Gluten-Free Maple Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love these soft cookies on a cold winter day. They are wonderfully comforting served warm with a tall glass of milk and eaten in front of the woodstove. Pure maple syrup and walnuts, combined with chocolate chips, results in a hybrid cookie with unique character. No worries for those with gluten sensitivities—these cookies are gluten free!

In this recipe I used Pamela's Gluten-Free Baking and Pancake Mix because it is what I had on hand. I have used this mix for years as a flour substitute in all sorts of recipes. It makes a soft, light and fluffy cookie that is reminiscent of a biscuit or pancake.

If you do not have Pamela's, here are some gluten-free flour variations to use in this recipe. It is important to note that if you do not use a baking mix that contains baking powder, you will need to add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder to the dry ingredients in the recipe.

• Use any gluten-free baking mix. Baking mixes are quick and easy to use. Check to see if your mix contains baking powder and add it if needed.

• Make your own flour mix. Oat flour and almond flour make excellent cookies. I have used a mix of spelt four and oat flour in the past. Rice flour is a bit grainy, but can be mixed with a softer flour to balance it out. I have not tried coconut flour, but I think it would taste great in this recipe. Feel free to use a mix of any of these flours. I recommend using 1/4 cup of tapioca or arrowroot flour in your mix to help it stick together. For example: 1 1/2 cups oat flour + 1 1/4 cups almond flour + 1/4 cup tapioca flour. Be sure to add the baking powder if you make your own flour mix.

Everyone has a different story to tell. I'm including mine here because it is slightly different than most. My gluten sensitivity symptoms were not common and I hope that my story might help others realize that gluten is the cause of their suffering.

Generally, when I think of gluten sensitivity, digestive symptoms come to mind. I did not have digestive issues when I ate gluten. Instead, I experienced body-wide muscle aches and joint pain. The joint pain became acute in my wrists and I was unable to lift a gallon of milk, take something out of the oven, or turn off the water hydrant. My wrists felt broken, swollen, stiff, painful and weak. I noticed similar pain in my knees, hips and other joints, but my wrists were the worst.

I stopped eating gluten and in three days, my symptoms were totally gone and I felt normal again. I have repeated this test a few times, with the same results. I know it is gluten that causes my body-wide inflammation which settles in my joints. I had other symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, and sluggish digestion as well. Since I do not have a severe allergy, I can get away with eating a little gluten every now and then without feeling too poorly. But for the most part, I have been gluten free for over five years.

When I was having so much trouble with my wrists, my first thought was not that I might have a gluten sensitivity. I thought I might have rheumatoid arthritis or fibromyalgia. I was relieved to find that going gluten free eliminated my symptoms. I wonder how many people have symptoms similar to mine and have been diagnosed with one disease or another, when simply choosing a gluten-free diet may relieve their symptoms entirely. If you are feeling like I was feeling, try going gluten free. It can't hurt, and eating gluten-free cookies is a great way to start!