Gluten-free Tagalongs

Take a look at the world and see the unhappiness around you and in you. Do you know what causes this unhappiness? You will probably say loneliness or oppression or war or hatred. And you will be wrong. There is only one cause of unhappiness: the false beliefs you have in your head. Because of these beliefs, you see the world and yourself in a distorted way. What are these false beliefs, you might ask?

#1: You cannot be happy without the things that you are attached to and that you consider so precious. False. There is not a single moment in your life when you do not have everything that you need to be happy. Think of that for a minute. The reason why you are unhappy is because you are focusing on what you do not have rather than on what you have right now.

#2: Happiness is in the future.  Not true. Right here and now you are happy and you do not know it because your distorted perceptions have got you caught up in fears, anxieties, attachments, conflicts, guilt, and a host of other games you are programmed to play.

#3: Happiness will come when you manage to change the situation you are in and the people around you. If changing the world is your vocation in life, go right ahead and change it, but do not harbor the illusion that this is going to make you happy. The people in the world and the people around you do not make you happy or unhappy; but the thinking in your head does.

#4: If all your desires are fulfilled you will be happy. Wrong again. Make a list of all your attachments and desires and to each of them say, “Deep down in my heart I know that even after I have got you I will not get happiness.” And ponder on the truth of those words. The fulfillment of desire can, at the most, bring flashes of pleasure and excitement. Don’t mistake that for happiness.

If you wish to attain to lasting happiness, understand your false beliefs and they will drop; not by renouncing them or giving them up because what you give up violently you are forever bound to. But rather seeing your attachments for what they are…then you will know the taste of happiness.

Anthony De Mello, The Way to Love

Homemade Girl Scout Tagalong Cookies Recipe

Makes 24 cookies

Egg, dairy, and gluten-free

For the Cookie:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/4 c. Cara’s All-Purpose GF flour mix
• 8 Tbs Earth Balance butter, room temperature
• 1/3 sugar
• 1/4 c. powdered sugar
• 1.5 tsp Ener-G egg replacer + 1 Tb warm water, mixed until thickened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cream butter and sugars with an electric mixer. AVOID MIXING TOO MUCH–1 minute TOPS (if you beat for a longer amount of time, the cookies will flatten out because too much air has been added into the mix). Add Ener-G egg replacer and vanilla and mix until well combined (30 seconds).
2. In a medium bowl, mix flours, starches, and salt completely.
3. Add wet ingredients into dry mix bow and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Dough should not be sticky (if so, add 1 Tb of flour at a time until soft still, not sticky.
4. Transfer 1/2 the dough onto a piece of parchment paper. With your hands, roll dough into a log that is 6″x2″. Smooth with hands. Wrap a piece of clear wrap around the dough and chill for 2+hours (i chilled my dough overnight and they were perfect. If you do not chill it long enough, the cookies will spread. You want them to stay in the same shape pre and post baking!) Do the same with the other 1/2 of the dough.
5. Once dough is chilled long enough, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
6. Unroll the dough out of the plastic wrap and slice cookies with a sharp knife at 1/4-1/2″ thick slices.
7. Place 1/2 of the cookies a Silpat-lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes (you might need to cook longer but at 15 minutes, keep your eye on the doneness of the cookies).
8. Allow to cool fully on the baking sheet. The cookies with toughen up and become crunchier the longer they sit.

For the peanut butter filling:

• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 6-8 Tbs shortening
• 1 c. powder sugar

1. Using an electric mix, combine peanut butter and shortening until fully mixed.
2. Add the powdered sugar and mix until incorporating, light and fluffy.

To assemble:

1. Place approx 1 Tb of peanut butter onto fully cooled cookie. Make a small mountain-like hump like this:

(use finger or back of spoon to smooth out) 

2. Freeze cookies with filling for 10-15 minutes just so it doesn’t melt into the chocolate. Remove from freezer and allow cookies to sit and breathe for a couple of minutes.

For the chocolate:

• 1 c. Enjoy Life chocolate chips
• 1 c. dark chocolate chips

***You might want to do this in 2 batches, just so your chocolate doesn’t cool before you are done dipping all of your cookies. Just so you can see, this is the difference between chocolate that has cooled off vs. melted chocolate at the right temperature:

Chocolate cooled down too much vs. Just at the right temperature

1. Place 1/2 c. “milk” chocolate and 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, stopping every 30 seconds to stir. Once it is completely melted (it might not even take the full 2 minutes), place a cookie on a fork and dip it into the chocolate, bottom-side in first. Using a spoon, coat the top with chocolate until it is fully coated.
2. Place on a piece of parchment paper and complete all cookies.
3. Freeze for 10 minutes just to set.

Or eat one of these cookies and happiness will been sought and found. It’s a proven fact friends. Even Anthony would agree.