After completing my Whole30 I discovered that I didn’t feel great after eating gluten. I can tolerate small amounts occasionally but if I overdo it I get really ill and as a result, this has led me to some experimenting in the kitchen. I had always been pretty comfortable baking but my skills have been tested because gluten free baking is a whole new ball game. I’ve made four batches of gluten free cookies recently and let me tell you, getting a chewy on the inside, crisp on the outside cookie just didn’t seem possible without the gluten.

My nerves grew when Tom challenged my sister Caitlin and I to a cookie-off on Halloween. I knew I wanted mine to be undetectably gluten free and I knew that the flour blends I had tried thus far weren’t cutting it. Enter xanthan gum. I was trying to avoid it, mostly because it sounded weird but as soon as I mixed up the dough for these cookies, it was just like “regular” cookie dough and I knew they would bake up perfect.

When the cookies were blind tested, no one knew they were gluten free and the scores were tied! I consider that a win. If you are looking for a gluten free cookie that everyone will enjoy, these are definitely it. The empty container I brought home is proof alone.

Gluten-Free Compost Cookies

Makes about 30 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups white rice flour
• ½ cup potato starch
• ¼ cup tapioca flour
• 1 tsp. xanthan gum
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup white sugar
• ¾ cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• ¾ cup Reese’s minis
• 1 cup peanut M&M’s
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips
• ½ cup butterscotch chips
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 2 handfuls regular kettle cooked potato chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment or silicone mats and set aside.

In a medium bowl stir together the flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until totally combined. Add the dry ingredients in a few stages, scraping the bowl each time and mixing well until dough forms. Add in the candy, chocolate chips and oats. Mix well. Throw in potato chips last, letting the mixer crush the chips into the dough. Don’t over mix. You want there to be chunks of chips in the dough.

Drop tablespoonfuls of the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes until lightly golden, being careful not to over bake. I took mine out around the 9 minute mark each time and they were chewy and perfect.

Let cool, then store in an airtight container.

Notes:

Make sure your oats, chips, chocolate and butterscotch chips, baking powder and vanilla are all gluten free as well. Ingredients differ between brands so read your labels!

If your chips are really salty, decrease the salt in the recipe.

I found all of my gluten free flours and xanthan gum at Bulk Barn.

Cookie base adapted from Cooking Classy