Gluten-Free Rolled Sugar Cookies

Whether or not you are a kid, a rolled sugar cookie in some fun shape with colored sprinkles always seems fun. Rolled sugar cookies can be made any time during the year. Don't be intimidated when you those fancy looking pre-made cookies in the store; this recipe is easy and delicious (and might even taste better!).

The original recipe came from www.food.com, called “Gluten Free Dutch Sugar Cookies." I’ve made some adjustments to it as well. This is one exception where you need to use the flours listed instead of my mix; it makes it much lighter.

You can find this recipe and more like it in my gluten-free cookbook, The Warm Kitchen.  Here's what one enthusiastic fan wrote about the recipe:

I wanted to report that based on Rebecca's experience, I tried Amy's recipe as well. They were fabulous! The dough was very easy to work with and did not stick to the work surface or crack. The cookies when baked did not crumble or break. My kids like to frost the cookies with a simple icing of powdered sugar, water, and vanilla and the sprinkle with colored sugars. The cookies did not break when the kids did their decorating. But, best of all, the cookies taste wonderful! My husband couldn't even tell that they are GF! Amy, I am a fan!

-Alison P

Yield 3-4 dozen, depending upon the size of the cookie cutter


1 cup white rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum

1 teaspoon kosher salt


1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup unsalted butter (use all shortening for dairy-free)

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract


1/4 cup potato starch, for kneading

Sprinkles for decorating


1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 2-3 baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

2. In a small bowl, mix together dry ingredients (first 6 ingredients).

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together sugar, butter and shortening. Add the egg and vanilla and mix briefly. Add the dry ingredients, and mix to combine.

4. Take the bowl out of the mixer. Add 1/4 cup of the potato starch and mix with your hands until it is well combined and not too sticky. Add more if necessary and use the rest for rolling. If the dough seems very sticky, place in the fridge for 10 minutes.

5. Divide the dough in half. Place some potato starch on the counter and put dough on top. Place more potato starch on top and roll out to about 1/8 inch thickness. Use more starch so the dough does not stick to the rolling pin or counter. Make sure the dough thickness is consistent so the cookies bake evenly.

6. Using cookie cutters, cut into shapes and place on pan. Optionally, decorate with sprinkles before baking.

7. Re-use the scraps and roll out again, but try not to handle too much.

8. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, rotating once. Cool for at least 3 minutes before removing from the pan.  Cool on wire racks.

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe

 I was experimenting with gluten-free oatmeal cookies a few months ago and created this recipe based on a combination of a few other recipes I had found. Initially, I made it with butter which meant my daughter couldn’t have them. However, the last time I made chocolate chip cookies, she wasn’t so interested.

I still thought it would be good to make sure these tasted just as good without as with butter. Multiple Organics was kind enough to send me a sample bag of chocolate chips. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try them. Besides being organic, kosher, and fair-trade, these very tasty chips are also allergen-free. I was almost surprised at how good they were! They are produced in a dedicated facility free of major allergens including milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, soybeans, and sesame.  

It was a surprise to me when my daughter came over to the cooling rack and grabbed one enthusiastically. Her comment was “Mama! Yummy”! Even my husband who does not have much of a sweet tooth grabbed a second cookie and commented “These are GOOD”.

You can be the judge. See my comments for each ingredient. I really hope you try them. These are worth it and make almost 4 dozen!

 

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 40-48 cookies

1 1/2 cups Amy's Gluten-Free Flour Blend

1/2 cup almond meal (for nut allergies, use the same amount of the above flour mix in place of the
almond meal)

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)       

1 teaspoon baking soda                                                                            

1 teaspoon xanthan gum                                                                   

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup white sugar                

1/2 cup brown Sugar

1 cup butter substitute (I like Spectrum butter flavored shortening), softened

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats

1/2 cup organic shredded coconut, unsweetened

1 cup organic dairy-free chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

2. In a medium bowl, mix flour blend, almond, cinnamon, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt.

3. In a large bowl with a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, cream the butter
substitute and sugars for 1 minute. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined,
scraping the sides.

4. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Add oats and coconut. Mix until combined. Add
chocolate chips and mix on low until just combined.

5. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto baking sheets, pressing down slightly.

6. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire
rack.

Gluten-Free Mexican Wedding Cookies

I'm in trouble...big trouble. Because the holiday season, as far as I'm concerned, has kicked off. That means lots of baking for me. I love to experiment and see what I can convert to gluten-free. Some times I am successful and some times not. But when I am, I need to get these treats out of the house! My neighbors really like me.

I've said this before, if I see a picture of a certain food, I get a little obsessed; in a good way. I must have seen some of these delectable treats some where and decided I needed a good gluten-free version. I tried them last year but they fell apart so I was feeling a bit deflated. I had some time today to play thus, I started looking through recipes.

