St. Patrick’s Day is coming: are you ready to celebrate with some festive treats? If you’re seeking a delicious crunch and a sweet punch, try these mint chocolate-chip cookies with a shamrock smoothie!
Mint Chocolate-Chip Cookies:
Cookies are the easiest thing in the world to bake. As long as all the ingredients are thrown together and plopped on the tray, you can’t go wrong. This recipe has been derived from one of Alton Brown’s recipes in his book I’m Just Here for More Food, and has been altered to be gluten-, dairy-, egg-, and nut-free. It can be soy-free as well.
Ingredients:
- 300 grams of gluten-free flour mixture
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup shortening/dairy or soy-free butter substitute
- Homemade egg replacer
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 cups allergy-free chocolate chips
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F and line 1-3 baking trays with parchment paper.
- Measure out your dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, add in your wet ingredients: sugar, brown sugar, shortening/butter substitute, vanilla, and peppermint.
Prepare the homemade egg replacer:
- Take two small half-cups and add 1½ tablespoons water and 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil to each one.
- Add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to a cup. Use a fork to agitate the mixture until it foams up to the top of the cup. Now dump it into your wet ingredients.
- Repeat step 2 for the second cup.
Mixing:
- Mix the wet ingredients well using an electric blender, pastry blender, or whisk.
- Add in your dry ingredients to the wet mixture, one half at a time. Mix again.
- Pour in both cups of chips, and mix a third time.
- Prepare the homemade egg replacer: take two small half-cups, and add 1½ tablespoon water, 1½ tablespoon oil to each one. Then add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to a cup
Finish:
- Use a spoon to scoop out dough, and form each scoop into a ball by gently rolling them between your hands.
- Place balls on the baking tray(s). Take care to space them far enough apart that they won’t touch upon spreading while cooking.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes, until the cookies appear golden-brown.
- Remove tray(s) from the oven and place on cooling racks to cool completely for 10 minutes.
- For a truly festive kick, dye some vanilla frost green and apply a little to each cookie. Then add some shamrock sprinkles!
Storage:
- This recipe has a high yield, but don’t worry! They freeze wonderfully in logs that are simple to pop out, thaw, and be cut into slices to bake more cookies.
- Create logs by spreading out a foot-length of saran wrap and spooning about ¾ a cup of cookie dough onto the wrap. Use the wrap to mold a log, and continue making logs until cookie dough is used up.
- Place logs on a tray or plate and store in the freezer until use is desired. Thaw by letting them sit on the counter for at least 5 minutes.
Shamrock Smoothie:
Looking for a healthy treat to freshen up your St. Paddy’s Day? Go green with a Shamrock Smoothie – a sweet and tropical fruit delight. This recipe can be found here; it has been halved for this article to better suit a smaller blender and serving size.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup fresh/frozen peaches
- ½ green apple, cored
- ½ banana
- ½ cup fresh/frozen mango
- ½ cup fresh/frozen pineapple
- ½ cup green grapes
- 1 peeled kiwi
- ½ cup baby spinach, packed
- ¼ cup canned coconut milk OR ½ avocado
- 1½ cup water (can be more/less depending on preferred consistency)
Method:
- Combine all ingredients and blend until texture is smooth.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, and then serve.
Looking for more festive, allergen-free recipes? Check out foodallergymama.com and cybelepascal.com!