Festive Cappuccino Cookies

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Cappuccino Cookies are for you if you like chocolate chip cookies, coffee and cinnamon. I happen to love all three.

I make these Cappuccino Cookies only at Christmas. They are baked on a baking sheet then brushed with a sweet cinnamon glaze and cut while still warm. I take the time to cut them into little diamonds so they look a little fancy. Some might call this tedious but for me part of the tradition is that I get to sample all those edge pieces that didn’t make a full diamond.

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Gluten Free Cookie Flour Mix

Some gluten free flour mixes work well some of the time but a cookie flour mix is more reliable. It is important to remember that there is no single correct combination to use. In my kitchen my homemade Gluten Free Flour Mix recipe doesn’t work well as a one-for-one substitute for wheat flour in cookies. I have learned that this  recipe for Cookie Flour Mix gives me superior results.

  • -⅔ cup brown rice flour
  • -3 Tbsp potato starch
  • -1 Tbsp + 2 tsp tapioca starch
  • -¼ cup ground almonds
  • -¼ tsp xanthan gum

If you like to mess around with recipes I suggest you whip up a batch of this flour combo and give it a try. Brown rice flour and ground almonds (or almond flour) are both excellent in cookies. This recipe yields one cup but it is the same ratio of gluten free flours that I used in these Cappuccino Cookies.

More Tips For Making Gluten Free Cookies

If you are looking for more tips to improve your baking have a look at my recent blog post Tips For Making Gluten Free Cookies.

If you are a podcast listener you can also listen to my interview on that topic at A Canadian Celiac Podcast episode 43. For those new to podcasts they are the modern version of radio. You can listen to podcasts while you drive, workout or cook; and they are a great way to stay up to date on all things  gluten free.

No I’m Not Kidding

Because of these precise measurements you will see in the recipe an amount like ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp + 2¼ tsp of potato starch. As I work with gluten free flours and share what I think is helpful information I look at this and think, ‘you’ve got to be kidding’. But the answer is, welcome to gluten free baking. If you want amazing cookies that’s what it takes. So either make a batch of cookie flour (I made the above recipe X4) or make all the precise measurements.

When you taste these delicious cookies I hope you think it was worth it.

Cappuccino Cookies

Cappuccino Cookies -photo credit Jim Little

Storing Cookies For Freshness

Gluten free baked goods go stale more quickly than items made with wheat flour so here are two tips for keeping your baked goods fresh.

  1. Double wrap cookies as soon as they have cooled. (I have a very hard time doing this step…but I believe it to be true.)
  2. Use xanthan gum. America’s Test Kitchen makes this recommendation in both of their books, The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook and Volume 2 The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook. They spent a lot of time figuring that out so I believe them.

Of course you can simply eat all the cookies in a day or two and ignore the storage step completely. I’d love to hear about that in the comments below.

A Canadian Celiac Podcast

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Sue Jennett of A Canadian Celiac Podcast. Listen to the podcast here Episode 43 Tips For Baking Gluten Free Cookies. If you haven’t started listening to podcasts yet I suggest you give it a try. It’s the modern version of radio and you get to listen to what you want when you want. Listen while you workout, drive or bake cookies. You’ll probably learn something too.

To stay up to date in the gluten free space – listen to A Canadian Celiac Podcast.

More Holiday Baking

Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread Cookies right out of the oven

Gingerbread Cookies -photo credit Jim Little

Festive Nanaimo Balls or Nanaimo Bars

Nanaimo Balls decorated with crushed candy canes.

Nanaimo Balls -photo credit Jim Little

Holiday Pavlova

A rectangular Holiday Pavlova filled with cream and fresh strawberries, raspberries and kiwi fruit.

Holiday Pavlova -photo credit Jim Little

Ingredients

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp instant coffee, finely ground
1 tsp vanilla
1½ cups brown rice flour*
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp + 2¼ tsp potato starch*
3 Tbsp + 2¼ tsp tapioca starch*
½ cup + 1 Tbsp ground almonds*
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp salt
1 package (10 oz/300 g) semisweet mini chocolate chips
*(2¼ cups cookie flour mix)
CINNAMON GLAZE
1 Tbsp butter, melted
¼ tsp cinnamon
¾ cup icing sugar
2 Tbsp milk

Directions

1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9” x 13” baking pan with parchment.
2
In a stand mixer beat butter, sugar, instant coffee and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3
In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. Whisk until evenly mixed.
4
Turn mixer to low and slowly add the dry ingredients until combined.
5
Add chocolate chips then press dough into prepared baking pan.
6
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the dough is just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan.
7
Pour glaze on top of warm cookies and brush evenly over the entire surface.
8
While the cookies are still warm and before the glaze sets cut the cookies into bars or diamonds.
9
I use a long ruler and a knife to make marks across the pan 1-inch apart. Then cut the entire tray in 1-inch strips in one direction. Make a single cut on the diagonal across the pan. Using the ruler make 1-inch marks on both sides of the diagonal. Following the marks cut through the cookie creating diamond shapes. Let cool completely.
10
For maximum freshness double wrap any cookies you are not serving within two days.
11
CINNAMON GLAZE
12
In a small bowl combine butter, cinnamon, icing sugar and enough milk to make a thin glaze. Set aside until ready to use.

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Ingredients

Directions
  • 1 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp instant coffee, finely ground
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1½ cups brown rice flour*
  • ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp + 2¼ tsp potato starch*
  • 3 Tbsp + 2¼ tsp tapioca starch*
  • ½ cup + 1 Tbsp ground almonds*
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp xanthan gum
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 package (10 oz/300 g) semisweet mini chocolate chips
  • *(2¼ cups cookie flour mix)
  • CINNAMON GLAZE
  • 1 Tbsp butter, melted
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • ¾ cup icing sugar
  • 2 Tbsp milk
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9” x 13” baking pan with parchment.
  2. In a stand mixer beat butter, sugar, instant coffee and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  3. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. Whisk until evenly mixed.
  4. Turn mixer to low and slowly add the dry ingredients until combined.
  5. Add chocolate chips then press dough into prepared baking pan.
  6. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the dough is just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan.
  7. Pour glaze on top of warm cookies and brush evenly over the entire surface.
  8. While the cookies are still warm and before the glaze sets cut the cookies into bars or diamonds.
  9. I use a long ruler and a knife to make marks across the pan 1-inch apart. Then cut the entire tray in 1-inch strips in one direction. Make a single cut on the diagonal across the pan. Using the ruler make 1-inch marks on both sides of the diagonal. Following the marks cut through the cookie creating diamond shapes. Let cool completely.
  10. For maximum freshness double wrap any cookies you are not serving within two days.
  11. CINNAMON GLAZE
  12. In a small bowl combine butter, cinnamon, icing sugar and enough milk to make a thin glaze. Set aside until ready to use.