For the last two weeks, I’ve been going gluten-free. Not for health reasons — thinking back on the amount of wheat-packed bread and baked goods I’ve happily consumed over the years, I’m pretty positive I’m not allergic to gluten. No, this is all about vanity. It all started when I was griping to my friend Sarah about how all my healthy eating and exercising have lead to no noticeable results in the wedding-diet department. Sure, I looked more toned, but my clothes were still uncomfortably tight. Annoying. Teenage metabolism, why did you leave me?
When I was finally done whining, Sarah told me (not for the first time) that I should try going gluten free like she did. She’s also currently on a campaign to get fit for her wedding (in June!), and the GF-thing has really been working for her. Pounds lost, headaches gone, looser pants. Admittedly, it sounds like she might actually have a bit of a gluten allergy, but I was willing to give it a shot and see what it did for me. There are worse things than eating less bread, right? And, if nothing happened, I could go right back to devastating bread baskets.
Two weeks into my new GF lifestyle, and my skirts are noticeably looser. I don’t know if it can all be attributed to the gluten-scorning, since I’ve also kept up with my exercise and healthy eating regimen, but it’s something! At a minimum, it’s helped me avoid junky snacking and pizza-packed “cheat” nights. I feel great, but I do miss my baked goods. I tried making GF brownies the other night, but those were terrible and got tossed. And, since I’ve also been trying to eat fewer sweets in general, a big batch of GF coconut chocolate chip cookies were not in my cards. Which is why when I saw a recipe for single-serving mug-cookies the other day, I knew I had found my salvation. I had some doubts about microwave cookies, but this actually turned out really well. The texture was exactly what you’d want in a chocolate chip cookie — moist and chewy, with crispy bits, and the flavors were spot on. Dan said it was my most successful mug-dessert yet. Awesome.
- 1 tbsp coconut oil (or 1 tbsp melted butter)
- 3 tbsp GF flour (I got mine at Trader Joe’s)
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp packed brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt (Note - As one of my readers pointed out, this may be too much salt for some people, so if you’re not as salt-loving as we are, definitely start with a pinch and adjust based on taste.)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 to 2 tbsp chocolate chips
- In a small mug/cup/ramekin (I used an expresso mug), mix together all your ingredients except the chocolate chips, until you get sticky cookie dough batter. (This cookie won’t rise much, so you probably don’t want your mug/cup to be too big. Although I guess you could double or triple the ingredients for more cookie volume!)
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Place your mug in the microwave and cook on high for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. (I suggest doing this in 30 second intervals so you can check on the cookie. If it still looks kind of wet/doughy on top, leave it in the microwave for a little longer. You shouldn’t need more than 1-1/2 minutes though — chocolate chip cookies are supposed to be gooey in the middle!)
- Allow mug and cookie to cool for a little bit, then dig in!
(Slightly adapted from My Kitchen Antic’s recipe)
Whoa, this looks amazesauce! I noticed that when I go gluten free (for a short time, mind you), my complexion improves greatly, so you can always add that reason to stick with gluten free –keep the wedding glow!
Congrats on the upcoming wedding! It’s been a while since I’ve visited the blog, but the picture of this post on Facebook totally sold me. Off to buy some gluten free flour…
Thanks, Jenny! Hope you like the mug cookie 😀
I’m totally not trying to self-promote here but you’ve gotta try these cookies! http://www.culinarycoutureblog.com/2013/04/gluten-free-chocolate-fudge-crinkles.html
They are SO good, I know you will love them!
Thanks for the recipe! I’ll definitely have to check those crinkle cookies out soon 🙂
Hi, I just noticed you have half a tsp of salt and it should probably be a pinch…way to salty…
Nope, that was intentional – we love salt around here, so I always put more salt in my cookie recipes than other people 🙂 But thank you for your comment, I will put in a note saying that maybe a pinch would be better for some people.
I just tried this recipe using Robin Hood GF mix. It didn’t have enough liquid, so I added just over a tbsp of almond milk to get the consistency of cookie dough. Other than that, this is great for that quick gluten-free sugar craving.
Great idea! Glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Whilst I love the recipe and it looks divine. As a Coeliac who is forced to live the gluten free lifestyle I get SO incredibly angry at people who turn it into a weight loss fad. It makes it really hard on the rest of us. Restaurants don’t take gluten free seriously when people who can have gluten choose not to, especially when it is only some of the time. I keep seeing items that are marked as “low gluten” which is insane. One single breadcrumb is all it takes to make a Coeliac very VERY sick, so low gluten is RIDICULOUS. As for weight loss. I have been GF for 11 months, extremely strict (or I end up in hospital), and have lost no weight. If anything I have put a little on. And I am not alone in this experience. GF is not a weight loss fad. For some of us it is a horrible horrible reality that we have absolutely no choice in.
