On December 1st we made our first Christmas cookie of the season! I decided to start with the classic sugar cookie. Im not sure if you guys have watched ‘Christmas Cookie Challenge’ on the Food Network but it is my FAVORITE holiday show. I am in awe of watching how these bakers can make delicious cookies and then decorate them to perfection. In my area, there are not a lot of options for beautifully decorated allergy friendly cookies. That is my goal this year. I want to learn how to decorate safe cookies! So I have to start somewhere!
Adapted from the amazing Sally’s Baking Addiction!
We decided to make a classic sugar cookie by taking a recipe for a typical sugar cookie and subbing out the butter and wheat flour for safe options. Here is the recipe below! Adapted from the incredible Sally’s Baking Addiction!
Allergy Friendly Sugar Cookie
- 2 and 1/4 cups of Gluten Free flour
- We used King Arthur flour. There is a ‘shared lines’ warning on the bag but after researching their cleaning procedures and calling the company, I feel safe giving it to Olivia and we haven’t had any problems!
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 season salt
- 3/4 cup Earth Balance butter, room temperature
- We used the one containing soy, but there is an option that is free of soy!
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium sized bowl. Put that bowl to the side – we don’t need it yet!
- Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together at high speed. Then add the egg and vanilla and beat until all the wet ingredients are combined.
- Remember that first bowl of dry ingredients? Go grab it! Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. If the dough feels a little too sticky, add a pinch more flour to the batter.
- Separate the dough into 2 equal parts and place one of the halves to the side. Place a piece of parchment paper on your surface and lightly coat with gluten free flour.
- If you are baking with a toddler, beware! “Sprinkle with flour” to a toddler means pour an entire cup of flour onto the entire counter and floor…
- Lightly coat the rolling pin with gluten free flour and roll out the first half of the dough onto the parchment paper, to about a 1/4 inch thickness. Put this on a cookie sheet. Do the same to the second half of dough but this time you dont need another cookie sheet!
- Place a new piece of parchment paper on top of the first rolled out dough, and then place the parchment paper containing your second rolled out dough onto the first and new piece of parchment paper.
- I included that second middle piece of parchment because with Olivias food allergies I like that extra barrier between food and what touched my counter. I know my surfaces are safe but for me, it just brings me peace of mind!
- Cover this tower of doughs with tin foil and put it in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days!
- When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using your favorite cookie cutters, cut the dough into festive shapes! Keep re rolling the extra dough to make more cookies into shapes! If you feel the dough is starting to get soft and sticky, put it back into the fridge for a few minutes to get it chilled back down!
- I think if you are making these cookies on your own, you shouldn’t have to re-chill the dough, but with a toddler taking their sweet time to cut the cookies, our dough started to get really warm and loose its shape.
- Put the beautifully shaped (or in our case mishappened cookies) onto the parchment paper prepared cookie sheets. Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool and then enjoy!
In a perfect world, I would have then decorated these cookies with a safe royal icing but I am still looking for a good recipe to use! So for now, here is our recipe for a yummy gluten free sugar cookie!! They were Olivia and daddy approved!
Comment below how your cookies came out! Any suggestions for how we can make them even better??
Next up, Sunbutter kiss cookies!
A New Perspective Project 