RECIPE: Chocolate Cookies

I was in the mood for some cookies tonight and decided to try a low-carb recipe.
I Googled this group for cookies and found Myra's Basic Cookie recipe. I
modified it slightly to make chocolate cookies and they came out GREAT!

*****
MYRA'S BASIC *COOKIE **RECIPE*

2 1/2 cups almond flour (see NOTE)
1 1/2 cups Splenda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum (see NOTE)
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together in a mixer until well blended. Divide
into 4 ziplock bags or plastic covered bowls and flavor according to
your tastes. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before baking.

Make cookies by forming dough into 1/2-inch balls, placing the balls
on a *cookie* sheet (I use the airbake pans). Flatten the balls with
the bottom of a glass tumbler dipped in water to about 3/8-inch thick.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 8-12 minutes, until lightly browned.
Remove from *cookie* sheets and cool.

Entire batch of dough makes about 12 dozen cookes. Entire batch has
about 89 carbs, about .62 *carb* per *cookie*.

NOTE: I buy almond flour from http://www.almondsonline.com/. If you
have a blender or mill, you can grind your own - 8 ounces of blanched
almonds makes about 2 cups of almond flour.

NOTE: Xanthan gum is a natural product that add stability to
mixtures. Without wheat flour (and the gluten in wheat flour), these
cookies come out *very* crumbly. The teaspoon of xanthan gum gives
the cookies a very good texture - crisp without falling apart when you
pick them up. Xanthan gum is expensive - $9.99 for an 8-ounce bag at
Whole Foods - but a little goes a long way.

Flavoring:

Add 1/2-1 teaspoon extract (or 1/4 teaspoon Nature's Flavor) to each
portion. I've found that lemon and orange work *really* well. Adds
negligible amount of carbs.

For chocolate cookies, add 1 square melted unsweetened chocolate to
one portion (1/4 *recipe*), along with an additional tablespoon or so of
Splenda. For this variation, add about .25 *carb* to each *cookie*.

For nut cookies, add some chopped walnuts, pecans or macadamia nuts
(try adding macadamia to the chocolate variation). Add appropriate
amount of extra carbs for the added nuts.
*****

My customizations:

Used 2 cups of almond meal and 1/2 cup of whey protein powder (may use more
protein powder next time). I used 1.5 tsp liquid Splenda plus a generous squirt.
I added 2 tbl flaxmeal and 1 oz Nestle's baking chocolate. Oh, and a splash of
DaVinci Sugar-Free Cookie Dough syrup. I baked them at 350 for about 8.5 minutes
(because I didn't notice that the instructions said 375).

They came out GREAT! I like cookies crunchy and, with flattening, these ARE (but
still a little soft in the middle). They hold together well without being
crumbly. They are also very filling. I got 27 cookies out of it at 1.037 carbs
and 131.1 calories each.

As I was making them, I mused on my vast cookie-baking career. This was prompted
by the fact that I realized I could fit 12 cookies on each sheet, not just 9.
Over the years I started making cookies bigger and bigger and bigger. I had
forgotten that I routinely made 12 cookies to a sheet when I was a kid in the
60s, even with the ones that tended to spread while cooking, and I'm pretty sure
they were SMALLER cookies sheets.

--
Saffire
205/181/125
Atkins since 6/14/03
Progress photo: http://photos.yahoo.com/saffire333

Saffire wrote:

NOTE: Xanthan gum is a natural product that add stability to
mixtures. Without wheat flour (and the gluten in wheat flour), these
cookies come out *very* crumbly. The teaspoon of xanthan gum gives
the cookies a very good texture - crisp without falling apart when you
pick them up. Xanthan gum is expensive - $9.99 for an 8-ounce bag at
Whole Foods - but a little goes a long way.

Does Xanthan gum work the same way as Guar gum? I already have a jar of
that.

Rebecca

how much do they charge for shipping?

NOTE: I buy almond flour from http://www.almondsonline.com/

In article 4KUBb.18615$8y1.94102@attbi_s52, says...
Does Xanthan gum work the same way as Guar gum? I already have a jar of
that.

I think so. I actually used Thicken Thin/NotStarch, which is a mix of vegetable
gums (acacia, guar, carob, xanthan).

--
Saffire
205/181/125
Atkins since 6/14/03
Progress photo: http://photos.yahoo.com/saffire333

Saffire wrote:
:: In article 4KUBb.18615$8y1.94102@attbi_s52,
:: says...
::: Does Xanthan gum work the same way as Guar gum? I already have a
::: jar of that.
::
:: I think so. I actually used Thicken Thin/NotStarch, which is a mix
:: of vegetable gums (acacia, guar, carob, xanthan).

Good! I was going to ask the same question as Rebecca, but i have this same
stuff that you used (which I bought yesterday).

Do you know the calorie count of your recipe?

In article ,
says...
Do you know the calorie count of your recipe?

131.1 calories and a touch over 1 carb each based on 27 cookies.

--
Saffire
205/180/125
Atkins since 6/14/03
Progress photo: http://photos.yahoo.com/saffire333