A dear friend of mine had a lovely idea for this last Christmas. Knowing that money is tight for both of our families, she suggested that we exchange baked goods as gifts. Perfect! Except there was a slight complication. My friend cannot eat wheat. This detail changed a no-brainer into a challenge. I wanted to send her something that she would be able to enjoy instead of just passing it on to her family. So I hit the internet searching on wheat-free cookies. The results were less than appetizing.
In desperation, I decided to experiment with alternate flours. So, I headed off to Giant to see what I could find. There I beheld quinoa flour for the first time. It’s pronounced keen-wa, and I’ve included that tidbit because I was clueless the first time I saw the word in print. The package said, “Quinoa has a delicate nutty flavor and is versatile for baking.” It sounded like a good candidate for a wheat substitute.
At home, I got out my chocolate chips and my trusty chocolate chip oatmeal cookie recipe. Then I opened the package of quinoa flour. The stuff smelled like chalk dust. I was not encouraged, but I pressed on. I made the cookie dough substituting equal amounts of quinoa flour for wheat flour. I am nothing, if not fearless, in my alterations of recipes. They don’t always work, but I’ll give anything a go. The cookie dough came out on the stiff side. I thought then that perhaps a 1:1 substitution was not the best choice, I but baked a trial sheet of cookies. The rest of the dough went back in the fridge.
When I took the cookies out of the oven, they were puffy rather than flattish like regular chocolate chip cookies. They even had some little points that browned slightly, but it was the, er, aroma that made me skeptical. To put it bluntly, they stunk. The smell was something like roasted chalk. Unfortunately, my house lacks a range hood that actually vents to the outside, and it was too cold to open windows.
So I let the cookies cool figuring that I would be throwing them out and formulating a new plan. Nonetheless, I forced myself to be brave and try one before pitching the lot. It was… wait for it… surprisingly good. Almost as good as the genuine article. I was positively gleeful, mostly because it meant I didn’t have to come up with another idea. I finished baking the rest before the Girlie got home from school. As soon as she walked in the door, she said, “What stinks?” It was that bad. For real. The house still smelled a few hours later when we came back from her dance class.
The smell was worth it. My friend told me that she loved the cookies and had devoured them. I think quinoa is going to become a staple in her cupboard. The recipe is below for those with the fortitude to endure the odor. Read the rest of this entry
