Gluten Free Easter Sugar Cookies
Folks who are gluten-free should not have to miss out on the joy of Easter baking! These sugar cookies can be easily made with what you already have on hand and delicious enough to please gluten-free and non gluten-free eaters alike!
INGREDIENTS
COOKIES:
- 3/4 cup of salted butter, softened to room temperature but not melted (vegan substitute can be used)
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1-1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 2-3/4 cups gluten-free flour blend with binder (such as Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour)
- 3/4 teaspoons of baking powder
- A heaping 1/4 teaspoon of salt
FROSTING:
- 1/2 cup softened vegan butter OR 1 can of coconut cream or milk
- 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1-2 cups of powdered sugar
- 1 splash of preferred milk
- 1 packet of natural food colouring
OR BERRY GLAZE:
- 1 cup berries fresh or frozen (you can use one kind or a medley)
- 1½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste or extract
- 1-4 tablespoons of water, cream, milk, or citrus juice
- Water or citrus juice will produce a deeper colour, while cream will produce a lighter pastel glaze!
INSTRUCTIONS
COOKIES
- Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Add butter and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer or to a large bowl if using a hand-held mixer. Mix until it becomes a pale yellow colour, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go.
- Add the eggs in one at a time, mixing until just incorporated before adding the next egg. Add vanilla, then mix until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
- In a separate bowl, stir together your gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in three batches, mixing on low speed until just incorporated before adding the next batch. Dough should be soft but not sticky - if sticky, place the bowl in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to let it firm up.
- Divide your dough between two sheets of saran wrap (or eco friendly beeswax wrap) then shape into flat discs, cover, and refrigerate until completely chilled.
- Unwrap dough and place onto a sheet of parchment paper. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper then roll to about 1/4” thick. Use cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes and then carefully transfer cut outs to the prepared baking sheet. If cutouts are too soft to transfer, refrigerate or freeze parchment paper with cut outs for 5-10 minutes and try again.
- Bake cookies for 7-9 minutes or until cookies are barely golden brown around the edges. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
FROSTING:
- If using coconut cream, chill the can of coconut cream (or coconut milk) in the refrigerator overnight to encourage separation of the cream and liquid. Scoop out the coconut cream or milk from the can, leaving the liquid behind.
- If using vegan butter, leave out on the counter till softened.
- Beat coconut cream or vegan butter until light and fluffy.
- Add powdered sugar and continue mixing until thick and creamy. Start with 1/3 cup of sugar, and keep testing it until it’s as sweet as you like it. You’d be surprised at how little sugar you might actually want in your icing!
- Finally, add vanilla and 1 packet of natural colouring. We're a fan of Color Garden. If you don’t have it at home, use a natural colorant like turmeric or beet juice instead (fresh or powder)!
- Spread with a spatula or spoon and top with something fun like coconut shreds, cacao nibs or granulated sugar.
BERRY GLAZE:
- Add your preferred berries to a small saucepan over medium heat and stir occasionally until the juice begin to release.
- Using a rubber spatula, begin pushing on the berries to help the juices release even more.
- Use a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth on top of a bowl to pass the berries through and separate the puree from the skins.
- Allow the puree to cool completely (place in fridge to speed it up).
- Measure out 1 cup of powdered sugar, then sift into a bowl.
- Add 1-2 tbsp of puree and whisk it together to form a thick paste.
- Add 1 tbsp at a time of either water, citrus juice, heavy cream, or milk, whisking in between each addition until a pourable consistency forms.
- Apply to your cooled cookies and wait for the glaze to set. Enjoy!
As always with our recipes, all ingredients are available at Jo Anne's Place. See store hours here!
Used our recipe? Tag us on social media - we'd love to share your creation with our followers!
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