Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Heart Cookie

Valentine's Day is fast approaching and I can't begin to tell you how many cute and delicious looking recipes I've found from various sources.  This giant Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Heart Cookie got a trial run last night and got rave reviews from all who tried it.  A gooey chocolate chip cookie is topped with sweetened cream cheese, strawberries and a chocolate drizzle.  Chocolate dipped strawberries are the finishing touch to this chewy cookie.  Although I have made a giant chocolate chip cookie for years with my heart pan, I got some new and creative gluten free ideas for this giant cookie from some other gluten free blogs I like.
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Heart Cookie
Goodies Gone Gluten Free

I have found the ultimate gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe on a great gluten free site I follow, My Gluten-Free Kitchen. This recipe for cookie dough is the star of this giant heart cookieM and I hope you try making these cookies one day as individual scooped cookies too! I used a Wilton large heart pan to make this cookie, but you could certainly use little cookie molds or even just make individual scooped cookies, but I was going for a Valentine theme and used the heart pan.  The idea for the design of this cookie came from another great site I have found, Faithfully Gluten Free.

Coming tomorrow on the blog, Chocolate Drizzled Heart Shaped homemade marshmallows! Both of these Valentine inspired recipes were so fun to make and looked and tasted amazing!  Enjoy.

GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP HEART COOKIE
Recipe from:  Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Cookie Dough Recipe from: My gluten-free kitchen
click here for Printable Recipe

Cookie Dough:

  • 2 1/4 cups (~282 grams) good all-purpose gluten-free flour blend (I used Pamelas)
  • 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (omit if gf flour blend has xanthan or guar gum already)
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 ounces cream cheese, room temp
  • 3/4 cups unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 egg yolks (room temp)
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

 Topping:

1 8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 lb. strawberries (set aside desired amount to dip for the garnish and chop the rest)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted for dipping

To make the cookie:
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together gluten-free flour, xanthan (unless flour blend already has xanthan or guar gum), baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, place the cream cheese, then pour melted butter over it. Add brown sugar and sugar and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. (I use the paddle attachment on my mixer.)
  3. Add vanilla extract and egg yolks (one at a time) mixing on low-medium speed until well mixed.
  4. Add the flour mixture that you set aside earlier, beating on low until just combined.
  5. Add the chocolate chips and mix on low or by hand, just until mixed thoroughly.
  6. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate a couple of hours and up to 4 days.
  7. When you are ready too bake, remove from refrigerator and let sit for about 5 minutes to soften enough for easier scooping.
  8. Preheat oven to 375°.
  9. Cut out parchment in the shape of the heart pan and place in the bottom of the pan.  
  10. spray the sides of the pan with cooking spray to ensure the cookie won't stick as it rises.
  11. Press cookie dough evenly into heart pan.
  12. Bake for 10-11 minutes or until the edges are browned and the middle is lightly browned.  The middle won't be as done as the sides, but this lends to a nice chewy cookie once it sets.
  13. When cookie is done, cool in pan on a wire rack until set and fully cooled.  Invert cookie onto a platter, remove parchment paper and carefully turn cookie back over.
  14. With hand mixer, mix cream cheese and powdered sugar until fluffy. Spread over cooled cookie, leaving edges exposed (the edges kind of curl up, making the middle a nice space for the cream cheese to sit in.
  15. Evenly top cream cheese with chopped strawberries.  Heat chocolate chips in a bowl in the  microwave at 30 second increments until melted and dip reserved whole strawberries.   Lay them on a parchment paper and let them set up in the fridge.   Drizzle remaining melted chocolate over top of chopped strawberries and adorn with chocolate dipped strawberries, once set.
  16. Keep cookie in fridge until serving (I cut mine into squares to serve).