Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies - Gluten Free

The humble chocolate chip cookie is my daughter's favorite. Since she was having a rather tough day dealing with the hives she received from her favorite candy bar and the barley malt it contained. As she was contemplating the loss of various food items, I reminded her that gluten free is barley free. She looked at me and asked, "Does that mean I can still eat my favorite chocolate chip cookies?" "Yes, it does," I replied. She smiled at me and said, "Can you make me cookies, Mom? Please?" How could I resist such a sweet request?

As I was planning my recipe, I decided to use buckwheat with my other basic flours. Buckwheat has a mild flavor and an excellent texture. Not a true grain, buckwheat seeds grow from the flower produced by the buckwheat plant. Buckwheat has been cultivated for centuries in China and Japan. It can be grown at high altitudes, such as the Tibetan Plateau. Buckwheat has excellent nutritional benefits and fiber content. Buckwheat has been used in recipes ranging from blinis, galettes and pancakes to soba noodles and cereal.

These cookies were like the Little Bear's porridge. They disappeared quickly and with lots of smiles. Everyone thought they were wonderful. What did my daughter think? She gave me a big hug and said, "Thanks, Mom."

Recipe

2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Turbinado sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour*
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup arrowroot starch
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
Optional: 1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie pan with parchment paper.

2. In a medium sized bowl, pour in all the flours, soda, salt and then stir.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter. Pour in the different sugars and mix. Plop in the eggs, vanilla extract and slowly mix. Pour in the dry ingredients a little at a time until combined with the liquids. Chuck in the chocolate chips and nuts, lightly mix.

4. Using two soup spoons or a small ice cream scooper, scoop out balls of cookie dough and arrange on the cookie sheet. Allow several inches between the balls of dough so the cookies can spread during cooking.

5. Bake for 11 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool before removing from the cookie pan.

* In the United States you can purchase gluten free buckwheat flour from Birkett Mills in Penn Yan, New York. They carry gluten free buckwheat kasha, groats and flour. Arrowhead Mills in Texas carries gluten free buckwheat flour. Bob's Red Mill sells a variety of buckwheat products. Glutenfree.com carries buckwheat flour.