12 Days of Holiday Treats, Day 8: Dreena Burton's Gluten-Free Chocolate Orange Cornmeal Cookies

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Posted by : foodnetworkcanada, Mon, Dec 08 2008

EDITOR'S NOTE: This month, instead of the usual Cooking Club Challenge, we wanted to give you the opportunity to choose from a lot of different holiday recipes. Because, let's face it, baking season is in full swing and you need all the inspiration you can get. For the first 12 days of December we're featuring a new holiday treat every day.

On the eighth day of Holiday Treats, we've got something for those of you with a gluten allergy: Chocolate Orange Cornmeal Cookies.

Here's how the Foodtv.ca Cooking Club Challenge works:
• Make the chosen monthly recipe. In this case, there are 12 recipes, so you'll have to keep checking back for the entire 12 days
• Feel free to follow it to a "T" or add your own creative flair
• Email a picture to blogATfoodtvDOTca (in .jpg format) and a short descriptive paragraph (100-150 words) before December 31, 2008 for your chance to win prizes. If you have a flickr account, you can post to the Foodtv.ca flickr group.
• Do check out past Cooking Club Challenge results

Chocolate Orange Cornmeal Cookies (gluten-free)
Yield: 12

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup cornmeal (fine cornmeal, not corn grits)
2 tbsp amaranth flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp potato starch flour (not potato flour)
1 tbsp tapioca starch flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 cup unrefined sugar
3 tbsp non-dairy chocolate chips (see note)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp orange zest (optional, see note)
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup organic canola oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients, sifting in the cocoa powder, potato starch flour, tapioca starch flour, baking powder, and xanthan gum, and stir until well combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the brown rice syrup with the vanilla and stir until well combined. (If the brown rice syrup is difficult to mix, try warming in a heat-proof dish in the toaster oven for a couple of minutes.) Then, stir in the canola oil, and add this wet mixture to the dry. Stir through until just well combined.
Place spoonfuls of the batter (about 1- 1½ tbsp in size) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 11-12 minutes.
Remove from the oven, let cool on the pan for no longer than a minute, then remove with a spatula and transfer to a cooling rack.

Note: If using the orange zest, you can also add more orange flavor to these cookies using an orange-flavored dark chocolate bar. Instead of using chocolate chips, break or cut the bar into small morsels and mix into the batter in place of the chips.

See the rest of the 12 Days of Holiday Treats: