Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies

Today I want to introduce you to a wonderful mom, Brooke Gunton. I think she is remarkable because she found that her children needed to be on a special gluten and milk-free diet. For most mothers that would be an impossible task because the American diet is mostly wheat and milk. You can buy some treats in the health foods section or at specialty stores, but they are very expensive and most often not very appetizing.

Brooke has gone the extra mile, time after time, to make sure her kids have the same things the other children have at school. These cookies, pictured above, were some she took to school this past Valentine's Day. They look wonderful, were a big hit and above all, they were very delicious.

I think Brooke deserves an award for being a great mother and a great cook. Here is her recipe.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Holiday Lemon Sugar Cookies
(Makes 36 cookies)

Lemon extract makes these cookies burst with flavor. The dough holds up to any rolling pin.
1-1/4 cups Mary’s All-Purpose Flour Blend
1/2 cup tapioca flour/starch

1/2 cup potato starch (not potato flour) 

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter or dairy-free substitute, softened

1 cup sugar
1 egg or egg-free substitute

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon gluten-free lemon extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine first five ingredients. Set aside.
3. In the large bowl of a mixer, combine butter and sugar and beat for 3 minutes until mixture is a pale yellow.
4. Add in egg, vanilla extract and lemon extract.
5. Add dry ingredients, slowly mixing until dough forms. Place bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
6. Remove half the dough and roll out onto a lightly floured surface to ¼-inch thickness. Use star shapes or other cookie cutters to cut out cookies and place them on prepared cookie sheets. Re-roll scraps of dough. If dough becomes too sticky, chill again. Repeat with second half of dough.
7. Bake in preheated oven 12 to 15 minutes until light brown. Remove and let cool thoroughly before handling and decorating.

Royal Icing

1-1/2 cups confections’ sugar
1 large pasteurized egg white or powdered egg white mixed with water to equal
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon gluten-free lemon extract
Food coloring

1. Beat sugar and egg white with electric beater.
2. Add lemon juice and lemon extract and beat until ingredients are incorporated.
3. Separate icing into small bowls and stir in a drop or two of different food coloring, as desired.
4. Chill icing until you’re ready to decorate cooled cookies. Spread icing on cookies, as desired.

Each cookie with icing contains 125 calories, 5g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 19mg cholesterol, 79mg sodium, 19g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, 1g protein.
TIP For egg-free icing, replace egg white with 1½ teaspoons egg replacer mixed in 4 teaspoons warm water. Add mixture to sugar and proceed with recipe, as instructed.
Note: Gluten-free egg replacer is available from Ener-G Foods, ener-g.com.

Mary’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend
(MAKES 6 CUPS)

A combination of white and brown rice flour lightens the texture of baked goods. For a more nutritious mix with lower glycemic index, use all brown rice flour, a total of 4 cups flour.

2 cups brown rice flour

2 cups white rice flour
1/2
 cup potato starch (not potato flour)

2/3 cup tapioca starch/flour

Mix ingredients together. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator until used.

Each serving contains 564 calories, 2g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 4mg sodium, 127g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 7g protein.