Gluten Free Vegan Sugar Cookies

Christmas has come and gone. Time moves at a quick clip when you're an adult.  I could wander down a path of pondering the speed of time but I would lose the point of this post.

And that point is that our Christmas was wonderful.  How was yours?  I can only hope you had the same love filling up your wine glasses and stockings.  I spent the days leading up to Christmas baking sugar cookies (we will come back to these), picking out last minute gifts, and preparing a fancy Christmas Eve dinner.  The presents we gave ended up hitting all of the right notes; there were a smattering of thoughtfully handmade pieces from Etsy, a few items I had remembered my family members mentioning in passing, and framed photos of Melissa for our parents and my grandparents.

Oh, and the gifts given to us?  Wow.  Just wow.  You who gave gifts to us--you really love us.  Cooking ware, entertaining pieces, new clothes, camera accessories, gift cards, red lipstick (for me) and a brand new turn table (for Tim).  As I type this, I'm listening to Tom Waits' album The Heart of Saturday Night.  It's one of my favorites and it gives me a feeling that listening to an MP3 just can't deliver. 

Our tree may only last a few more days in the living room as I've started to tackle some of our holiday clutter.  Putting things back in their rightful place seems the only way to master untidy accumulations and so the tree may go back into its box sooner than later.  These Christmas cookies may be the last holiday item to go if I can make them last that long--and that is proving difficult.

I assumed I would be able to make some baked goods to meet my allergists' restrictions, but I didn't think it would be this simple.  I happened upon a sugar cookie recipe that had already been adapted gluten free, and I only needed to swap a few additional ingredients to make it dairy free and egg free.  I wasn't convinced it would work, but I loved making Christmas cookies last year and didn't want to go without. 

Obviously, it worked.  Texturally, these cookies were a little chewy with a nice light crumb.  I made two batches with different gluten free flour mixes, and I much preferred the King Arthur Gluten Free flour blend though I don't think someone would notice the difference without being able to compare them side by side.  Also, if kept in the refrigerator in a sealed container, these cookies can last up to a week, maybe two.  I highly recommend making them in advance as they were even better on the second day.  

Gluten Free, Vegan Sugar Cookies with Vegan Buttercream Frosting 
cookie recipe adapted from Inner Circle Chic
frosting recipe adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
makes about 36 cookies

If you are not vegan or do not have egg and dairy food intolerances/allergies, you can use the same amounts of butter and egg as a substitute.  You could also use Earth Balance's traditional soy-based spread instead of the soy-free spread.  You can make similar substitutions in the frosting recipe.  I cannot guarantee that the cookies will turn out exactly as well as mine did if you use a different gluten free flour blend as all flour blends are different. 

Ingredients for the Cookies
3/4 cup Earth Balance soy-free spread
1 cup sugar
2 Ener-G eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups King Arthur Flour Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp xanthum gum
1 tsp fine salt

In the bowl of a upright mixer, combine Earth Balance, sugar, egg-replacer, and extract.  Mix on medium speed until all ingredients are combined and the mixture is slightly fluffy.  There may be small lumps of Earth Balance.  If they are smaller than a pea, it's okay.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, gum, and salt.  Add dry mixture to wet mixtuer and mix on low speed until well incorporated.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.  If well covered, can be made a day in advance.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Remove dough from refrigerator.  Take a handful of the dough about the size of a baseball and making into a ball.  Set the ball of dough on well-floured (with gluten free flour) surface.  Return unused dough to the refrigerator.  Roll out the dough so that it is between 1/4 inch and 1/8 inch thick.  If dough is crumbly when you are rolling it out, just let it rest for a few minutes and then try again. 

Cut dough into desired shapes using cookie cutters or biscuit cutters. (The amount of cookies this recipe makes will depend largely on the size of your cutters.)  Place cut-out shapes onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 6-8 minutes until cookies are done.  For a crisper cookie, bake an additional minute past when the cookies are cooked through.  After removing cookies from the oven, allow to sit for at least five minutes on the cookie sheet before removing them to cool on a wire rack.

Repeat process until all dough is used.   Cool cookies completely before icing.  (Cookies can be frozen at this point although I personally did not test freezing and defrosting them.)

Ingredients for the Vegan Buttercream
1/2 cup Spectrum Organic Vegetable Shortening (soy-free)
1/2 cup Earth Balance soy-free spread
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 - 1/2 cup plain almond milk

Beat the shortening and Earth Balance together until fluffy.  Add the confectioners sugar and beat for 3 more minutes.  Add the vanilla and 1/4 cup almond milk and beat for another 5-7 minutes.  If icing seems too thick, add more almond milk.  Beware of the icing being too runny for piping onto cookies!  If you add too much liquid, you can always add a little more powdered sugar to balance it out.

The frosting will be very light and fluffy.  Chill the frosting for 1 hour before using.  In a medium bowl, add some icing and desired food coloring and mix.  Frosting will begin to slightly soften as you mix the color. Put frosting into a pastry bag or a zip-lock back with a snipped corner and decorating tip.  Pipe onto cookies and decorate as you desire.  Keep unused frosting in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.  Icing may seem soft but will firm up when refrigerated.  Keep iced cookies in a cool place. 

This frosting can also be used on cakes and cupcakes.

It's Hard to Imagine

Before I tell you about the Brussels sprout slaw (which I promise I will tell you about this week), I want to turn your attention to something else:  whole wheat chocolate chip cookies.  

