Sunday, February 26, 2012

Gluten Free and Dairy Free Soft Cut Out Cookies

 
This great gluten-free and dairy-free recipe also uses no egg yolks.  I'll call it a healthier cookie, but still a cookie where it counts, FLAVOR & TEXTURE!  These are soft and cake-like for a cookie.  They hold together great and hold shape very well while baking and cooling.

I literally can't stop eating these.  I glazed 1/3 of them in a simple powdered sugar and almond milk icing.  One third was glazed in the icing then dipped in an almond meal/brown sugar and cinnamon crumble.  The remaining third I left plane.  I like to put peanut butter and jelly on them and make little PB&J cookie sandwiches.

Ingredients


  • 1 and 3/4 cup sweet rice flour
  • 1 and 1/2 cup potato starch
  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour
  • 1 cup gluten free oat flour
  • 3/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 3 teaspoons xanthan gum
  • 1 and 1/2 cup Earth Balance (softened)
  • 2 and 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 cup egg whites
  • 1 tablespoon golden flax seed meal
  • 3 tablespoons hot water
  • Extra sweet rice flour for rolling or as needed


{Hint}     The night before beginning I put my rolling pin in the freezer.

Step 1:
Whisk all the flours, starches, almond meal, salt, baking powder, and xanthan gum together in a separate bowl and set this aside.

Step 2:
Mix the flaxseed meal and 3 tablespoons of hot water together and set this aside to get goopy.

Step 3:
Thoroughly blend the Earth Balance and the sugar, vanilla, and egg whites.  Add the flaxseed meal slurry when it has set up.

Step 4:
Add the flour mixture to the stand mixer bowl in thirds, blending thoroughly between additions.  I had to switch to dough hooks for the final third addition of flour.  The dough took on a taffy-like quality.  If the dough is still runny add another 1/4 cup sweet rice flour.

Step 5:
Scrape the dough out onto some cling wrap and carefully wrap it up as it is like warm taffy at this point.  Refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably longer.  Long enough to "set" the dough and make it easier to roll out.  If time isn't on your side, use the freezer, but make sure not to freeze it.

Step 6:
When the dough is hardened yet pliable unwrap it and cut off a third at a time to work with.  Return the remaining portion to the fridge or freezer.  Flour your work surface with the sweet rice flour and using your chilled rolling pin roll the dough out to approximately 1/4 inch.  Cut out your shapes.

Step 7:
Once your shapes are all cut out, remove the dough scraps from in between your shapes and save them so you can rework it and roll it out.


Step 8:
Place an inch apart and bake on an ungreased nonstick cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 11 minutes.

Step 9:
Cool on either parchment paper or a cooling mat.

Step 10:
Decorate as desired.  In the picture below I used a simple powdered sugar and almond milk glaze and a crumble made from almond meal, brown sugar, and cinnamon using a dipping method.

Enjoy!

1 comment:

  1. I never heard of some of the ingredients in these cookies. They sound delicious

    ReplyDelete