The only thing that I’m allergic to is people being assholes so I’m fortunate not to have a gluten allergy or celiac disease. By “assholes” I mean people that have no idea what gluten is but think it’s bad for them because they only read headlines. Unless you have celiac or a real gluten allergy, there is no reason you can’t enjoy all the gluten you want. That being said, I do have several friends and loved ones that do need to eat gluten free. Since I’m almost always disappointed in gluten free baked goods, I thought I’d take a stab at a few recipes myself. This cookie is not just a great gluten-free cookie, it’s a great cookie, period. (If you don't need to make these gluten-free then feel free to just use regular flour and it should work great.)

11 oz (2 1/2 cup) gluten-free flour (I use Namaste GF Flour blend, but feel free to substitute*)

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup margarine

5.25 oz (3/4 cup) sugar

1.75 oz (1/4 cup) brown sugar

1 Tbsp ground flax

2 Tbsp water

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup strawberries, diced

2/3 cup vegan chocolate chips

*Some gluten-free flour blends already include xanthan gum and some don't. If The one you're using doesn't include it, add 2 tsp of xanthan gum to your dry ingredients. Xanthan gum sounds gross and scary but it’s honestly not (Google it!) and it helps to bind things in the absence of gluten.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Dice the strawberries and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl bowl, combine the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (if you don't have one of these godsends then use a large bowl and a hand mixer like a savage) combine the margarine, sugar and brown sugar and cream together until smooth. 

Combine the water and flax seed and let it sit for a minute or so to let the flax seed to gel up a bit to make a flax egg.

Add the flax egg and vanilla to the sugar mixture and blend until well combined.

Add the strawberries strawberries to the sugar mixture and beat a few times to combine.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet in 1/2 cup increments and mix until just combined. 

Using a 1oz cookie scoop, scoop out nice round balls of dough and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and then press each ball down slightly to flatten the cookie a bit (I just use the palm of my hand after I dampen it a bit). Space the cookies about 2 inches apart (they won't spread much when baked).

Bake for about 15 minutes and remove when the bottoms of the cookies are just starting to turn golden.

Remove from the cookie sheet and allow them to cool on a rack completely.

Nutritional information: Per cookie 60 cal., 4.75g fat, 1 g protein