I started going to Galloway’s Foods a few years ago to buy baking ingredients that are hard to find in regular supermarkets.  It became my go-to place for things like whole milk powder (you’d think this would be easy to find, but most places sell only the skim milk variety), malt powder, black onyx cocoa powder (great for making intensely dark chocolate cakes, etc.) and liquid glucose.  I also liked their huge selection of spices, organic and gluten-free flours and specialty foods.

Unfortunately, a few weeks ago, I heard that they were closing their store in Richmond, the one which I frequented. I was saddened to hear this news.  My first thought was, where am I going to go now?  My next thought was, I’d better head to the store and buy everything that I could possibly need for the next little while, especially since all store items were going to be 50% off.

When I got to the store, I was disappointed to find that there weren’t too many products left anymore.  There were plenty of spices, however, and I did end up buying a whole bagful, including spices I’d never used before.  Why not start incorporating some new spices into my cooking, right?  I also bought various flours – quinoa, chick pea, buckwheat and barley.  Not that I had anything specific in mind to make, but maybe here was my opportunity to experiment more with gluten-free baking.

After some research, I found this recipe from Monique of Ambitious Kitchen, which utilizes quinoa flour and coconut oil.  The cookies looked wonderful in her photos, and the reviews were great.  I couldn’t wait to try it.  And wow…was I ever amazed at the end result!  These cookies were not only pretty healthy, but they were soft, chewy and delicious! Everyone who tasted them loved them.

Note:  I actually ran out of quinoa flour and substituted about 2 tablespoons of light buckwheat flour.  I thought the cookies were slightly on the sweet side, so next time I make these, I’ll try using chocolate chips with a higher cacao content (like 60%) instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips, which should balance out the sweetness.  Alternatively, as Monique suggests, try sprinkling a little coarse sea salt on the cookies.

(Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen)

GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (Makes 18 – 20 cookies)

Ingredients:

2 cups Quinoa flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
1-1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350 F.
2) In a large bowl whisk together quinoa flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.
3) In bowl of an electric mixer beat together melted coconut oil and brown sugar.  Add in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.  Continue beating for 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy.
4) Add in flour. Mix on low speed until just combined.
5) Fold in chocolate chips.
6) Roll dough into 2 inch balls and place on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
7) Bake 8-11 minutes or until edges just begin to turn a golden brown. Do not over bake. (If you notice that your cookies are baking flat, try chilling your dough first for 10-20 minutes).
8) Remove cookies from oven and let cool at least 5 minutes on baking sheet. The cookies will initially be very fragile, so let them set a bit before transferring them to a wire rack.  Enjoy!