I NEED that | Great cookie sheets | Gluten-free chocolate chip cookies

Chocolate molds

There was an article in the Dining section of today's New York Times called, Must-Have Gadgets for the Kitchen? Think Again. As you'd expect, it was about all the "fabulous" kitchen items we think will make cooking more efficient or just more fun. We buy them, then rarely, if ever, use them. I agreed that most of the items described were not useful, but a couple, like a food processor and a pressure cooker, are necessities, not frivolous extras, to me. However, I am as guilty as anyone of being sucked into buying "things I need" for the kitchen, whether I need them or not.

Cashews and dried cranberries waiting for chocolate

My situation right now is a little odd, in that two years ago we moved from the Midwest to The Pacific Northwest on a trial basis. Because we didn't know what our future plans would be, we didn't sell our house, but rented it out fully furnished and equipped, to visiting faculty, and we rented a similarly equipped house in Seattle. The house we left behind was fairly large, and the big kitchen was well-supplied with ... everything. I took only a minimal amount of stuff with me — the food processor, the pressure cooker (ahem), a couple of favorite baking dishes and pots — leaving plenty behind for the renters. After we bought a small house in the PNW, I further divided the kitchen supplies in our former home, finally admitting that yes, I could easily supply two kitchens with my "stuff." I siphoned off more cookware, flatware, bakeware, etc, and no one would know that anything was missing from the rental. I left behind things like the pasta maker, waffle iron, dehydrator, mixer, etc., though I'm missing some of them and may grab a couple more items this summer. In the meantime, though I really, really am trying to stay minimalist in my new little kitchen, it's just not in my nature to turn my back on cool kitchen items that call out to me. Some, like new cookie sheets, I really needed, and others, not so much.

Take the Silikomart silicone chocolate moulds, for instance. They are so cool, and at 4-1/4" by 8-1/4" they don't take up much room in the cupboard. I can make 1" diameter chocolate morsels with swirled tops that pop right out after cooling in the fridge. My first attempt (using 1/2 of a version of this recipe-no apricots) was delicious but not perfect, but will I ever try again to make perfect chocolates or will my lovely chocolate moulds become mere space-takers? We'll see. (They actually looked pretty cute in person, but didn't photograph well.) (I also made the fudge in another shape not needing a mould, here.)

The other recent purchase I succumbed to was cookie sheets. In my defense, let me just say that in addition to neglecting to bring any to Seattle, I really needed new ones anyway. I've had all sorts of cookie sheets — non-stick, stainless steel, insulated — and they all have their good and bad points, but after much research, I bought two 14" x 17" 10-gauge aluminum Volrath cookie sheets, and they are the best I've ever tried. (If you're worried about having food in contact with aluminum, you can use parchment paper as a liner.) On these cookie sheets, my cookies baked perfectly and did not stick. And I'm talking about notoriously prone-to-stick gluten-free cookies. The pans are so thick and sturdy that I'm guessing they may be the last I ever buy. They were easy to clean, too.

And what is the cookie recipe? It's the same one I wrote about here — the GF chocolate chip cake recipe. I recommend using well-drained canned beans for the cookies. My home-cooked beans made a looser batter, while using the canned beans (I used Eden brand beans) resulted in a stiffer cookie dough. If your dough seems too soft for cookie dough, add a bit more sorghum flour, or some GF oat flour, if you can eat oats. If you like sweeter cookies, I recommend adding 7-10 drops of stevia to the bean mixture.

I made about 30-40 cookies, slightly flattening each mound of dough into about a 2" round. The cookies spread while baking, so give them some space. Bake at 350˚F for 18 to 20 minutes, depending on your oven and the type of pan you use. The bottoms and edges should be a nice golden brown. The cookies will get deliciously crispy if baked five minutes extra.

Although the cookies will keep for a couple of days on the counter, I think the leftovers taste much better if they are frozen. They defrost very quickly, though I usually just eat them right from the freezer. The chocolates freeze well, too, but they taste better defrosted, if you can wait.

Full disclosure: I purchased the cookie sheets on my own. I received no money for the mention of this product. I am not an affiliate of this company. All opinions are my own.