I found this one from the Gluten-Free Canteen. I loved the ingredients but wanted to use my blend and change the directions a bit. I also wanted to try to make it dairy-free (which I did successfully). However, use butter if you can. When I'm making them for friends and not my daughter, I will make them with butter. That could be bad. I might start sampling more!

Happy holidays! I hope you enjoy them. Remember, you can buy "Your Gluten-Free Holiday Meal" from my website. I pride myself in writing good recipes which explain how to do things. I hope it helps.


Gluten Free Mexican Wedding Cookies
Makes about 40 cookies


2 cups +1 tablespoon Amy’s Gluten Free Flour Blend
¼ cup almond flour or meal
½ teaspoon xanthan gum


1/2 heaping cup powdered sugar + about 1 cup for dusting cookies later
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, or vegetable shortening
1 large egg

¾ cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 2-3 cookie sheets by placing parchment paper or silicone baking mats on top.
2. In a small bowl, mix the flour, almond flour and xanthan gum. Set aside.
3. Sift 1/2 heaping cup of powdered sugar into the bowl which you will use to cream the sugar and butter or shortening, either a large bowl or the bowl of a stand up mixer. Sifting is an important step so don't skip it. You can use a mesh strainer to sift the sugar. Add the butter or shortening to the bowl.
4. With a stand up or handheld mixer, blend the sugar and butter or shortening until creamy. Add egg and mix until well blended.
5. Add the flour mixture. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix until combined. Add the chopped nuts and mix. If the dough is very sticky, add a little more flour but not too much.
6. Roll into approximately 1” balls.  Place on the cookie sheets about 1” apart (I used 2 pans and then reused one of the pans; 3 in total).
7. Bake 10 minutes in the center of the oven, rotating the pan 180 degrees once after 5 minutes. Bake until fragrant and the bottoms are light brown. Remove from oven and set aside for a few minutes.
8. Place ½ cup of powdered sugar in a bowl. After the cookies have cooled about 3-4 minutes or until they are cool enough to handle, roll in the powdered sugar. Place on a wire rack and cool another 5-10 minutes. Roll each cookie a second time in the powdered sugar. TIP: I baked the cookies one tray at a time. While 1 batch of cookies were baking, I was rolling another batch in the sugar. It took longer but it was easier to remember which had been rolled once or twice.
9. Cool completely and then keep in a covered container.

Gluten-free lemon almond cookie recipe

Gluten-free Lemon Almond Cookies
Notice the nice browning on the bottom. You get that from a good pan or using a silicone baking mat

I tend to over think blogging so my intent is to be short and sweet (good luck to me). Many years ago, I had a recipe for Lemon Almond Cookies. I had copied it from a magazine (specifically from Gourmet, Feb 1990) and kept it all of these years. It is hand written on a recipe card; I added my own interpretation and instructions. At Christmas, I always made these delicious, sweet and crisp cookies.

I'm not sure of the last time I made them but in recent years, with a gluten-free diet, I haven't even attempted them. This year, I just couldn't take it and decided to convert it myself. My palate is fairly fine-tuned so I'm pretty good at distinguishing flavors. These hit the mark 100%. I'd be very surprised if anyone could tell (take a number if you want to come over to try one).

Of course, the downside is taste-testing and what that means to my middle. And by taste-testing, I mean eating 3-4 a day just to make sure they are still as delicious as the last time.

So, enjoy. I'm now having some fun trying to convert old recipes to gluten-free. For those who aren't gluten-free, don't fret. The original recipe is here.

Gluten-Free Lemon Almond Cookies

1/2 c almond meal
3/4 c gluten-free flour blend
1/4 c sweet rice flour (white rice will work as well)
1/4 c cornstarch
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons organic white sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (use a microplane for this)

1. In a small bowl, mix flours, salt and xanthan gum.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and 1 cup of the sugar for 2 minutes until fluffy. Scrape down the sides.
3. Beat in the egg and the zest until well blended, scraping down the sides.
4. Add the flour and mix on low until the dough is combined well. Raise the speed to medium and mix for 20 seconds. I found this helps to "gel" the xanthan gum.
5. Cover and chill for 1-2 hours.
6. Form the dough into walnut-size balls and arrange them 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
7. Place the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar on a plate. Dip the bottom of a moistened glass in the sugar and press down on the cookies slightly, flattening them to about 2 inches in diameter, maybe a little less. These will spread.
8. Bake the cookies in the middle of a preheated 350°F oven for 12-15 minutes, or until they are golden around the edges. Halfway through the baking time, rotate pans in the oven.
9. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then transfer them to racks.

Yield-3 dozen