Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I first started branching off from pancake and waffle recipes I was incapable of correctly using the same recipe twice. No matter how carefully I measured ingredients a cookie recipe that produced flat crispy cookies one time might create dense round masses of dough the next. This recipe passed the destructive baker test. I've used it countless times, and though I created numerous variations at the beginning-- crunchy, chewy, thin, crisp, etc-- they always came out yummy. These days they're predictably soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and easy to make. The recipe comes from "125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes" by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt. I highly recommend these authors. We own three other recipe collections of theirs, and they are all different, delicious, and dependable. They also have very helpful tips and great variations with each recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 degrees celsius)
Baking sheets, lightly greased 
Makes 6 1/2 dozen cookies 

1 cup sorghum flour
2/3 cup whole bean flour (I use Bob's Red Mill flour mix, but any bean flour works)
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shortening, softened
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups mini-chocolate chips (regular sized works too, the cookies will just be flatter)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional, cookies will be flatter without them)

1. In a bowl or plastic bag, combine sorghum flour, whole bean flour, tapioca starch, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt. Mix well and set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, cream shortening and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop dough by level teaspoonfuls (15 mL), 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) apart on prepared baking sheets. Let stand for 30 minutes. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Remove from baking sheets to a cooling rack immediately. Note- keep a close eye on them once you hit the 8 minute mark. If you like your cookies chewy, don't let them get golden.

TIP
For crisper cookies, replace shortening with butter or margarine and substitute half the brown sugar with granulated sugar.

VARIATIONS
-Substitute white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts for the mini chocolate chips and walnuts.
-To bake a dozen cookies at a time or to turn these into slice and bake cookies, form the dough into 1 inch logs 6 inches in length, and freeze for up to 1 month. To bake, thaw slightly and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Bake 10 to 12 minutes.