I know--it's hard to imagine that these are as good as I'm going to tell you that they are, but you're going to have to trust me on this one.  I will give you a few reasons why you should:

1. I test all of the recipes I post and only give you recipes for the winners.  
2. You probably wish you used whole wheat flour more often.
3. It can be our little secret that these are whole wheat cookies.
4. No one will ever guess that these are whole wheat.

Is that enough to sway you?  I can give you a few more if you need them!

When I came home from Whole Foods with a tiny bag of King Arthur white flour and a big bag of King Arthur premium whole wheat flour, Tim immediately began reciting his usual speech about how he detests the flavor of whole wheat foods.  Then he started quizzing me on reasons why whole wheat flour is better for you than white flour.  He brandished the bag in front of me saying, "Whole wheat flour has more fat in it than white flour, see?"  It's hard to explain to someone how whole wheat flour also has more good-for-you-stuff in it than white flour, so I allowed him to have his rant. 

My only response to him was to suggest he use the flour to make a cookie and see how he liked it.  He originally balked at the recipe, but not one to turn down something sweet, he agreed.

These were the type of cookies you would hope to find in a gourmet bistro.  They were crunchy on the outside and so thick and chewy on the inside that you never wanted it to end (so you had to eat another one).  They were extremely buttery and rich and you would never know that it was whole wheat flour that gave the cookie its nutty flavor, incredible texture, and beautiful color.  Hands down, these were the best chocolate chip cookies ever made in our house and they even converted my husband into a believer in whole wheat flour. 

I won't lie to you and tell you they are healthy (with 2 sticks of butter and 2 cups of sugar).  But if you're going to indulge this holiday, it might as well be these cookies rather than the same old boring sugar cookies you always make.  They may even make a believer out of you. 


Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Kim Boyce's book Good to the Grain, as seen on Orangette
as written, makes 25-30 cookies

Since these cookies will make such a whole wheat flour believer out of you, I highly suggest you do as I did and put Kim Boyce's book on your Christmas/Birthday/New Years/Valentines Day wish list.  If it doesn't make it under my tree on Christmas, I will be buying it for myself and teaching my family about alternative grains in 2011 and beyond. 

Also, the recipe called for 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie, but Tim felt that 2 tablespoons was plenty enough to make a large cookie.  If you are looking for a really large, impressive cookie, I suggest going with the 3 tablespoons.  It may slightly increase your cooking time so be watchful of your dough.

Ingredients
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
16 tbsp cold, unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 ounces semi-sweet (or bittersweet) chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Make sure your racks are placed in the upper and lower thirds of your oven.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  Whisk together until combined.  Put butter, sugar, and dark brown sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on low, until the sugars are just blended, about 2 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time and mix to incorporate after each.  Then add the vanilla and mix to incorporate.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined (do not over-mix!).  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again.  Add the chocolate chips and beat on low until just distributed. 

Using your hands, reach into the bowl and turn the dough, kneading it lightly until any extra flour is incorporated. You could also do this on a lightly floured counter. 

Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie onto each baking sheet.  You may only fit 8 or 12 mounds on the sheet, depending on how heaping your tablespoons are.  Refrigerate extra dough while baking.

Bake for 16-18 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through.  Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.  Repeat with remaining dough.

These cookies were best when eaten within 3 days. 

From Scratch

I try to challenge myself in the kitchen.  Maybe it's my competitiveness (I never lose at Scrabble or dominoes--that I can remember, at least); maybe it's my risky side (who else would major in English in college with no plan for a career).  Between those less-than-ideal personality traits and my impatient nature combined with a control-freak attitude in the kitchen, a recipe that requires it's ingredients to boil, chill, rest, chill, rest again, roll, chill, rest, and then finally bake was really pushing me over the edge of my kitchen sanity.

It's not like all I do is cook or bake.  I have hobbies.  Gardening--I'm still coming to terms with our community garden failure but our herbs are growing like weeds.  Sewing--would you make your mutt a dress to wear to a parade?  Reading--just finished a good one and am taking suggestions for the next one.  My dogs--if you had dogs this cute they would be your hobby, too.  Wine--I started a ladies wine club to keep up on my wine education since I'm no longer in the business. 

While I was making these Black and White Swirl French Butter Cookies from America's Test Kitchen, I was wishing I was doing anything else.  Weeding the garden--really hated doing that.  Shaving my legs--isn't that just the most annoying thing that women have to do?  Waiting at the mechanics to get my oil changed--I still don't understand why it takes so long but that's why I'm not a mechanic.

Since this made nearly 50 cookies, I definitely needed to get rid of some of them so Tim and I don't eat every single one.  I work in a small office, but I decided to take a little container of them in to share.  I placed them out on the front of the desk with a little post-it that read, "Have a cookie!"  While I was in another room, the night employee came in to relieve me.  I asked him if he'd like a cookie, and he replied, "Oh, I've already had two."

I said, "I'm glad you like them.  I'm never making them again because they took so much work to make the vanilla dough and then the chocolate and then roll them out them out individually and chill them and then roll them together and then chill them in a log overnight and then slice and bake them this morning..."

He looked at me with wide eyes and said, "You made these from scratch?  They are awesome."

And that, folks, is why I will keep on challenging myself in the kitchen. 

I'm not going to torture you with the recipe, but if you'd like to wow your coworkers with your home-made cookie skills, I'd suggest you buy the cookbook and make sure you have plenty of patience, parchment paper, and a half a day to dedicate to baking.