Hello Cookie!

Since Girl Scout Cookies only come around once a year I believe that one should be fully prepared and stock up when that little miss comes a callin’ at the door.  Accordingly I bought 37 boxes.  Now that those little gems have arrived it has taken every ounce of willpower not to join in the noshing with the fam.  Celiac sucks! 

Last night, whilst visions of thin mints coursed through my head I decided to create my own version of that ever-lovin’ delight.  Now when one has a gluten and lactose intolerance you can’t just pull out standard cookie fixins’ and expect great results.  Nope, you have to think about proper gluten free flour/starch ratios, xanthan gum, and butter alternatives. 

When I was first diagnosed I poured through book after book trying to educate myself on all of the whats and whys and how to’s of a suddenly very restricted diet.  While a lot of the information overlapped, the one area that did not was that of making a flour mix for baking.  It seems that every recipe called for a different blend, some of which were quite N-A-S-T-Y.  Hmmm, the choices seemed to be gritty, funky flavored, or an after taste that no amount of brushing would erase.  Don’t get me started on the expense of all the different flours.  Through experimentation I finally came up with my own blend that (so far) seems to work well in my baked goods: Sorghum, Tapioca Starch and Potato Starch.   I opted to leave out the Xanthan Gum and add 1 tsp. per cup of flour when actually mixing up a batch of whatever.  In this way I can be sure that the proper leavening ratio is being met.  So far, so good. 

Want to make your own version of Thin Mint Cookies?  Try this:

Sandra’s Pantry Thin Mint Cookies

1. 1/2 Cup Earth Balance Vegan Butter (or use margarine)
2. 1/4 Shortening (so cookies don’t spread)
3. 1 Egg or 1/4 Cup Egg Substitute
4. a pinch of Pure Peppermint Extract (perhaps 1/4 tsp.)
5. 1 1/2 Cups Flour Blend
6. 1/4 Cup Dutch Cocoa
7. 1 1/2  tsp. Xanthan Gum
8. a titch of salt (hmmm, 1/8 tsp perhaps?) 

In a stand mixer, blend the first four ingredients until smooth.  Taste and adjust peppermint if you like a stronger flavor.  Toss in the rest of the ingredients and mix until incorporated.  Pour the dough onto a piece of parchment or wax paper and roll into a log (you’ve seen the cookies; roll and eyeball until you like the size).  Wrap in a clean piece of parchment and refrigerate several hours until firm.  (because of the butter/shortening they won’t get hard, just firm).  Preheat oven to 400*.  Unwrap and slice each cookie about 1/8″ thick (unless you want a softer cookie, then slice about 1/4″).  Bake for 10 minutes.  Place on a wire rack to cool.  While the cookies cool, melt some dark baking chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, ( I used the chocolate that is made for chocolate fountains), stir to melt completely.  Drop cookies into the chocolate, coating both sides.  Place on waxed paper to dry.  Sure, they aren’t a true Thin Mint, but they are DELIGHTFULLY DELICIOUS nonetheless! 

Sandra’s Pantry Thin Mint Cookies

Dipped and Drying

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