Who’s ready to make whoopie?

I shouldn’t have been allowed to watch The Newlywed Game growing up; those euphemisms were not hard for a 6 year old to figure out. Also The Match Game; you don’t have to tell me where Alice told Frank to stick his blank.

I got side-tracked. I meant to tell you a different childhood memory.

My grandmother-in-law(I’m not sure if that’s a real thing but that’s basically what she was) always made the best whoopie pies for celebrations. She also made the best molasses cookies, peanut butter cookies, and soft butter taffy specially for Christmas, but let’s start with whoopie pies. Between losing her and finding out I can’t eat gluten, I haven’t had a whoopie pie in probably 6 years. That’s too long.

I tried making these last December but didn’t get the recipe right and ended up making fudge pies instead. This time the cookies held their shape and tasted as well as they photographed. While the thought of making them scared me before, it won’t ever again.

This recipe uses xanthan gum, a hyper-powerful fiber that simulates the support of gluten in baked goods. I generally try to avoid using such a specialty item but every recipe for gluten-free whoopie pies I looked up stressed this ingredient and the last time I tried making these without it the cookies fell flat. It really is an essential ingredient in this recipe.

Gluten-Free Whoopie Pies(adapted from this recipe)

For the cookies:

• 2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk

For the filling:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 4oz butter, room temperature
• 2 egg whites, cold
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line baking trays with parchment paper.
3. Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum and mix until emulsified.
4. Add in the coconut milk, egg, egg yolk, and scant 1/4 cup of water and mix it into the dough. The dough should be heavy and stick to itself.
5. Roll chunks of dough into 1-inch balls and put a few inches apart on the baking trays. Bake for 15 minutes until the top is firm.
6. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before filling.
7. In a bowl(chilled is best), beat on high the sugar, butter, egg whites, and vanilla together for 4-5 minutes until light and airy.
8. Scoop 1/2 tablespoon onto one cookie and press another down on top.
9. Repeat until all of the cookies are used.

It’s always a good sign when all the desserts are eaten, and these are long gone. I was more interested in this cake but if whoopie pies are your cup of tea and you’re gluten-free, let this be a treat for you.

I’ve baked more in the past few days than I had all Summer. I love baking but usually I can’t(or rather shouldn’t) eat a whole batch of sweets by myself, so as soon as I get a chance to bake for others I jump at it. Here’s a sneak peak at what’s come out of my oven lately:

9am is too early for cake, right? Just checking.

And last but not least:

Almond cookies. I looked all over for these one night and couldn’t find them anywhere. I threw in the towel and decided to bake them, which couldn’t have been easier. The secret to getting a crisp, biscuit-like texture to these is using regular and superfine sugar to create hard shell on the outside. And since you don’t need to whip the egg whites at all, it’s simple enough for a beginning baker to do!

Amaretti Biscuit Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups almond flour
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Beat together the egg whites, almond flour, both sugars and extract until the dough is unified and sticky.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the baking tray. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the outside is hard and golden.

Serve with a cup of tea, coffee, milk, or almond milk. Since they’re crispy cookies, they’re perfect for dunking to get them soft and crumbly. If you want to spike your milk with amaretto, I won’t judge.

Can you have such a thing as too much dessert?

I’ve had a lot of gluten-free baking disasters happen to me. Cookies are the worst; there’s no protein structure in most gluten-free flours to keep them from spreading. When I read this recipe I was intrigued but skeptical. There’s no way a cookie could work with just almond flour I thought. Despite having doubts the entire time, I gave this recipe a shot and I’m so glad I did. These are perfect chocolate chip cookies, with a slight buttery flavor and tons of melted chocolate chips. The texture is soft and pillowy with a little chew. I couldn’t believe these came out as good as they did! I’m definitely saving this recipe to cook again and again.

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies(adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients(Makes about 12 cookies):

• 1 1/2 cups(6 ounces) almond flour
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 375.

To make the almond flour, ground 6 ounces of almonds in a food processor until it’s all been ground into a thin flour. degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Mix in the egg. Next, add the almond flour, vanilla, salt, and baking soda and mix until it’s all incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Scoop the batter into even portions onto the parchment paper and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool slightly before removing the cookies from the tray.

I had to try one straight out of the oven. And it did not disappoint. These would be great with a glass of chocolate almond milk for dipping. I would definitely double the recipe next time because 9 cookies just won’t be enough.

Added Note: The second time I made these(pictured) they spread out less so that the ones that went into the oven in a ball  shape came out rounded like a doughball whereas the ones that I fashioned into a disk came out in the more traditional cookie shape. The only difference between the two was in appearance; cooking time, taste, and texture all remained relatively the same.

If the only wedding marked on your calendar is the royal wedding, you might need a brownie.

If your boss of 5 years called you the wrong name this week, you might need a brownie.

If the last Saturday night you spent out was under a different president, you might need a brownie.

If your goal is to make it through a St. Patrick’s day parade sober, you might need a brownie.

If you’re a warlock who just got fired from his multi-million dollar contract, you might need a brownie.

If you’re paler than a polar bear after the long cold winter, you might need a brownie.

If it’s that time of month, you definitely need a brownie.

If you’ve only got one brownie left, you might need to make more.