Tag Archives: Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

Raspberry Sweetheart Cookies

2 Comments

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Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! 

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Whether you have a honey to celebrate with or not, you need these cookies in your life.

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I consider them one of those special “once a year” treats. 

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Of course, they go well with anything. What cookie doesn’t? After any meal, with a cup of tea or coffee, or as your afternoon treat.

You’re worth it! 

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And as always with my recipes, they are not complicated to make. I like simple, delicious, beautiful food. It should taste as wonderful as it looks and be satisfying all around. 

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You won’t be disappointed. 

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Happy Valentine’s Day! xo

Raspberry Sweetheart Cookies

*Dough will need to be chilled before baking

2/3 Cup Dairy Free Butter ( I use soy free Earth Balance)

2/3 cup Vegetable Shortening ( I use Spectrum)

4 cups of Mama’s Almond Blend All Purpose Gluten Free Flour plus more for rolling (In your local gluten free isle or online. I cannot rave enough about this flour!)

2 Eggs

1 1/2 Cups of Sugar (White or Coconut…coconut will make your cookies brown)

2 Tbsps. of Almond Milk (Could also use rice, coconut, or hemp.)

2 tsp. of Double Acting Baking Powder

1 1/2 tsp. of Xanthan Gum

2 tsp. of Pure Vanilla

1/2 tsp. of Sea Salt

Raspberry Jelly

Powdered Sugar Frosting (Powdered sugar, dairy free butter, pure almond extract, and a tiny bit of water or milk)

Beat butter and shortening in mixer until light and fluffy. Add about half the flour, the eggs, sugar, milk, baking powder, xanthan gum, vanilla, and salt. Beat until thoroughly combined and beat in remaining flour. Divide dough in half and place on plastic wrap. Press into discs, cover completely, and chill for at least 2 hours. This dough will last in the fridge for several days and I also like to wrap it well and freeze it to have on hand. It will last for months in the freezer. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

After the dough has chilled remove one disc out of the fridge at a time. Flour your surface and roll out. Cut into shapes of your liking and place them on parchment covered baking sheets. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until the edges are just slightly beginning to turn golden. 

Cool completely. Add about 1 teaspoon of jelly to each cookie and top with another cookie. Drizzle with powdered sugar frosting. 

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Not Your Mama’s Sugar Cookie

1 Comment

Insomnia. As long as you don’t have anything of great importance to do the next day, it can actually be quite productive. I don’t suffer from it very often but when I do, I like to visualize my house re-decorated in different ways and create recipes in my head while I’m waiting to get back into the dream world. A couple of weeks ago when I had one of those sleepless nights, I was trying to think of all the different ways I could make a sugar cookie. This rich and decadent recipe was what I came up with. Dark and chocolately, kind of naughty…the black sheep in the family of sugar cookies.

Cherry & Sea Salt Double Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Makes about 28 2 1/2 in. cookies, give or take 1 or 2 testers

1/3 Cup Butter (I used Earth Balance Vegan Sticks)

1/3 Cup Shortening (I used Crisco)

2 Cups Mama’s Almond Blend All Purpose Gluten Free Flour

1 Egg

3/4 Sugar

2 Tbsp. Chocolate Rice Milk

1 tsp. Instant Coffee Granules

1 tsp. Baking Powder

3/4 tsp. Xanthan Gum

1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

1 tsp. Vanilla

(See Frosting Recipe Below)

Cream margarine and shortening until completely combined and fluffy, scraping down once during process.

Dissolve the coffee granules in the 2 Tbsp. of chocolate rice milk.

Add about half of the flour, the egg, sugar, milk and coffee mixture, baking powder, xanthan gum,vanilla, and salt, to the creamed butter and shortening. Mix on low until the flour is incorporated and then beat until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add the remaining cup of flour and beat again until thoroughly combined, scraping down bowl once or twice during the process. Remove batter from bowl, form into disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

After the dough has chilled, remove from fridge and allow to sit on the counter for about 10 minutes. Flour your work surface with gluten-free flour. Working with 1/2 of the dough at a time, roll out to about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.

Cut into desired shapes and place on lined baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Allow to rest on sheets for a couple of minutes before transferring to cooling racks, allow to cool completely before frosting.

Rich & Decadent Chocolate Frosting

1 1/2 Cups Enjoy Life dairy free, gluten-free, miniature chocolate chips

1 tsp. Instant Coffee Granules, heaping

1/2 Cup Hot Water

1/2 Cup Dried Cherries, chopped small

Course Sea Salt

Place chocolate chips in a glass measuring cup. Sprinkle in the instant coffee granules and pour 1/2 cup hot water over chips and coffee granules. Let sit 5 minutes. Stir.

Microwave in 10 second increments, stirring in between, until chocolate is smooth. Be careful not to overheat the chocolate.

Chop the cherries into small pieces. They will stick together but you can separate them with your fingers when you place them on the cookies.

Place a cooling rack over parchment paper, I used the parchment paper that I baked the cookies on, and lay cookies out on rack. Stirring the chocolate as you go along, frost each cookie with about a teaspoon of chocolate. Carefully spread around the cookie with the spoon.

Carefully separate the cherries with you fingers and drop a few on each cookie. Wait 10 minutes and sprinkle with a small amount of course sea salt. Allow frosting to set completely before storing.

It has been my experience that chocolate frosting or glaze does not freeze well. The fat solidifies and floats to the top, turning the cookies a speckled white. These cookies are to be enjoyed fresh.


Sugar Cookie Dough

6 Comments

Frosted sugar cookies are by far my all time favorite cookie. In fact, when I make them they are not allowed to sit on my counter the next day. I just don’t have the willpower to stay away from them. They call to me, and I’m telling you, every single time I eat one, it’s just as delicious as the first. It’s impossible to tire of them. They are a soothing, comforting, happy little food that is so amazingly diverse. You can frost them, sprinkle them with sugar, make them into little pockets filled with preserves, you can sandwich them together with luscious fillings, cut them into a million different shapes and sizes, dip them in chocolate, sprinkle them with toasted coconut, and give them as beautiful gifts. Honestly, the list is endless.

So needless to say, I was overjoyed when I figured out how to tweak an old Betty Crocker recipe and make it gluten-free and dairy free! No more searching through mixes at the grocery store and having grainy, weirdly textured, odd smelling cookies coming out of my oven. I flatten this dough into discs, wrap it in plastic and keep it in my freezer so I have it on hand whenever I need it. It only takes about 30 minutes or so to thaw.

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Sugar Cookie Dough

2/3 cup dairy free butter (I’ve used Soy Free Earth Balance in the tub or Earth Balance Vegan Sticks)

2/3 cup vegetable shortening ( I use Crisco)

4 1/2 cups Mama’s Almond Blend All Purpose Gluten Free Flour plus more for rolling (In your local gluten free isle or online. I cannot rave enough about this flour!)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 Tbsps. almond milk (Could also use rice, soy, or hemp.)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

2 tsp. pure vanilla

1/2 tsp. sea salt

Beat butter and shortening in mixer on medium to high for 30 seconds until fluffy and combined, scraping down bowl once.

Add about half of the flour, the eggs, sugar, milk, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour.

Divide in half and flatten to discs, cover with plastic wrap and chill dough overnight before using.  Or freeze for later use.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Flour surface where you’re going to roll the dough out (Mama’s Flour). Let the dough rest on the counter for about 15 minutes if it came out of the fridge, 30 if it came out of the freezer. Roll out half of the dough at a time. Cut into desired shapes and place on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 8 minutes and let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Decorate as desired when completely cooled.