Deep Dark Chocolate Chestnut Cookies, Gluten and Dairy Free

Suzy mom to 2's Note:

These dark, very chocolatey cookies with a faint hint of orange are amazingly crisp and keep well for days (which is a true miracle in home baked gluten free cookies :)) The recipe is adapted from Double Dark Chocolate Cookies. Prep time does not include freezer time.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 100 small c ...

• 1 1/3 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup chestnut flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 2/3 teaspoon baking soda
• 2/3 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1/2 cup margarine, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest, organic
• 3/8 cup light cane sugar
• 3/8 cup sucanat
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
• 2 large eggs

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave, set aside.
2. Whisk together flours, salt, cocoa and baking soda. Chestnut flour tends to be lumpy, so make sure to sift it.
3. Beat sugars, orange zest and margarine until well combined, then stirr in eggs one at a time. Beat until considerably lighter in colour and creamy consistancy.
4. Fold in dry ingredients with a rubber spatula while pouring in melted chocolate slowly. Mixture will thicken up just enough to spoon it into a cookie press. If you find batter too thin put it in the fridge for a few minutes.
5. Use your cookie press at the smalles setting, if it has that. Bigger cookies will be chewy, not crisp.
6. Freeze unbaked cookies on a silpat or sheet of baking paper. I always prepare a big batch so I can pop the desired amount of cookies in the oven when convenient (usually after doing some other baking ;-)).
7. Preheat oven to 320.
8. Place frozen cookies on a greased cookie sheet, leaving 1 inch between cookies.
9. Bake for 15 minutes in the center of the oven.
10. Turn oven off, leaving cookies in there for at least half an hour or more.
11. Let cool completely and enjoy. Will keep very well in an airtigh container.