Need A Bit Of Help..

[loco-ladi]

I recently mixed up a bag of "cause your special" chocolate chip cookies, and I must say they have the taste but I would like them to be a bit more, um.....moist, they seem very dry, anyone have a clue how I can get a bit of moisture back in the cookies?

[Viola 1]

Sometimes heating them a little will help. Just try a few seconds in the micro, perhaps on a damp paper towel.

Let me know how they turn out. Some work, others don't

[Tash-n-tail]

I recently mixed up a bag of "cause your special" chocolate chip cookies, and I must say they have the taste but I would like them to be a bit more, um.....moist, they seem very dry, anyone have a clue how I can get a bit of moisture back in the cookies?

Well a very old trick to "refresh" a cake that had dried out in storing back in the days of every home having a cake tin or seven was to add either a small washed apple or a few slices of apple to the tin. I can't tell you how it adds moisture to the drying cake but it does. However I don't think this is going to work wonders with your cookies.

You could try flicking a little water on them to dampen then slightly and do the same with a paper towel. Wrap loosely in the damp paper towel and microwave for a short time. This is a reconstitute-bread trick and works well with stale bread as long as you don't over cook it. (You will have to consume the cookies fairly soon after doing this though. They will harden dramatically if left out and not be revive-able).

But if you're referring to the "moisture" within the cookie that American cookies are so wonderful for -- thats part of the flour and ingredients and the bake time I'm afraid.

[RiceGuy]

But if you're referring to the "moisture" within the cookie that American cookies are so wonderful for -- thats part of the flour and ingredients and the bake time I'm afraid.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. I know sweet white rice flour and soy flour are supposed to help there, and eggs also, so probably soy lecithin too I suppose. I think butter/margarine is supposed to help with the moistness too if I'm not mistaken.

[loco-ladi]

But if you're referring to the "moisture" within the cookie that American cookies are so wonderful for -- thats part of the flour and ingredients and the bake time I'm afraid.

Afraid that is what I was referring to, the moistureless cookies, not from drying out after baking. Oddly enough I made up the same companies brownies last night and they are quite a bit moister so I am wondering if I added a tad bit more butter to clog my arteries if that would help.

As for the dry out in storage my mother always used a slice of bread, the bread dried out the cookies didn't, wonder how my "new" bread will do in that reguard, lol What is the meaning of life without its little challenges.

[CarlaB]

When I use brownie mixes I use coconut oil instead of butter or other oils. There are health benefits to the coconut oil and the brownies are very moist, even better than non-gluten-free brownies! I take them with me when we go to someone's house. Usually they are raving over them and can't believe they're gluten-free ... I'm thinking that so many people eat low fat these days, what theyr'e really enjoying is the fat! Baked goods do taste better when they're loaded with fat! LOL

Maybe you should just try another brand.

[loco-ladi]

Well, can't try anything until I place another order online, so will try something else then....

I tried out their brownies package last night and hubby actually thought they were "the other" brownies so HAHA we eating the brownies today!

off subject but since I am now on a whopping day 3 of being TOTALLY gluten-free (i think anyways, lol) is it odd that even tho I am eating my sweets again (the cookies and brownies) that I have also lost 3 pounds or is that just pure luck and I can look forward to gaining it back after I finish baking (and eating) all the rest of the yummies that I bought the other day, lol?

by the way the "yummies" are what kept me from being gluten-free in the past, I can handle not eating a sandwich and eating out etc but I have no willpower when it comes to sweets.

[Tash-n-tail]

Afraid that is what I was referring to, the moistureless cookies, not from drying out after baking. Oddly enough I made up the same companies brownies last night and they are quite a bit moister so I am wondering if I added a tad bit more butter to clog my arteries if that would help.

As for the dry out in storage my mother always used a slice of bread, the bread dried out the cookies didn't, wonder how my "new" bread will do in that reguard, lol What is the meaning of life without its little challenges.

Sorry. I'm enjoying a coeliac-attack right now and none too with the programme. You can always grate say half a small apple or pear into the cookie mix if you're making them from scratch on the finest grate vents and take Carla's advice on the coconut oil. (But then I'm a rake I'm so slim and I have little patience with the fat content ratio!) The fruit will add some moisture, you may want to cut back the cooking time by a couple of minutes and switch off the oven leaving them in there for another five with the door cracked open say for five and test?

Adding extra sugars and fats must be done carefully and in small amounts or the chemical balance shifts. Experiment.

Good luck,

Marcus.

[Tash-n-tail]

When I use brownie mixes I use coconut oil instead of butter or other oils. There are health benefits to the coconut oil and the brownies are very moist, even better than non-gluten-free brownies! I'm thinking that so many people eat low fat these days, what theyr'e really enjoying is the fat! Baked goods do taste better when they're loaded with fat!

Carla -- the same ratio coconut oil to butter/fat or do you have to modify it? It does have a serious place in Ayuvedic medicine I know that.

