Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies — The Fourth Cookie in the Ritual

December. Christmas tree, year six. The debate has evolved — Amma no longer protests the tree. She protests the COST of the tree. The existence of the tree has been accepted; the economics remain contentious. Anaya decorated with intent. She has an aesthetic now — a three-and-a-half-year-old with opinions about ornament spacing and color coordination. "Not there, Amma. The blue one goes NEXT to the silver one." She's a curator. Rohan, five months, sat in his high chair and tried to eat a tinsel strand. This is his contribution to the holiday: attempted consumption of decorations. The book is in copyediting. Sarah Chen sent the edited manuscript — tracked changes, margin notes, the specific surgical precision of a professional editor shaping seventy-five thousand words into their final form. I review the edits at night, in the rocking chair, the same chair where I wrote the manuscript, now reading it back with the critical eye of someone seeing their work through someone else's gaze. The editor loved the generous pinch. She wants it in the title. The title stays: "Enough: Recipes from My Mother's Kitchen and Mine." But the subtitle might become: "Cooking in Handfuls." Cooking in Handfuls. Amma's measurement system, elevated to subtitle. I told Amma about the subtitle possibility. She said: "They want to name the book after my hands?" "After how you measure." "I measure correctly." "You measure in handfuls, Amma." "Handfuls are correct for my hands. Other people's hands are different." "That's the point of the book." "Hmph." The subtitle was approved. By the editor, by Sarah, by Amma's hmph. I made Amma's adhirasam and cardamom shortbread and snickerdoodles. Three traditions, three years running. The cookies as ritual. The cookies as constancy. Christmas. The tree. The cookies. The book in copyediting. Rohan trying to eat tinsel. Anaya curating ornaments. The year ends. The book is almost born.

Three years running, the same trio: adhirasam, cardamom shortbread, snickerdoodles. The cookies as ritual, as I wrote — but rituals, like books, are living things, and this year, with Rohan in the high chair and the manuscript finally in copyediting, I felt the pull to add one more. Something universally beloved, something that required no explanation to Amma and no negotiation with a three-and-a-half-year-old curator of ornaments. Chocolate chip cookies, made without wheat flour, because our table has grown and our table accommodates. This is what “Cooking in Handfuls” really means — you keep measuring for the hands that show up.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min | Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups gluten free all-purpose flour blend (with xanthan gum)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat. Heat oven to 375°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugars. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed for 2–3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
5. Combine. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing just until no flour streaks remain. Do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
6. Portion. Using a rounded tablespoon or a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop, drop dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake. Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers look just set. The cookies will continue to firm as they cool.
8. Cool. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 195 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 26g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 115mg