Christmas Cookie Decorating - an American Tradition

Decorating dozens of sugar cookies is what most American families will be doing at Christmas time.  This is definitely a tradition we brought with us to Poland. Our Polish friend was very excited to learn what this craziness was all about. Unfortunately, since the American population in Slupsk is quite small, there are not a whole lot of cookie decorating supplies in the grocery stores. So we did our best with no cookie cutters or food coloring for the frosting. Nonetheless, we had a wonderful time. So if you are in need of a gluten free/dairy free Christmas cookie recipe, this is it! Just make sure your decorations are also.

Frosted Sugar Cookies
Makes: ~3 dozen       Time: 10 min prep, 3 hrs chilling (optional), 8 min baking

COOKIE INGREDIENTS:

• 1-1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 lb (2 sticks, 250g) Salted Butter, softened (or shortening for dairy free)
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp GF Vanilla Extract*
• 1/2 tsp GF Almond Extract*
• 2-3/4 cups All-Purpose GF Flour
• 1 tbsp guar gum
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cream of tartar*

*NOTE: They do not have extracts in Poland. They instead have something called aromat which is scented but honestly tastes terrible. Real extracts are preferred. Also, cream of tartar has proven very hard for me in find in both Poland and Spain. Lucky for me, I can bring a 9 month supply of these with me each time.

FROSTING INGREDIENTS:

• 1-1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 2-1/2 tbsp Salted Butter (or Shortening)
• 1-1/2 tbsp Heavy Cream (or Soy Milk)
• 3/4 tsp GF Vanilla Extract

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (I used a silicone baking mat)
2. Cream together the powdered sugar and butter/shortening in a mixer (or with a hand mixer) until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract.
3. Stir in the flour, guar gum, baking powder, and cream of tartar. Careful not to get covered in flour if you are using your mixer still :)
4. Now that your dough is ready, you can choose the fast or slow option. If your kids (or you) can't wait 3 hours before baking/decorating, just spoon rounded tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet and press to flatten. Otherwise, chill the dough for 3 hours in the fridge. Then you will be able to roll it out (about 1/4 inch thick) between sheets of plastic wrap to cut out shapes. Dip your cookie cutters in flour so the dough doesn't stick.
5. Be careful when you are spacing out your cookies. They will grow in size so leave about 1-2 inches between each one. If the dough gets too sticky, put it back in the fridge for 10 minutes or even in the freezer. Cold dough is key! You could even cut out the shapes, remove the excess dough, and then pop them back in the fridge before attempting to transfer them to the baking sheet.
6. Bake for 7-8 minutes until the edges are lightly brown. Baking them on parchment paper or a silicone baking mat with allow for easy removal. Let the cookies rest for 5 minutes before removing them from the cookie sheet.
7. Frosting: cream all the ingredients together until smooth.
8. Wait till the cookies are cool and then frost away!

I love knowing that even though I can't have gluten and Levi can't have dairy, we can still have an awesome and delicious cookie decorating party. And I bet you wouldn't even know. Merry Christmas!!!!!!

The Knutsons