[Tash-n-tail]

I have also lost 3 pounds or is that just pure luck and I can look forward to gaining it back after I finish baking (and eating) all the rest of the yummies that I bought the other day, lol?

The weight rolled off me at the rate of roughly five pounds a week for two years as I did my exclusion diet. I did stop eating treats, mainly because I was so sick and secondly hadn't a clue what to substitute with besides fruit and sugar. I found that the longer I've been on this attempt to live gluten-free the less demanding and less compulsive have become my sweet-cravings. Now I gain if I'm eating hidden gluten or made a series of bad choices and then drop it when I resume the gluten-free diet.

Best of luck!

Marcus.

[lonewolf]

Well, can't try anything until I place another order online, so will try something else then....

You could try making chocolate chip cookies from the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip package. That's what I do and they turn out perfect every time. Just use gluten-free flour mix (Bob's works well, just don't eat it raw) instead of the all-purpose flour. It's cheaper to do it this way too. I mix up brown rice flour (3 C), potato starch (1 C) and tapioca starch (1/2 C) and sift it with 2-1/2 tsp. xanthan gum. Sift it 3 times and then store it in the refrigerator. Use this cup for cup for all-purpose flour.

[CarlaB]

Carla -- the same ratio coconut oil to butter/fat or do you have to modify it? It does have a serious place in Ayuvedic medicine I know that.

I just use the same amount of coconut oil as the recipe says for oil/butter. I'm not much of a baker ... usually it's my kids doing the baking!

I don't know anything about Ayuvedic medicine, though I've heard of it. Coconut oil is very good for taking care of candida; it also has anti-viral and anti-biotic properties, from what I've read. It got a lot of bad publicity a few years ago, but that was hydrogenated coconut oil, a totally different and unhealthy product!

If someone with a bad candida problem wants to start using coconut oil, go very slowly. The candida die-off can make you feel very ill. I eat it almost by the jar , so once the candida is taken care of, it won't bother you anymore.

Loco ladi, some people gain, some people lose, when they go gluten-free. I had gotten very thin prior to being gluten-free, so I worked very hard to gain weight. It wasn't easy for me. But now, more than a year later, I'm having no problem at all maintaining my weight. I think I still eat more than most women my size (especially more FAT, but good fat), though. My husband teases me about being a Hobbit, eating all the time.

[Slackermommy]

On a side note, I love the cause your special lemon poppyseed muffins, they taste like the real thing, and great to have on hand for a quickie...

And, coconut oil rocks. I love it.

Since you are so new at gluten free, did you make sure you followed the instructions to the letter? I find that gluten free baking is very exact..not as much leeway as regular baking.

Best of luck to you.

[Tash-n-tail]

On a side note, I love the cause your special lemon poppyseed muffins, they taste like the real thing, and great to have on hand for a quickie...

And, coconut oil rocks. I love it.

Since you are so new at gluten free, did you make sure you followed the instructions to the letter? I find that gluten free baking is very exact..not as much leeway as regular baking.

Best of luck to you.

No I've not really found that. But I'm only now getting into gluten-free baking. I'm hopeless following a recipe. Really I am! I read it and then cull what is in the house and pantry, then I tweak to suit whats available ingredient-wise (unless it's a specific something like ice cream or such). Then I start throwing things about into the bowl. Somewhere along the line I short circuited and if whatever I'm baking doesn't do what it's supposed to I'll shamelessly adapt it to another dish and serve!

No apologies. But I have had my share of burnt offerings and I do find gluten-free baking is more temperamental or needs more effort. Six beaten egg whites and five siftings of the flour, double the flavouring if using Buckwheat vs normal measures for flavourings if you're using rice flour. That sort of thing.

Marcus.

[BFreeman]

You could try making chocolate chip cookies from the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip package. That's what I do and they turn out perfect every time. Just use gluten-free flour mix (Bob's works well, just don't eat it raw) instead of the all-purpose flour. It's cheaper to do it this way too. I mix up brown rice flour (3 C), potato starch (1 C) and tapioca starch (1/2 C) and sift it with 2-1/2 tsp. xanthan gum. Sift it 3 times and then store it in the refrigerator. Use this cup for cup for all-purpose flour.

Also, the cookie recipe with the dry pudding mix is very good. I'll put it on here tomorrow. It's real similar to the cookie recipe I used to make all the time to send to things at the boys' school when they were younger; those cookies were always in demand and this gluten-free version is better than any flour-based cookie I have tried. You can use white chocolate pudding and white chocolate chips, French vanilla pudding with chocolate chips, or chocolate pudding with chocolate chips (all gluten-free of course.)

[Juliet]

When a baked product is a little bit denser, like cookies, brownies, or even a flourless chocolate cake, I also like to add almond meal. It not only adds a nice flavor (but not as strong of an almond flavor as expected), it also adds a lot of moisture. It doesn't work so well with cakes or muffins, but for cookies it's great. If a recipe calls for 2 cups of flour, I'd use about 1 3/4 cup of gluten-free flour and 1/4 cup of almond meal. Bob's Red Mill has a good price for it.