Balanced Cookies

It feels really good to bake again.

The temper tantrum I threw when I first went gluten free lasted a good 18 months or longer, in fact, I'm not even sure I've completely shaken it. I still have a crazy-long learning curve before me, but I'm super glad I'm finally headed in the right direction. Especially since I've finally found (thanks to some good friends) a few recipes that make fun, delicious xgfx morsels I can get behind. Wink wink.

Speaking of winking, Melisser's in town and today she's signing copies of her new book The Girl's Guide to Life at Herbivore. Since I wanted to bring along some excellent xgfx treats to share, I decided to give the Carrot Cake Mini Marvels from Cookies for Everyone another go, but this time with a few modifications. Amy and I made these last month, and they were so very sweet--and that's saying a lot, cuz' I like sweet stuff. So I cut the sugar back by 25 percent, added chopped candied ginger instead of raisins, used a different but similar flour blend, added more salt and filled them with the cream cheeze cookie filling from Papa Tofu, instead of the one in the recipe.

These are delicious cookies! I would never guess they're gluten-free, and they're pretty healthy as far as cookies go. Whole grain flours, lots of fiber from carrots, homemade applesauce* and flax, plus the cookie base contains no palm--just oil and is free of the Devil's Powder! So nice.

Come out tonight and say hi! The book signing is from 5-8PM at Herbivore (SE 12th and Stark).

*I never buy applesauce for baking. Just core an apple, chop it up coarsely and throw it into a little bit of water in a small saucepan. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, drain and puree. One medium apple yields about 1/2 cup of awesomesauce.
xo
kittee