the last month of 2011 is here. and this month we celebrate cookies.
to me, christmas would not be complete without home-made, hand-decorated sugar cookies. some of my favorite holiday memories are of cutting and decorating cookies with my mom and sister at christmas-time. ask anyone who knows me well, and they will tell you that cookie decorating is one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen. i think that creative joy came from all of those very days preparing christmas cookies with my family.
after several gluten-free years of sugar cookie-less christmases, it warms my heart to say that they’re back in my holiday kitchen. i have finally made a gluten-free version and they are all that i ever dreamed they’d be. slightly almond scented, thick and tender, buttery-sweet sugar cookies. like many gluten-free products, the cookies are tender, but they are not too fragile to handle. i’ve iced and decorated these with royal icing, which gives them even more structural support.
ruhlman’s ratio for a sugar cookie is 1.5 parts flour / 1 part sugar / 1 part butter.
the ratio i used was close enough. it came out to 1.8 parts flour / 1 part sugar / 1 part butter.
Classic Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon golden flaxmeal
- 2 teaspoons very hot water
- 420 grams about 3 cups kumquat's all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Combine flaxmeal and hot water in a small bowl. Mix well until a slurry forms; set aside. Combine gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer, or with a handheld electric mixer, for 5 minutes or until pale. Add flax slurry, egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract; beat until combined. Stir in flour mixture until dough forms.
- Transfer dough to a large sheet of wax paper. Top dough with another sheet of wax paper. Roll dough to 3/8-inch thickness. Place wax paper covered dough onto a baking sheet and place in freezer for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Remove dough from freezer; peel top layer of wax paper off of dough and place back on dough. Turn dough over; peel layer of wax paper off of dough and discard paper. Cut cookies with desired cookie cutter shapes. Re-roll all excess dough and cut cookies (no need to re-chill).
- Place cut cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until edges are barely golden and middles look tender.
