Chocolate Cookies, Gluten Free Chocolate Nut Cookies

Chocolate Cookies, Gluten Free Chocolate Nut Cookies.

Gluten free, Butter free, Chocolate Nut Cookies adapted from Francois Payard Bakery, New York. Excellent recipe for last minute entertaining as this can be put together in 5 minutes.

I once had a chewy sophisticated Chocolate Nut Cookie at Payard patisserie in New York. It was then called as passover cookie. It was a chewy, chocolaty and a oh so good cookie. Sometime later I spotted the same recipe in his cookbook Chocolate Epiphany: Exceptional Cookies, Cakes, and Confections for Everyone . What surprised me was that it was such a simple recipe. The biggest surprise was that there is no added fat. No butter, No oil. The only fat that comes is from the added nuts. A one bowl recipe which takes only 5 minutes to put together.The cookie is so chewy that you feel like you are eating a toffee. The goopy batter which doesn’t look very promising turns out into a super shiny crackled cookie. Its an incredible incredible recipe. Long live Francois Payard! You are the cutest french chef I have ever known and please bless the world with more recipes like this. This makes for a really splendid sweet chocolaty treat. Lets make this cookie and feel the epiphany.

He writes in his book, “These beautiful flourless cookies are particularly in high demand at Payard during passover, but they have become so popular that we sell them year-round. Their crackled surfaces gives them an elegant look, and because they are so easy and take barely any time to make, they are great for last-minute entertaining. They have a slightly crunchy exterior and a soft, almost brownie-like interior.”

In this recipe, payard uses dutch process cocoa powder. Normal cocoa powder works too. Dutch-process cocoa powder is made from cocoa beans that have been washed with a potassium solution, to neutralize their acidity. Natural cocoa powder is made from cocoa beans that are simply roasted, then pulverized into a fine powder. Dutching makes it darker and can help mellow the flavor of the beans.

Lets go and make my apartment smell like a chocolate factory! Ready one, two, three – Go!

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. This is a very goopy and sticky batter and using parchment paper is absolutely necessary. Please don’t dump the batter right on the cookie pan. Use parchment or a silicone baking mat. Please please use parchment if you want to remove the cookies after baking from the pan.

Sift the cocoa, salt and the confectioners sugar. Also sifting is important to remove the little lumps in cocoa and sugar which otherwise can never be incorporated uniformly in the batter.

Add in the egg whites, vanilla and the walnuts. Just dump them all. Mix with a wooden spoon till there is no more dry specks of sugar and cocoa. It will be very dry in the beginning but will all come together into a dark thick batter.

With an ice-cream scoop or a generous tablespoon, scoop the batter onto the prepared baking sheet. Give space between the cookies so that they do not stick when they spread in the oven. If you have extra batter, wait until the first batch of cookies is baked before scooping the next batch.

put the cookies in the oven, and immediately lower the temperature to 320 degree F. Bake for 20 minutes, or until small thin cracks appear on the surface of the cookies. Remove the cookie sheet and let it cool completely before removing the cookies from the parchment paper. It might break if you try to remove them while warm.

Store in an airtight container for up to two days.

• 1/4 cup plus two tablespoon ( 35 grams ) Dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1.5 cups ( 175 grams ) confectioners sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup plus 6 tablespoon ( 135grams ) walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (use the real kind)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Sift the cocoa, salt and the confectioners sugar.
3. Add in the egg whites, vanilla and the walnuts. Just dump them all. Mix with a wooden spoon till there is no more dry specks of sugar and cocoa. It will be very dry in the beginning but will all come together into a dark thick batter.
4. With a ice-cream scoop or a generous tablespoon, scoop the batter onto the prepared baking sheet. give space between the cookies so that they do not stick when they spread in the oven.
5. put the cookies in the oven, and immediately lower the temperature to 320 degree F. Bake for 20 minutes, or until small thin cracks appear on the surface of the cookies. Remove the cookie sheet and let it cool completely before removing the cookies from the parchment paper.
6. Store in an airtight container for up to two days.

• Author: kannamma @kannammacooks.com
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: American

• 1/4 cup plus two tablespoon ( 35 grams ) Dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1.5 cups ( 175 grams ) confectioners sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup plus 6 tablespoon ( 135grams ) walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (use the real kind)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Sift the cocoa, salt and the confectioners sugar.
3. Add in the egg whites, vanilla and the walnuts. Just dump them all. Mix with a wooden spoon till there is no more dry specks of sugar and cocoa. It will be very dry in the beginning but will all come together into a dark thick batter.
4. With a ice-cream scoop or a generous tablespoon, scoop the batter onto the prepared baking sheet. give space between the cookies so that they do not stick when they spread in the oven.
5. put the cookies in the oven, and immediately lower the temperature to 320 degree F. Bake for 20 minutes, or until small thin cracks appear on the surface of the cookies. Remove the cookie sheet and let it cool completely before removing the cookies from the parchment paper.
6. Store in an airtight container for up to two days.

• Author: kannamma @kannammacooks.com
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: American

Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/gluten-free-chocolate-nut-cookies/

Murungai Keerai Poriyal | Drumstick Leaves Stir-fry (Vegan)

South Indian Healthy and easy to make Murungai keerai poriyal – Drumstick Leaves Stir-fry . This vegan recipe makes for a very nice side dish. With step by step pictures.

Drumstick leaves or Moringa as its called in the western world has been used for centuries as folk medicine in India. In Ayurvedic traditional medicine, the leaves are believed to affect blood pressure and glucose levels. Drumstick leaves are given to nursing mothers in the belief that they increase lactation. The leaves are the most nutritious part of the plant, being a significant source of B vitamins, vitamin C, provitamin A as beta-carotene, vitamin K, manganese, and protein, among other essential nutrients. We consume a lot of drumstick and its leaves in South India. Today I made a poriyal / stir-fry with the drumstick leaves.

Here is how to do it. Clean and wash the leaves and set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and when the oil is shimmering, add in the mustard seeds, dry red chillies and urad dal. Let it splutter and wait till the dal turns golden brown. Add in the finely chopped onions and the salt. Saute till the onions are soft and slightly brown.

Once the onions are soft and slightly brown, add in the cleaned, washed and dried drumstick leaves. Saute in medium flame until all the moisture has escaped and the mixture is completely dry. Add in the shredded coconut and saute briefly for a minute. Remove off heat.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon urad dal
• 2 dried red chillies
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 cups moringa leaves (drumstick leaves)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 heaped tablespoon shredded coconut

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and when the oil is shimmering, add in the mustard seeds, dry red chillies and urad dal. Let it splutter and wait till the dal turns golden brown.
2. Add in the finely chopped onions and the salt. Saute till the onions are soft and slightly brown.
3. Add in the cleaned, washed and dried drumstick leaves. Saute in medium flame until all the moisture has escaped and the mixture is completely dry.
4. Add in the shredded coconut and saute briefly for a minute. Remove off heat.
5. Serve hot with rice or roti.

• Author: kannamma @kannammacooks.com
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Category: Stir-fry
• Cuisine: South Indian