As a child, I was always jealous that my grandma would bake Christmas cookies with only one of my cousins. There were actually three of us cousins that lived close enough to participate, but it was only Diane with whom she shared that special day. My sister and I were left out. We did have two other cousins who were the right age, but they did not celebrate Christmas and so were generally left out of holiday celebrations. We would never see them at gatherings unless it was for New Year’s Day or something else “non-religious” as their father thought we were all pagans. I don’t think I have time to unpack that right now, so moving on…
One of our favorite Christmas cookies was the Betty Crocker Chocolate Crinkle recipe. When I found out that I had celiac disease, it became a challenge to me to convert my favorite Christmas cookies to gluten-free ones. So, here is my take on this chocolate treat!
Chocolate Crinkles (Adapted from the Betty Crocker Cookie Cookbook)
1/2 cup canola oil
4 squares unsweetened chocolate (4 oz.,) melted and cooled*
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups white rice flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 Tbsp. xanthan gum
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup confectioner’s sugar (for rolling)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Mix oil, chocolate, and granulated sugar. Blend in one egg at a time until well mixed. Add vanilla. Add flours, starches, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt into oil mixture.
Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into confectioner’s sugar. Roll in sugar and shape into balls. Place about 2″ apart on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 10 – 12 minutes. Do not overbake! Makes about 6 dozen cookies. Enjoy!
* If you do not have unsweetened chocolate squares, you can substitute with 12 Tbsp. cocoa powder + 4 tsp. hard butter or margarine. Melt in a microwave-safe bowl for about two minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until melted, or in a double-boiler, stirring frequently until melted.
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