Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie From 'The Everyday Art of Gluten-Free'

[Photograph: Knoxy Knox]

Ah, the glorious chocolate chip cookie. Crispy, chewy, salt-dusted, or just sweet—no matter the variation, it's an American stand-by. But until recently, a reliable, equally satisfying gluten-free version of the classic was not common. The Everyday Art of Gluten-Free beautifully mimics that tender yet crisp chocolate-chip balance, without relying on standard flour. The Cookie Jar Blend does all the work. We've provided the recipe; why wait to achieve gluten-free cookie nirvana?

Tips: If you're a science-minded baker, you'll notice in the recipe that there is an excess of vanilla extract (one tablespoon) as well as extra egg yolks, and a scant amount of butter (7 tablespoons). The decrease in butter is to keep it from bleeding out of the cookie, while the egg yolks help hold everything together. The extra vanilla extract is added because each flour has a flavor, and so using double or triple the normal amount of extract makes sure it won't get lost in the batter. Each batch of Cookie Jar Blend makes 7 1/2 cups, which is enough for 3 batches of cookies.

Tweaks: Like any other chocolate chip cookie recipe, substitutions are possible, and encouraged. Here's a tweak from Morgan herself, to make Triple-Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies:

"Macadamia nuts and white chocolate have a special understanding, and this version of the Ultimate lets them bring out each other's alchemical best. Prepare the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie dough up to the point when you'd add the chocolate chips, then fold in 1 cup (168 g) milk chocolate chips, 1 cup (168 g) white chocolate chips, 1 cup (168 g) semisweet chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup (77 g) roughly chopped macadamia nuts. Proceed as directed."

As always with our Bake the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of The Everyday Art of Gluten-Free to give away. Just tell us what dessert you'd love to see transformed into something gluten-free.