There was a minor kitchen disaster a couple of months ago. It meant that I was teased at the hardware store about plucking the chicken BEFORE roasting it… In short, there was milk culturing (as it was destined for cheese) in the oven, wrapped up in a down jacket. Not knowing about the milk’s location, I walked in the kitchen and turned the oven to preheat for our supper. A few short minutes later, I noticed a burned smell, wondered what it was from and noticed smoke whisping its way out of the oven door. Oops. Feathers on fire, milk contaminated with burnt bits of feathers, the entire house smelled awful, and I had our casserole most of the way assembled. Fortunately, I borrowed an oven for that night. Oven #1 (from the 1960s) has now been replaced, but the fee for installation help was a batch of chocolate chip cookies (post script: the cookies were apparently consumed in 24 hours and his wife complained she only got one). There is now a sign to hang over the stove when it is occupied.

I don’t have a standard recipe, but Shirley over at Gluten-free Easily has a lovely Banana Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that I snagged. I tweaked it slightly (some whole grains, cinnamon instead of vanilla) but it’s really her recipe.

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/3 c corn flour
2/3 c white rice flour
1 1/3 c mixed buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, millet and brown rice flour*
1/2 t baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 c white sugar
1 T molasses (not blackstrap)
1 large egg
2 bananas, mashed
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Mix together the flours, baking soda, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add the molasses, egg, and banana and mix until smooth. Add the flour blend, and then stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon tablespoons onto cookie sheets lined with foil, parchment paper, or a non-stick baking mat. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom. Remove from the oven, and allow to rest on the pan for 1-2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

*I grind everything together, but my best guess would be: 1/4 c buckwheat, 1/3 c millet, 1/4 c amaranth, 1/4 c quinoa, and 1/4 c brown rice. Shirley uses her own blend, so I suspect the recipe is fairly flexible.