Gluten Free Cookie Cookbook

What is childhood without cookies?  Even for a Celiac child, many great cookie recipes exist.  One of the favorites of our girls is a simple peanut butter cookie.  You know the one, you use a fork to make the ‘fence’ design afterwards.  Or you make a ball, then put in a Hershey’s Kiss or Reese Peanut Butter Cup in the middle.  Mmmm!  We also are fond of sugar and shortbread cookies, and many great gluten free recipes exist.

The Gluten Free Cookie Lady often shares recipes with us from her book, Gluten Free Cookies, available at http://www.glutenfreecookielady.com/.  What we really appreciate about this particular cookbook is the fact that so much of the proceeds go back into different Celiac organizations and support groups.  We would definitely encourage families to purchase a book for that reason, but also you receive a book with 85 tested gf cookie recipes!  Yum!

With the upcoming Valentine’s Day, Jeanne Basye, the ‘Gluten Free Cookie Lady,’ shared a recipe with us for Valentine Cookie cutouts.  Enjoy:

Valentine Sugar Cookie Cutouts

Makes almost 2 dozen

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups GF Cookie Lady’s Flour (or favorite GF flour)

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 large egg

Directions:

1.  Sift flour, xanthan gum, baking soda and cream of tartar into bowl; stir.  Set aside.

2.  Beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and almond extract on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl as needed.  Beat in egg. Gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined. Chill dough 2 hours or overnight until easy to handle.

3.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

4.  Remove dough from refrigerator; divide into 4 portions.  Place plastic wrap on countertop; sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar. (Confectioners’ sugar prevents dough from sticking to plastic wrap.) Place one portion of dough on plastic wrap. Place another sheet of plastic wrap over dough.  With rolling pin, roll dough into ¼-inch thickness. Use cookie cutter to make shapes. (If necessary, dip cookie cutter into confectioners’ sugar to prevent dough from sticking.)  Transfer cutouts to prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining portions.
5.  Bake 8-11 minutes or until lightly browned on edges.   Cool 2 minutes on sheet then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Frost and decorate.

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source:

Bayse, Jeanne. “Valentine Sugar Cookie Cutouts.” The Gluten Free Cookie Lady. Web. 31 Jan. 2010. <http://www.glutenfreecookielady.com/>.