Hold the presses.

Apparently I made a mistake. See, I have 2 identical little bags from Robs Red Mill in my pantry. And I seem to have grabbed the wrong one, which turns out to have been one of those fantastic accidental leaps.

The baking soda is in fact NOT necessary. Because what I accidently put in was a tsp of Xanthan. Which DRAMATICALLY improves the texture, with no change in taste at all.

Yesterday was baking day again, and I made a batch of oatmeal raisin, substituting 1/3 c of oat bran for some of the almond flour (unnecessary, I won't do it that way again) and 1/2 c raisins. I used the Xanthan.

Then I was making a batch of chocolate chip, and I suddenly realized that the bag I was using was Xanthan and not baking soda. I had no idea if my first batches last week were xanthan or baking soda, so in the chocolate chip I used the soda.

Verdict? Baking soda makes them crisper and much more crumbly. Xanthan makes them much more chewy and dense.

So, now you have 2 possible variations, depending on what kind of cookies you like.

Now I'm going to experiment with amounts of Xanthan, to see how much is really necessary.