Gluten Free Sugar Cookies (for cookie cutters)

Every Christmas my family made sugar cookies. We had about 50 different cookie cutters, we each had our favorites (mine the dachshund!), and loads of sugar decorations. To me Christmas and sugar cookies go hand in hand. Since discovering that I have an intolerance to gluten we have tried many different mixes and recipes so we can still have our Christmas tradition… none of them produced the same delicious cookie we all loved. I set out to find, create and perfect a Sugar Cookie that was gluten free. I tried a ton of different recipes and created this one as a result. It may have taken me to Valentine’s Day to get it right, but it’s right! So now we have the perfect holiday cookie for all the holidays, including Valentine’s Day!

The key is the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour Blend. I do not recommend using any other kind, this is a starchy flour with no rice flour in it and it works beautifully!

Many stores in my area carry it but if you can’t find it locally you can find ithere.

Also, here are some really cutecookie cutters! Or just hearts for Valentine’s Day!

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies (for cookie cutters)

Ingredients

1 stick of cold butter cubed (1/2 cup)
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour Blend
1 tsp ground flax seed mixed with 2 tsp boiling water to make a gel*
½ teaspoon salt
Confectioner’s sugar for rolling cookies

*Flaxseed meal will act as a binder when mixed with boiling water. Add 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed meal to a heat proof bowl and add 2 teaspoons of boiling water and mix to create a “gel”. Alternatively you could use one teaspoon of xantham gum on it’s own (no water).

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In the bowl of an electric mixer combine cold butter and sugar. Mix on medium for 1-2 minutes, or until butter and sugar are just combined.
Add egg and vanilla extract. Continue mixing for 1-2 more minutes.
Add the ground flax seed mixture and mix for 30 seconds.
Slowly add flour and salt to the butter sugar mixture. Continue mixing on medium until dough starts to form a ball.
Place dough on a lightly powdered sugar-coated surface. Roll dough out to about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thickness.
Using cookie cutters, cut dough into desired shapes. You can gather dough scraps together and roll back into a ball. Then repeat steps above, roll out dough and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. I always end up with one flat hand shaped with the extra dough.
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and place cut cookies on to the sheets, leave space for the cookies to expand when baking. Now you can decorate with colored sugars etc.
Bake cookies for 9-15 minutes or until edges just begin to brown. I do not recommend baking both sheets of cookies at the same time so I put the other one in the fridge while one tray is baking.
Let cookies cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Then store in an airtight container on the counter!