31 Days of Cookies: Gluten-Free Spiked Chocolate Decadence Cookies
On the 27th day of cookies, our guest blogger proves that gluten-free cookies can hold their own in the dessert spread.
The inspiration for my Spiked Chocolate Decadence Cookies was the holiday spirit — or spirits — so present throughout the season. And while cocktails abound, booze goes a long way toward successful holiday baking too. Vodka renders pie crusts impossibly flaky; brandy or rum gives cakes a crumb so moist and heady that dessert lovers may need a designated driver; and a tablespoon of any liquor will forever transform the way you look at cookies. (Because we’re talking about gluten-free baking here, just make sure to grab a gluten-free vodka or brandy in lieu of the traditional 40 proof.)
I was inspired by my grandmother’s hazelnut bacci when I started developing these gluten-free Spiked Chocolate Decadence Cookies. I used whole eggs and eliminated any trace of nuts by using my gluten-free cookie flour blend. I added a tablespoon of vodka to the dough and refrigerated it overnight so the sugars could absorb all the liquid. The end result? A chocolate cookie with a crunchy outer rim and a soft, supple center. Sandwich two with the chocolate ganache filling for a very seasonally appropriate splurge.
Matt Armendariz, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.
Karen Morgan is the founder of the beloved gluten-free Blackbird Bakery in Austin, Texas, and is the author of two cookbooks on matter: Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free and The Everyday Art of Gluten-Free, which feature her new line of gluten-free flour blends.
