Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies

I can't believe that it's now October. The leaves are really starting to fall here in London and Autumn is my favourite time of year. I've already packed my summer clothes away in a premature fit of excitement that soon it will be cold enough to wear my winter coat. I'm such a woolly jumper and Chelsea boots kind of girl. I love being able to go for a walk on a chilly day, stopping for a roast and a glass of red wine at a cosy pub. The perfect place to do this is The Spaniard on Hampstead heath, Charles Dickens himself immortalised the pub in the Pickwick Papers. Its the perfect country pub in the city. 

It suddenly occurred to me this morning that I don't have a cookie recipe on here. Cookies are the be all and end all in treats for me. If you have a cookie and a cup of tea, you don't need much else in this world. 

I think the fact that I woke up slightly hungover this morning also had a bearing on this too. I feel like I could eat just dessert and sweet based things today (if anyone wants to drop me the Peanut Butter Shortbread with Salted Caramel Ice Cream from Hawksmoor, I would be eternally in your favour). 

So, anyway, as I'm trying not to fall of the healthy wagon completely, I thought it probably should be something gluten free.  I always find it really hard to find really good quality gluten free baked goods. Let's face it, they just can't compare most of the time. A really nice flour replacement I found was Quinoa flour. It's really easy to make at home and has a really toasted nutty flavour. It works perfect in breads or even sweet pastry. Here is a really simple and clear recipe I used when making my own from Homemade Adventure. 

Here is my song of the day. Today it comes in the form of the Beatles, this video is the inspiration for my winter wardrobe. Get Back- The Beatles




Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies (Makes 12)

350g    Icing sugar
70g      Good quality organic cocoa powder
1 tsp     Vanilla extract
1/2tsp  Kosher salt
1/2tsp  Cinnamon
3           Large organic free range egg whites
350g    Chocolate (I used Galaxy Cookie Crumble, use your favourite)



Put the oven on a medium heat and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

I used a standing mixer for this, but a hand held is fine. 

Add the icing sugar, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon and the vanilla extract into the bowl. Add the egg whites slowly while mixing on a slow speed. The mixture should turn shiny and brown with a slightly silky texture. 

Chop the chocolate into small pieces. I prefer to use a bar of chocolate over chocolate chips as I find that they create a better consistency in cookies and they don't melt as much. Stir the chocolate pieces into the mixture by hand using a sliver spoon. 

Blob the mixture onto the lined tray, you should fit six on an average sized tray. Leave a little space between them as they do spread a little when cooking. 

Place into the oven and cook for around ten minutes or until they start to crack on the top. Let them cool on a wire rack. They may want to stick to the parchment paper so leave them until completely cool to try and remove them, or you will end up with twelve broken biscuits.