Cassava Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

Any time I get a new ingredient for the kitchen, I always seem to make cookies. Most often chocolate chip cookies. 

I think it’s because I want to see how something unfamiliar behaves in something I know well.

Although, saying that cassava flour is unfamiliar isn’t exactly accurate. I became familiar with it when we lived in Brazil. Cassava = mandioca = tapioca. 

There we ate farofa, pão de queijo and tapioca com goiabada. All are made with some version of the flour – fine ground, coarse ground, sweet, fermented or sour. 

Otto’s Naturals sent me a bag of cassava flour for experimenting a little while back. And you know how I like to experiment with alternative grains.

I probably should have pulled out my big Brazilian cookbook and translated something from Portuguese, but I was in the mood for chocolate chip cookies. The back of the bag also caught my attention when it said that cassava flour could be substituted 1:1 for flour in most recipes. 

So I decided to try it in my favorite palm shortening chocolate chip cookies, with a few variations. 

I consider it a success. If you have a cookie craving and want a grain-free or a gluten-free option, these are perfect.

Here’s the catch, though.  

Don’t eat these cookies warm. I know, I know. No warm, just-out-of-the-oven bites? I don’t suggest it, and this is why. They’ll taste gritty. With the combination of the palm shortening, cassava flour and raw sugar the cookies have a sand-paper texture. I know this doesn’t sound appetizing, but bear with me. 

Once they cool, these same components make them so good. They turn into a crumbly, shortbread-like chocolate chip cookie. Different and delicious! 

Give them time to cool completely. It’s worth it. 

What you’ll need: 

1 cup cassava flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine ground sea salt
3/4 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup palm shortening
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped raw pecans

How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with a silicone mat or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Stir together the cassava flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the sugar and palm shortening for about 2 minutes on medium to medium-high, until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Blend in the egg and vanilla. 

With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients a little at time. Mix just until the flour is blended in. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans. 

Scoop a walnut-size amount of dough from the bowl, roll into a ball and flatten. Repeat for each cookie. 

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the center of the cookies are firm and the edges are slightly browned. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before serving.