Tracie, thanks for your comment! I completely understand where you are coming from, and I apologize if my post offended you in any way. Several of my good friends have Celiacs disease, and I know exactly how sick gluten can make them. I agree that restaurants and food manufacturers need to take the problem more seriously. In my case, I did start the GF thing as a way to lose weight, but it was not at all my intention to trivialize gluten allergies or glamorize the fad. While I do feel better physically since cutting out gluten, I honestly think that any weight loss that I have experienced is far more attributable to overall healthy eating and continued exercise. Sorry if my comments in this post were at all misleading!
Oh my goodness! This was so wonderful that I almost cried! I topped it with vanilla bean icecream. I know this is going to be an every weekend treat for me!!! Thank you!!!!!
Thank YOU for reading – so glad you liked the recipe 😀
Just as a heads up- to be a little more politically correct with the full time GF community, it would help if you would drop the phrase- “the GF thing.” It’s called Celiac (no s) disease and we don’t do the GF thing- we live a gluten free lifestyle. We don’t refer to it as a ‘diet’ either- it is just our way of eating. I do look forward to trying the recipe so thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Duly noted 🙂 Thanks for reading!
I’ve just made this and it’s every bit as delicious as claimed (I used a pinch of salt as opposed to 1/2 tspn). I am gluten intolerant and I find that the baked GF cookie recipes out there usually require ingredients that I don’t already have. This recipe is simple, it’s super quick to make and it tastes really good. Thanks heaps.
Thanks for reading! I’m so glad the recipe turned out well for you 😀
is the egg yolk a must? is there a substitute for it ?
I’ve tried this without the yolk and it just doesn’t turn out as well. Not sure what a good substitute would be :/ Sorry!
FYI, I just saw a chocolate chip cookie recipe online that substitutes eggs with condensed milk, so maybe give that a try?
You can sub “flax eggs” for egg. 1tbsp ground flax seed 2tbls water -stir -then let set (for a few minutes until it looks like a gel)= 1 egg
Thanks for the tip!
Can I subsitute GF flour with Plain Flour ?
Yes, you should be able to!
I skip the salt and do a tablespoon of vanilla extract! Super good!
Yum! 😀
So glad I found this! 😀 I’ve been living with celiac disease for so many years now, and I can honestly say I miss being able to eat all food. I still go to school, and during lunch it’s almost impossible to find anything in the stores that I can just eat right away. I end up making most of the food I eat myself, and it’s therefore a big relief to find such easy and fast recipes as this! 😛 Especially when it comes to deserts, because I really like deserts 😉
(I love it ^-^)
I’m so glad you liked the recipe! I have a few friends with celiac disease, and I know that desserts are one of the things they miss most. I will be sure to post more GF dessert recipes in the future, so please keep reading the blog 😀
I will 😀
Gluten-free diet fads are actually extremely unhealthy unless you are allergic to gluten. It’s not a magic weight-loss trick. It has no health benefit. If you restrict yourself to rice cakes you’re going to lose weight because you’re skimping out on protein. That’s what gluten is: a protein found in wheat, barley, some oats, and rye. This sort of “GF DIET” leads to chefs taking celiac or gluten-intolerant clients as seriously as low-soy part skim skinny latte with one pump of non dairy creamer clients. Treating GF living as a diet when it isn’t necessary makes people treat actual allergies like fads; and we get sick. If you’re making something GF, do it because you or someone you know literally cannot ingest gluten without their white blood cells attacking the villi in their intestines, vomiting profusely, becoming unable to take in nutrients, losing hair and muscle mass, etc. IT IS NOT ABOUT VANITY: you are perpetuating a very dangerous reaction to people who are actually allergic to something because a chef experienced your take on gluten free and thinks we’re all trying to lose weight.
Thanks for your comment, Ashley! I just sent you an email, but to summarize – I know that celiac disease/gluten intolerance is a very real and serious medical condition, and that the GF fad diet trend has been terrible for people who actually suffer from the condition. It was not at all my intention to perpetuate the trend, and I apologize if my post was misleading in any way.
Thanks! Celiac and was craving cookies in the middle of the night but couldn’t make a whole batch I doubled the recipe, only added 1/2tsp salt, and cooked for 2:15 . turned out good! Thanks again 🙂
Awesome!!! So glad you liked the recipe 🙂
This recipe was great I replaced coconut oil with vegan butter and eggs with egg replacer due to my allergies and it rose great and tasted awesome I doubled my recipe and used 1/2 amount of salt
Awesome! So glad you liked the recipe 🙂
I made this and I definitely think 1 and a half minutes is way too long. I’ve never had any issues with my microwave cooking things too much or too fast in the past so I know that’s not the issue. I also used 1/4 teaspoon of salt and it was still very salty.
This is the best mug cookie I have ever had. Thank you so much!
So glad you liked it!
This is absolutely perfect! Thank you <3
So glad you liked them!
Next time I will use no salt. I think maybe the salted butter was more than enough. I halved it to 1/4. Still dominates the flavors. Excited for this recipe though.