Big Batch Gluten-Free Christmas/Sugar Cookies
GF BIG BATCH CHRISTMAS/SUGAR COOKIES
3 cups castor sugar
2 cups sugar – white, brown or raw
2 cups shortening
6 eggs
1 Tab salt
1/4 cup vanilla (yes, that much)
1 cup amaranth flour
2 cups potato starch
2 cups sweet rice flour * NOT PLAIN RICE FLOUR
4 cups brown rice flour
2 Tab xanthan gum
3 Tab BP
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Whisk together the flours, starch, xanthan gum & BP until well-combined. Set aside.
2. Cream together the sugars, shortening, eggs, vanilla & salt. Add flour mixture, about 1/4 at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon.
3. Once the flour mixture is mostly incorporated knead the dough in the bowl, slowly punching the dough down in the middle and folding the sides of the dough into the middle. Or, put the dough on a non-stick surface (like a silicone mat or a marble slab), and knead it on there. The mixture will have the consistency of Play-Doh, but not too soft. (If it is too dry, add a Tab water at a time until it will gather into a ball. Resist adding water if at all possible. The dough works best if it is not very moist)
4. After the dough is well-mixed, several things can be done with the dough. For all recipes, greasing the pan is not necessary. Unless a crispy cookie is desired, bake (preferably on insulated pans) at 325 degrees F until the edges are just golden.
(Hint: for your own insulated pans, take two regular jelly roll pans, and between them, add a layer of heavy duty aluminum foil that has been balled up, then mostly-smoothed out, retaining many of its wrinkles, creating an air gap between the two pans.)
For “plain” sugar cookies:
* Roll dough into very small balls and flatten to a wafer with the bottom of a sugar-dipped glass or cookie stamp. Bake until golden brown. This will produce a light, crispy cookie.
* Roll into larger balls and flatten to about 1/4? thick. Bake until edges are just golden. This will produce a soft, chewy cookie.
* Divide the dough into about 4 parts, wrap each ball in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until fairly firm. Place chilled dough on a pastry mat or wax paper, top with plastic wrap, and pat & roll out until dough is about 1/8 to 1/4″ thick. Use cookie cutters for your desired shape(s). The thinner the dough, the more crispy the cookie.
Or, divide the dough into 2 or more sections, and try these mix-ins.
Knead in the added ingredients, roll a bit, or drop by teaspoons, then press with a sugar-dipped cup. These cookies puff well, but don’t spread at all, so don’t work as simple “drop” cookies –
– crushed candy canes
– chocolate chips of any size
– chopped nuts and/or dried fruit – a very successful variation is black walnut & dried cranberries.
Or, use them as a base for chocolate Kiss cookies, or jam thumbprint cookies.
Or, chocolate swirl cookies: Take 2 equal portions of dough, and roll one out about 1/8″ thick, keeping as close to a rectangular shape as possible.
Take the other portion, and mix in plain cocoa powder until nice & dark. Roll that section out to 1/8″ as well. Place one layer on top of the other, with the smaller section (if one is smaller) on top.
Starting with the longer side of the rectangle, roll the layers together, until you have a log. Smooth the end of the roll with your fingers, pressing it gently into the log. Roll the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. Then, slice the cookies about 1/4? thick, taking care to keep the log as round as possible. (These are my kids’ favourite cookies.)
NOTE: Unbaked dough freezes very well. Wrap well in plastic wrap, place inside of a ziploc bag and freeze. Thaw in fridge, and bring to nearly room temp before rolling. Enjoy!!
* The reason that sweet rice flour is so important is that it is “the” pastry flour of g.f. baked goods. It has the “heft” of a heavier flour, like brown rice or sorghum, but the fine texture of a starch… Same thing with amaranth. I LOVE amaranth flour, but it gives too nutty a flavor if used too much. You can toy around with replacing either, but you run the risk of losing the chewiness and fine texture if you go too “heavy” — but replacing them with a starch, you run the risk of your cookies becoming dense, sodden lumps.