These dark chocolate amaretto fudge cookies are decadent with just a hint of booze; perfect for the holidays!

I was in Target last night (a place I suggest avoiding this time of year if you’d like to maintain your sanity) standing in the window treatment aisle desperately pouring over every single curtain they had to try and find a 96″ length one.

No dice.

However, I got to share the aisle with 2 late teenage/early 20 year olds having a conversation that went like so:

Boy: (in valley girl voice) I like can’t BELIEVE you returned that bronzer!

Girl: Isn’t it just soooo crazy how dark my skin was in the summer?

Boy: (still in valley girl voice which I now understand to be his normal way of speaking) You’re like totally a terra cotta pot in the summer. Like a statue!

Girl: (laughing) I totally know what you mean! ehhmygawd, I am!

Boy: We should get pizza after this.

Girl: Yeah, that place over by Home Depot has the gluten free crust. I totally only eat gluten free now.

Boy: Everyone is like gluten free now, they should just stop making anything gluten. Like what’s the point, you know?

Boy: (now facing me) Like, you’re totally gluten free too aren’t you?

Me: Um, me? Nope, I’m not actually.

(awkward silence before I move on to the next aisle)

So yeah… I have two things to say after that.

1. I’m like totally (said in my valley girl voice) scared for the future of our world because I’m not even joking when I say that’s what went down verbatim and 2. How did they know we were gonna chat about the basics of gluten free today as part of my ambassadorship with Udi’s?

Seriously, when this was all happening I was like “do they know about my post tomorrow?” Weird!

For as much as it pains me to validate anything those two idiots said, it does seem like every one is gluten free these days and while I’m not, I have chosen to eat that way in the past whether it was for a month long paleo challenge or just here and there when I want to limit my gluten/grain consumption since I’ve tied it to the chronic eczema I’ve had since I was a kid.

It can definitely be overwhelming at first, but there are a few easy tips to ease into a gluten free life.

1. Have replacements on hand. There are so many gluten-free products out there now (that doesn’t mean they’re all good for you! You should still read labels and make your food decisions based on ingredients) that luckily, it’s not hard to find bread in the supermarket you can eat or crackers for the appetizer plate you’re putting together. Udi’s has a bunch!

2. Swap out your pantry. The easiest way to fail at something is lack of preparation. Toss the conventional flours and stock up on some gluten free alternatives like oat, buckwheat, brown rice and a good gluten free baking mix.

3. Arm yourself with resources. Honestly? Scour Pinterest. There are an insane amount of gluten free ideas out there. This board is one of my favorite GF resources, especially for sweet treats.

And for this time of year especially,

4. Bring something with you! Going to a party and not sure there’s going to be anything you can eat? Well make something you can and bring it! And if it’s an upcoming holiday party, I’m going to suggest these dark chocolate amaretto fudge cookies.

Because (we’re doing the valley girl voice again) they’re like, omg, totally amazing. And once you taste these you’re going to realize GF can be pretty freakin’ epic if you want it to be.

Other gluten-free cookie recipes to enjoy:

Peanut Butter Stuffed Black Bean Cookies

Chocolate Dipped Cashew Almond Butter Cookies with Candied Sage

Almond Pulp Cookies (Cranberry Orange Thumbprints)

Tart Cherry Fudge Thumbprints

Gingerbread Collagen Cookies

Continue to Content Dark Chocolate Amaretto Fudge Cookies Yield: 1 dozen Prep Time: 2 hours 10 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes These dark chocolate amaretto fudge cookies are decadent with just a hint of booze; perfect for the holidays! Print Ingredients 1 cup gluten free baking flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ cup chopped dark chocolate

½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter

5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup organic turbinado sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons amaretto liquor Instructions Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and chopped chocolate in a bowl, set aside. Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Remove from heat once melted. Add the cocoa powder and both sugars and stir together. Add the yogurt, extracts and amaretto and stir again until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into a medium bowl. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix as you go until there are no streaks of flour left in the dough. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. Spoon 1-1½ tablespoons of the dough in heaping piles onto the baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container. Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 173.34 Total Fat: 11.32g Carbohydrates: 18.41g Protein: 10.25g DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Please leave a comment & rating below or share a photo on Instagram and tag @runningtothekitchen

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi’s Gluten Free. The opinions and text are all mine.