I continue my relentless quest for the perfect grain-free chocolate chip biscuit….
Contrary to differing opinion, my ideal chocolate chip biscuit is CRUNCHY not chewy and buttery, not cakey at all. It has to snap when broken without crumbling into a million pieces. There needs to be a good amount of chocolate chips and not be overly sweet. That’s not asking for too much is it?
Sadly, to keep the recipe within the restraints of grain-free and low sugar, it is.
I have tried endless recipes based on almonds, coconut flour, tapioca, beans & seeds and I just can’t crack this one.
I have managed to get a half decent one with quinoa & rice, find my recipe here. And I previously posted a grain-free recipe here, which is sort of crunchy! But not quite what I am searching for.
It seems imperative to include a lot of starch in a recipe that retains its crunch factor. Starch and protein. This recipe uses sorghum flour for a change in my repertoire. I don’t use it very often but is very popular in the gluten free fraternity.
Sorghum is a millet like grain that is high in protein & iron, and has a low GI. Unlike millet, which is highly goitrogenic, sorghum is less crumbly than millet in baked goods and works just as well, if not better than buckwheat.
Traditionally this flour has been used for centuries in Africa & India where it is known as jowar flour. You can find it very cheaply in Asian grocers. In the western world it is predominantly used in cattle feed and making boutique beer!
If you can’t find it, substitute for buckwheat flour. I have used guar gum and psyllium as a binder, I tried to omit them but the result is a biscuit that just falls apart. If you come up with an alternative that works, please let me know!!
100g walnuts (use sunflower seeds if nut free) 70g sugar (I used 60g Natvia & 10g rapadura) 130g butter 1 egg yolk 120g sorghum flour 50g rice flour 1/4 teas salt 1/2 teas guar gum (rounded) 1 teas psyllium husks (rounded) 80g chocolate chips Chop the walnuts on SP 3 for 1 second. I do this instead of using the turbo button as I find the turbo is too turbo! The nuts should be finely chopped but not a flour. Set aside. Mill the sugar on SP 9 for 5 seconds. Add the butter and mix on SP 6 for 5 seconds. Add the yolk, insert the butterfly and whip on SP 4 for 20 seconds. Scrape down & repeat for a further 20 seconds. Remove the butterfly. Sift the flours, guar & salt into the bowl and add the psyllium, walnuts & chocolate. Mix on SP 3 REVERSE for a few seconds until JUST incorporated. Don’t over mix. Roll into tablespoon sized balls and flatten on a tray. Bake in a 160ºC oven for 20 minutes until just golden. Because I like my biscuits crunchy, I turn off the oven, open the door and leave them to cool in there. The texture of these biscuits does improve with resting so if you are not impatient, like me, put the dough in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes before rolling into balls. I found the raw dough mix completely addictive, it was lucky any made it to the oven! If you think you have a better chocolate chip cookie recipe, please feel free to post a link in the comments. Oh, and my fellow chocolate-chip-biscuit-obsessee, Natasha from A Girl, a Guy, Furkids & Food has a delicious chewy recipe here.
clevercook 
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