Can I Make The Triple Chocolate Buckwheat Cookies As Slice-And-Bake Cookies?

Our answer

Nigella's Triple Chocolate Buckewheat Cookies (from SIMPLY NIGELLA) are made with buckwheat flour, so they are gluten free. The lack of gluten in the buckwheat flour means that the cookies have a slightly crumbly texture, similar to shortbread. However the cookie dough contains eggs, so is not exactly the same as a shortbread.

Slice-and-bake cookies are usually based on a shortbread-type dough made from butter, flour and sugar, plus flavourings and add-ins such as chocolate chips or raisins. The dough is usually fairly firm as it does not contain eggs and can be formed into a log then wrapped and stored in the fridge or freezer. Slices are cut from the logs and then baked, which means that it is easy to have freshly-baked cookies almost immediately. Unfortunately, as the Chocolate Buckwheat Cookie dough is fairly sticky it can't be easily formed into a log and will be more difficult to slice, even after chilling. The cookies also spread slightly as they bake and as the slices are thinner than mounds it will mean that the baking time is different and the cookes could end up being thin and more crisp. If you would like to be able to have unbaked cookies on hand to bake at short notice, we suggest that you form scoops or spoonfuls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with baking parchment (parchment paper) and put the baking sheet in the freezer. When the cookie dough is solid, transfer the unbaked cookies to a resealable bag and freeze. Bake the cookies direct from frozen and we would allow about 1 minute extra baking time, or until the cookies are just set around the edges.