There are so many recipes for chocolate chip cookies. There are recipes for crunchy ones (I don't care for these), for chewy ones (that would be my preference), and for those that claim to have a crunchy exterior and chewy interior (never achieved this, really).

That is only the beginning...

There is also cookie thickness to consider - do you like yours thin (not me) or thick (yes!)?

And what type of chocolate chips do you use - milk? (no) Or semi-sweet? (well, in part, yes). Or do you forego chips all together and use chunks? (again, in part, yes).

Of course, this doesn't begin to take into consideration any necessary adjustments for gluten-dairy-egg-soy-nut-free diets like mine.

There are so many wonderful recipes on the web - food bloggers everywhere have contributed to the ever-growing bounty of recipes in their search for chocolate chip cookie bliss.

For example, take a look these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies by Maggie at She Let Them Eat Cake. They look divine, and I love the short & sweet ingredients list.

And what about No Worries Chocolate Chippers from Nancy over at The Sensitive Pantry? I couldn't upload her pic, but you should check these out - Nancy always presents the most elegant recipes, and these cookies are no different.

Oh, and for a chocolate chipper that gets added sweetness from dates, check these out over at Diet, Dessert, and Dogs - yum! Ricki presents some of the healthiest recipes on the web!

You get the idea, right? No single chocolate chip cookie can satisfy all. And while I have my preferences when it comes to this age-old treat, I rarely turn down a chocolate chip cookie...if it's gluten-dairy-soy-egg- and nut-free, that is. With those criteria (notice we are NOT saying restrictions because when you eat these cookies you'll forget about what's not there!), it takes a bit more effort to craft the "perfect" cookie.

And I'll tell you straight up - I used sugar. Brown sugar - no apologies. I like the rich flavor and the moisture that it adds, and I'm not leaving it out...just yet. I love the use of dates for a sweet, moist texture, but for this cookie, I wanted the brown sugar to remain.

The recipe is simple, the ingredients list is short, and the final product is a dense, chewy, chocolate-laden dream. These cookies do not fall apart or crumble, and they are rich enough to satisfy with only a couple. Um...ok, I ate more than a couple, but I was satisfied way before that - they were just too good! And it was ok to over-indulge just a bit with these because the entire batch, which is nearly 2 dozen cookies, only contains 2 Tablespoons of oil - that's right no butter, no buttery spread. You won't miss it. Now, turn on the oven and get the milk...

Gluten Free Gigi's Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup gluten free flour blend* (below)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons light oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup light brown sugar (loosely scooped)
Prepared egg replacer to equal 1 large egg
1 Tablespoon rice (or other plant) milk
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks (if desired)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and soda; whisk to blend.

In a smaller bowl, combine oil, vanilla, sugar, "egg", and milk. Stir and add to dry ingredients.

Stir dough by hand until it comes together and no dry areas appear. Add chocolate chips and chunks (if using).

Scoop tablespoons of dough onto parchment lined pan and bake for approximately 10 minutes. The cookies should turn a bit golden, but not dark around the edges and they will remain rather soft on top for a few minutes after removing them from the oven.

Cool on pan for 15 minutes (seriously) and serve warm. Enjoy!

*Gluten Free Flour Blend
2 cups white rice flour
1 cup sweet sorghum flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup millet flour
4 teaspoons xanthan gum

This recipe is linked to Simply Sugar & Gluten Free Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays

Oddly, this recipe for Date Filled Bars began with thoughts of figs. Fig Newtons, actually. You know those little rectangular cookies that claim to be "fruit and cake"? I miss them. A lot. It is not as if I kept them on hand in my pantry or cookie jar, but if I wanted a Newton, one could easily be had. And this is not something I had ever considered making - some things are just better left to the pros. But I recently made a fig-date conserve to serve alongside gluten-free biscuits we were having for "brinner", and I had just a small amount remaining in the jar in my fridge. And that is when I thought of how much I'd love to have a Fig Newton. A gluten-laden, forbidden Newton. Unfortunately, figs are out of season, and I had no dried figs on hand (those went into the conserve that started this chain reaction of thought). But I always have an ample supply of dates in my pantry - 2 whole dates are often my dessert after a meal - so I thought of a date filling - you know, cook them down with a bit of liquid until they are soft and thick, then pair that mixture with a delicious cookie-like crust on top and bottom. Sure, I know it's a far cry from a store-bought gluten-laden Newton, but by this point, the craving had passed, anyway. I was over it...but since I had dates and was snowed in, I figured it couldn't hurt to make a date filled treat, so here it is...Enjoy!

1 1/2 cups chopped dates
1 cup water
1/2 cup sweet sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 white rice flour
1 cup cinnamon GF granola (you can substitute certified GF oats here if you do not have granola
1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)  (I use Camino Cuisine's organic fair trade brown sugar, which has a superior taste - highly recommend it!)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Earth Balance (R) buttery spread (I use soy-free)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 x 8-inch square baking dish.

Prepare the date filling in advance, as you will need some time for this mixture to cool and thicken. Place dates and water in a saucepan and cook (do not boil) over medium heat, cooking and stirring occassionally until dates are soft and the mixture begins to thicken. This will take approximately 15 minutes. When the date mixture is thickened, remove from heat and set aside to cool to slightly warm. I transfer my date filling to a mixing bowl to get it out of the hot saucepan so that it will cool more quickly. Either way is fine.

While the date mixture cools, prepare the crust by combining the flours, starch, granola (or oats), sugar, cinnamon, soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Stir this mixture with a whisk to blend. Add the Earth Balance to the mixture in small scoops (approximately 1 Tablespoon each), then cut it in with a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Press half of the mixture into your prepared pan, then top with the cooled date filling. Top with the other half of the crust mixture, gently pressing into the filling.

Bake the bars until the edges are golden - approximately 35 minutes. Cool completey in pan, then cut into bars to serve.