Easy Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

• porções: 36 servings
• tempo ativo: 45 minutes
• tempo total: 55 minutes

Ingredientes

360 g (3 cups) plain gluten free flour blend, plus extra for flouring the surface

200 g (1 cup) caster/superfine or granulated sugar

¾ tsp xanthan gum (Omit if your gluten free flour blend already contains xanthan gum.)

½ tsp salt

180 g (1½ sticks + 1 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened

1 US large/UK medium egg, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)

240 g (2 cups) powdered/icing sugar, sifted, plus more as needed

15 g (2½ tbsp) egg white powder

80 g (⅓ cup) room temperature water, plus more as needed

10 g (2 tsp) lemon juice

gel food colouring of choice

Instruções

Making the cookie dough:

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and line two large baking sheets with parchment/baking paper.

You can prepare the cookie dough either by hand, using a wooden spoon, or using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on the lowest speed setting. I don't recommend using a hand mixer.

In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, sugar, xanthan gum and salt.

Add the softened butter and work it into the dry ingredients until you get a mixture resembling breadcrumbs. (If making the cookie dough by hand, use your fingertips to work the butter into the dry ingredients.)

Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well until everything comes together into a smooth, workable cookie dough that isn't sticky to the touch. It should be soft enough to roll out without cracking but also firm enough so you don’ t have to chill it first.

Cutting out the cookies:

Give the cookie dough a knead to make sure it's perfectly smooth and shape it into a ball.

Roll it out on a lightly floured work surface until it's about ¼ inch (6-7mm) thick.

Cut out individual sugar cookies with cookie cutters of choice and transfer them to the lined baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch (2.5cm) apart. Re-use any scraps by kneading them together and re-rolling. You should get about 36-40 cookies in total, but the exact number will depend on their size and thickness.

Bake at 350ºF (180ºC) for about 10-12 minutes or until they’re light golden around the edges. If you prefer crisper cookies, you can bake them a few minutes longer, until they’re more deeply golden brown.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

Royal icing:

In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer, if using), whisk together the powdered/icing sugar and egg white powder. Add the water and lemon juice.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer fitted with the double beaters, whisk the mixture on high speed for about 2-3 minutes until it's thickened and white in colour. To test the consistency, do the "figure 8" test: lift the whisk out of the mixture and create a figure 8 with the runoff icing. If the figure 8 disappears into the bulk mixture within 8-10 seconds, the icing is ready to be used.

At this point, you can adjust the icing consistency as needed, by either adding more powdered/icing sugar (to make it thicker) or more water (to make it runnier). Make sure to add only small amounts of extra sugar or water at a time, as the icing consistency can change quite quickly.You can also divide the icing into several batches and add food colouring, if you wish.

Make sure to keep the icing tightly covered while you're not using it, to prevent it from drying out and a crust forming on top.

Decorating the cookies:

Decorate the cooled cookies with royal icing. You can pipe it onto the cookies or just dip the cookies into it, allow any excess to drip away and then decorate with sprinkles.

Allow the icing to set at room temperature for at least 2 hours, until hardened and no longer sticky to the touch. Don't cover the decorated cookies while you're waiting on the icing to set.

Once the icing has set, serve and enjoy!

Storage:

Undecorated, the gluten free sugar cookies keep well in a closed air-tight container at room temperature for about 1 week. Sugar cookies decorated with royal icing can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.Any leftover royal icing can be stored in an air-tight container (or in a tightly sealed piping bag) in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.