to the pureed carrots, and that's not the only benefit to this unusual way of preparing them. Even if there were no benefit as to taste, I'd pick pureed carrots for my cake anyday for the time it saves me from slaving over the box grater!

It's pretty obvious I'm really taken with this recipe, right? But the funny thing with The Best anything is that there might always be an even better version out there -- and you'll never discover it unless you keep an open mind! So if anyone's convinced their mom/granddad/friend/neighbor's carrot cake is the best thing since the invention of cake, please DO shoot me a message and I may test it out! I certainly have time for Round 3 as K's wedding's not for 6 months 8).

Devilishly Delicious! (The Best Red Velvet Cupcakes)

Can you guys believe that Halloween is less than a month away?! I hope you all are as excited as me because I've got lots of spooky cupcakes coming up in the next few weeks! We've got some creepin' crawlies, a couple a' brainiacs, and even a few cuppies workin' the graveyard shift...if ya know what I mean =p. But for those of you who're feelin' a might devilish this All Hallow's Eve, I've got just the treat you need...Devilishly Delicious Red Velvet Cupcakes!

Some of you may remember that I set out on The Great Quest for The Perfect Red Velvet Recipe back in the spring (has it really been that long already...). When I posted about it, I was just veering off into unexplored territory after finding none of the famous recipes to my taste. Well I'm happy to finally make it known that I've found The One! After 8 attempts and much tweaking, I've combined several inspirations and some crazy add-ins of my own to bring a new and hopefully well-loved red velvet recipe into the world =D.

This recipe has been tested frequently for over half a year and has won the approval of dozens of tasters. One friend liked my red velvet cupcakes so much, in fact, that she just asked me to make 140 of them for her wedding =D. I really do hope you'll give these cupcakes (and their Halloween costume) a try. The ingredient list is longer than your usual RV recipe, but they're all ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. And if you do make them, please send me your feedback and, even better, a photo along with it!

Lastly, I want tell you about a really awesome surprise I got earlier this week. A while ago I left a comment on my friend Angie's blog. She'd just been visited by the Fairy Hobmother, and to my delight the Fairy stopped here next and gifted me with a fabulous Amazon gift card! Then when I was offered the chance to share the joy, of course I said yes! Now if you want a visit from the Fairy, just make your wish and comment below. Best of luck and thanks again, Fairy Hobmother!

6 Bittersweets' Best Red Velvet Cupcakes [Printable Recipe]
Makes 12 cupcakes

XIAOLU’S NOTES: It can be hard to get a strong red color when coloring white frosting. Making the frosting 24 hours ahead of time may help, since the color will darken over time. Do NOT use liquid food coloring since it will add too much moisture to the frosting. The modeling clay recipe below will make more than you'll need. You can store any extra for up to 1 month. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use the following substitution. For this recipe, use 1 1/2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar with enough milk added to total 1/2 cup PLUS 1 tablespoon. Stir well and let sit for at least 5 minutes before using. Do NOT substitute the cake flour in this recipe.

1 cup (4 oz.) cake flour [stirred, spooned, and leveled to measure]
1/4 cup (1.12 oz.) all purpose flour [stirred, spooned, and leveled to measure]
1 1/2 Tbsp (0.32 oz.) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
Slightly rounded 1/2 tsp baking soda
Scant 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 Tbsp red GEL food coloring [I use Wilton No-Taste but you may need more or less depending on brand]
1/2 cup PLUS 1 Tbsp buttermilk, room temperature
3 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
2 Tbsp mayonnaise (NOT fat-free or olive oil; low-fat is fine)
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting (Recipe below)
24 Modeling Chocolate Horns AND 12 Fondant Horned Tails (Recipe below)

If making the devil decorations, remember to make and color your frosting red ahead of time as well as to make the modeling chocolate ahead of time! I recommend making the horns and tails before baking the cupcakes. You can let them sit out to dry slightly as you bake, cool, and frost the cupcakes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the top of a standard 12-cup muffin pan (in case you get some “muffin top” action). Line pan with 12 baking liners.

