cookie calendar - day 15: gluten-free chocolate peppermint cookies

You know how once in a while you and a co-worker manage to become friends, great friends, outside of the workplace. You no longer think of that person as someone who you work with, but someone you actually like hanging out with? That happened to me and Christina.

Although I was incredibly happy to leave my last job behind me, I do miss my daily chats and lunches with Christins, so I'm happy that we still manage to keep in touch even though our new workplaces are nowhere close to each other (we both quit our old jobs within a week of each other).

Besides being a great co-worker and friend, I have to say that Christina is an awesome baker. Like, really talented. This girl can decorate cupcakes/cakes sooooo much better than I can! In fact, I often try to derail her corporate career by encouraging her to open up her own bakery (LOL - I'm kind of a bad influence sometimes).

Even though she hasn't yet decided to take my career advice, I was really glad that Christina (and her sister) agreed to share a cookie recipe with me!

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Six years ago, Lil’ Sis (Loredana) was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Coming from a pasta and sweets crazy Italian family, having to cut the wheat and gluten from her diet sounded impossible. But Lil’ Sis’ entire family put on their glass-half-full lenses – this was a new opportunity for all of us to be introduced to the world of corn pasta, quinoa (mmm…yummy quinoa) and brown rice flour.

Fast forward to 2012 and gluten-free (GF) foods have come a looong way. Trust Lil’ Sis…she’s eaten some sad, tasteless bread and mixed-that-flour-with-this-other-flour for recipes in the last six years. 

Toping the GF food list is Cup 4 Cup flour. Honestly, this flour is the greatest thing since sliced gluten-free bread. This miracle flour does just what its name says – it replaces all-purpose flour “cup for cup.” Boom.

This past scorching hot summer, Big Sis (Christina) discovered her passion for baking. Perfect timing. And there are only three things she loves more: Juventus, her Lil’ Sis and Christmas. So she took this recipe and together with (Kitchen Sergeant) Lil’ Sis made it gluten-free-a-rific.

We hope you enjoy the sweet chocolate cookie combined with the bite of peppermint as much as we do. 

Merry Christmas and happy holidays, Kitchen Frolic and readers!

xxx

Big Sis and Lil’ Sis were born and raised in Toronto, Ontario as Christina Salvino and Loredana Salvino. Big Sis spends her days pretending to do work from home and planning her life around the soccer schedule. Lil’ Sis studied Chef Training at George Brown College and can be found most days at Williams-Sonoma Yorkdale sharing her culinary passion with anyone who’ll listen.

gluten-free chocolate peppermint cookies 
printer-friendly version

ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg, separated

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose gluten free flour Note: For a non-gluten free cookie, use the same amount of regular all purpose flour

1/3 cup baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 bag Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses (approx. 44 Kisses)

Holiday coloured baking sprinkles^* Note: you’ll need a lot

directions:

Position oven rack in the middle. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk, milk and vanilla.

Combine gluten-free flour (we used Cup 4 Cup), cocoa and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle (we left it chillin’ for 2 hours). Tip: double wrap the dough. Gently place plastic wrap directly on top of the dough. Then tightly wrap bowl with plastic wrap. This will save the condensation dripping on to the dough.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg white until foamy.

Pour baking sprinkles into separate small bowl. Tip: we found it easiest to pour a little bit of sprinkles and adding more as needed.

Shape your chilled dough into 1-inch balls; dip in egg white and then roll in sprinkles. This can get messy…but totally deliciously worth it!

Place balls two inches apart on lined baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Remove cookies from oven and immediately place your Hershey Kiss on top of the cookie, gently pressing down. Yes the Kiss will melt.

Leave to cool on wire rack.

Yield: 36 cookies.

^*Substitute sprinkles with chopped walnuts or icing sugar. If you go the icing sugar route, don’t dip the dough ball in the egg white. 

The recipe and all photos used in this blog post belong to Christina Salvino and Loredana Salvino. and should not be reprinted without her express permission.