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Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies – Gluten-Free!

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Finally… the perfect chocolate chip cookie that’s deliciously gluten-free (you would never know they are!) Chocolate Hazelnut Butter adds depth ~ add plenty of Bittersweet Chocolate Chunks 

The best crispy cookie!
The dough is simple.. and I stirred all by hand

Want to create really good homemade crispy chocolate chip cookies that rival the best?

The best ingredients make the best cookies.

Holiday gift giving? Holiday Entertaining? These are SURE to delight!!
Or – as a baker you will want to add this recipe to your repertoire!
I have been cooking/ baking for over 30 years, using my home kitchen as a “test-kitchen.”

I choose to bake my own.
Commercial varieties are so often “cheating” with adding “natural flavors.”
This is not the first time I have written about this problem. Natural flavors are chemicals, same as artificial flavors. Nothing natural about it… the FDA does not regulate this natural flavor language… and companies are getting away with this – as the consumer thinks “natural flavors” must be natural. This gives companies, such as Tate’s a special flavor boost to their products. We can not recreate this flavor in the home kitchen.
But, the company, like so many others say we use the “finest natural ingredients and do not contain any additives or preservatives.” PS: natural flavoring is NOT natural.”

Tate’s Bake Shop Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients
Recent photo: see ingredients

Example: Hershey Milk Chocolate… yep, contains natural flavor!! That specific flavor… yes, synthetic flavoring.
Hershey’s is perhaps the most popular brand of chocolate in the country.
Hershey’s chocolate bars contain several additives. Soy lecithin is made from soybean oil and added to Hershey’s chocolate to keep the cocoa and cocoa butter from separating. PGPR, or polyglycerol polyricinoleate, is made from castor bean oil and added to chocolate to improve its viscosity. This additive along with artificial flavors are what give Hershey’s its signature sweet taste and smooth, creamy texture.

I have made a commitment not to consume products with natural flavors (it’s in most processed foods), and I am always reading and learning about the benefits of both non-gmo and organic products. 

Please see my article printed in Mind Body Green: Why You Should Ditch “Natural Flavors”
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-21041/why-you-should-ditch-natural-flavors.html

I have used Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter. It’s terrific. Unlike “Nutella”,  no lecithins and vanillin (an artificial flavor) – uses organic nuts, half the sugar and no gmo’s (in the process of being certified.) Their palm oil is considered certified sustainable.

Now let’s talk chocolate:
I’ve used Endangered Species Fair Trade Dark Chocolate – 88% Cocoa Bar. It contains 5% sugar in each portion – quite low, yet delicious… this is a high quality bittersweet chocolate for baking (cut into chunks) and eating. Another favorite: Hu Brand – Simple Dak Chocolate. Ingredients: organic fair-trade cacao, unrefined organic coconut sugar and organic fair-trade cocoa butter with no soy lecithin.

Enjoy this amazing recipe,
Karen

A key ingredient for the flavor and texture: Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
Instead of buying chocolate chunks in a bag – cut your favorite organic bittersweet chocolate bar into chunks
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