Sift the flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar into a large bowl; stir to ensure even distribution and set aside. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the melted butter and gel coloring until blended. Then add the buttermilk, oil, mayonnaise, egg, vinegar, and vanilla until well combined. Now add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until the batter is mostly smooth (no more than 2 minutes and small lumps are fine).

Distribute batter evenly among baking cups, filling each about 2/3 full. When finished, slam the pan evenly and firmly downward from 2 inches above the counter to force out any large bubbles. Bake for 16 to 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven right away, let cool for 2 minutes, then transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Once cupcakes have cooled completely, use a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip to pipe swirls from the outside edge inward and upward on each cake. Just before serving (condensation may form on the modeling chocolate if stored in a container with the moist/warm cupcakes), insert 2 chocolate horns directly opposite to each other near the top of a cupcake's frosting. Insert the non-pointed end of a chocolate tail at the base of the frosting between the 2 horns. Carefully place the rest of the tail up the side of the frosting, curving it in an "S" shape. Press the tail, including the point, gently into the frosting to secure it. Now you're looking at a devilish "behind." Add tails to all the other little devil-cakes in the same way. By now I just know you'll be feeling a little sinful. Go ahead...give in to it and take a bite...I won't tell =p.

Pipeable and Not-too-sweet Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Red gel/paste/powdered food coloring, as much as needed to reach desired shade
8 oz. (1 block) cream cheese, cold and cut into 6 to 8 chunks

Sift powdered sugar into a small bowl. [If using powdered food coloring, sift a small amount in with the powdered sugar.] In a larger mixing bowl, cream the butter, 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, vanilla, and a few drops of food coloring until thoroughly blended and fluffy. Add more food coloring, if needed, until you reach something close to the shade you want. Add the cream cheese, a chunk at a time, beating after each addition (just enough to work it in until it’s smooth). If needed, add more powdered or gel food coloring until the desired shade is achieved. Be careful to avoid overbeating or the cream cheese may start to break down and become gloppy. Chill for 24 hours (ideally) to allow the red color to deepen. Then beat again until smooth just before using.

Modeling Chocolate Devil Horns and Tail
Chocolate adapted from Cake Central

10 oz. semisweet chocolate (coarsely chopped chunks or chips)
1/3 cup light corn syrup

Black gel or paste food coloring, as needed

Making the modeling chocolate: In a shallow bowl, melt the chocolate in microwave (be careful so that the temperature does not exceed 100 degrees F) for 2 minutes; stir. If chocolate is not completely melted, return to microwave for 30 seconds at a time and stir until smooth.

Add corn syrup to the chocolate and mix well (scrape all the corn syrup into the chocolate with a rubber spatula). Using a rubber spatula, stir and fold mixture, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl well, until no shiny syrup is visible and the mixture forms a thick ball.

Pour mixture onto a large sheet of wax or parchment paper and spread with the spatula until it’s about 1/2-inch thick; let it sit and stiffen, uncovered, for about 2 hours. After that, knead black food coloring into the modeling chocolate 1 to 2 drops at a time until you get the desired shade. Use at once or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Shaping the horns: Make 24 balls about 1/2 inch across with the modeling chocolate. Flatten one side of each ball against your working surface. Use your index fingers to roll the other end down to a point. Smooth and flatten the the chocolate, curving the points to one side until it looks like a horn. Set the finished horn down on its flattened end, and repeat until you have made 24 horns.

Shaping the pointed tails: Roll modeling chocolate into 12 ropes about 2 1/2 inches long and 1/6-inch thick each; set aside. Shape 12 small pieces of modeling chocolate into flat triangles that are each about 1/8 inch thick and and 1/2 inch on all 3 sides. Join each triangle to one of the ropes made earlier by pressing one end of the rope into a triangle.