Christmas Cookie Week: Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Two Ways

It’s that time again. It’s cookie time and more importantly, it’s sugar cookie time. It’s time for me to put some sugar in your bowl and I’m gonna do it two different ways. In the sugar cookie world, there are many interpretations of what makes a good expression of the seemingly simple sugar cookie. Is it chewy or is it more buttery? Is it more of a treat within a treat or a sablée coated with frosting and sugar? I’m personally a fan of both parties, so rather than be a flip flopper and decree one better than the other, I decided to just present you with both recipes and let you decide for yourself which is the way to go.

The first recipe comes from my cookbook, Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free and the second is the third interpretation of my thumbprint cookie dough. In both cases, the cookies are perfection not only because they taste fantastic, but because they are the ideal thing to do with your little ones when it’s cold outside. Leo always leaves out a heaping plate of sugar cookies for Santa, just like I used to do when I was little. ENJOY!

leo’s classic sugar cookies (chewy)

INGREDIENTS
¼ cup sorghum flour
¾ cup glutinous rice flour
¼ cup tapioca flour, plus more for dusting
¼ cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
2 teaspoons guar gum
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, preferably non-hydrogenated
4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

2 small egg whites
1½ teaspoons pure almond extract
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Royal Icing
Food coloring of choice
Different colored sugars for decorating

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all the
dry ingredients and mix on low speed to blend.

Add the vegetable shortening and butter and mix on low speed for
about 5 minutes, or until blended. Add the egg whites, one at a time. If the egg whites are big, then only use a single egg white, if they are small, use two. Begin by adding one. If the dough folds in on itself easily, you only need one, if not, then add the second. Then add the almond and vanilla extracts and mix on medium-high speed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a nice ball.

Empty the dough onto a work surface dusted with tapioca flour. If the
dough appears sticky, sprinkle the top with some additional tapioca flour,
and knead until smooth. Shape the dough into two disks. Wrap in plastic
wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight.

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to
325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Let one of the disks sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften
slightly. Lightly dust a work surface with glutinous rice flour and roll out
the dough, rotating and turning it to keep it from sticking. Roll out the
dough to a thickness of just under ¼ inch; any thinner and the cookies
will not hold their shape as well.

Using cookie cutters, cut out the cookies and transfer them to the
prepared pans. Bake one pan at a time for 7 minutes, or until the edges just
begin to color. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan for
5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

MAKES 12 LARGE OR 24 MEDIUM COOKIES

royal icing

2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons meringue powder (see Tip)
¼ cup cool water
food coloring(s) of choice

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar,
meringue powder, and water together on medium speed until smooth
and slightly fluffy, about 3 minutes. For a fluffier icing, beat longer. For
a thinner icing, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you have your
desired consistency. Stir in food coloring of your choice, one small drop
at a time to find your desired color.

I like to dip the top of the cookies into the icing for a quick solution and then dust with sanding sugar. You can also pipe this icing if you want a more precise finished product, but for me, Christmas is more about knocking out as many cookies as you can rather than crafting a masterpiece.

MAKES 2 CUPS

buttery sugar cookies

60 g. or ½ cup glutinous rice flour
60 g. or ½ cup tapioca flour
50 g. or ¼ cup potato flour
40 g. or ¼ cup cornstarch
40 g. or ¼ cup sorghum flour
100 g. or 1 scant cup confectioner’s sugar
25 g. or 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoons guar gum

11 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
3 egg yolks
1 ¼ teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400°F and line two cookie sheets with either parchment paper or silpats.

Combine all the dry ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on the lowest setting to combine. Add the diced unsalted butter and mix on the lowest setting until you can no longer see any clumps of butter and the mixture looks like damp earth. Add the egg yolks and the extracts and mix on high until the dough folds in on itself.

Lightly dust your counter with glutinous rice flour and then roll out your dough, no thinner than 1/4 inch thick. Using a selection of cookie cutter, cut out your cookies.

Stagger on your prepared cookie sheets and bake for 7-10 minutes and the cookies have just taken on a hint of color.

Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes to set before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Ice with the royal icing listed above. Decorate to your heart’s desire.

Makes 24 cookies.

All photos by Knoxy