PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN |
PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN |
PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN |
The star player in our gluten-free baking adventures so far has definitely been Cup4Cup flour. The dough this product creates {from pie crust dough to cookie dough} is insanely beautiful to work with. In fact, I prefer it over regular flour! Seriously. The result with these sugar cookies not only tastes great, but the edges are so clean that my baking queen of a friend Natalie asked if I’d cut them twice {once before and once after baking}! I seriously think you’ll love working with it.
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PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN |
My other secret weapon? Coconut sugar. OK, so I guess this makes these sugar-free Sugar Cookies! A rather lovely twist in the plot if you ask me! So why do I use coconut sugar instead of regular cane sugar? A) It is anti-inflammatory and super low on the glycemic index, and B) I actually have an anaphylactic allergy to cane sugar, so it’s kind of a non-negotiable for me. {Please celebrate this one with me as it is actually the BEST anti-aging allergy I could possibly have. I seriously feel blessed with this one.} Coconut sugar has quickly become my favourite cane-sugar-substitute, and the great news is that you can now get coconut sugar in bulk at Costco!! It makes me so happy to see healthy living becoming increasingly accessible for everyone.
The amazing thing about the way the coconut sugar performs in this recipe is that it seems to caramelize as it bakes, giving the cookies a maple shortbread kind of flavour without a drop of maple syrup or maple sugar involved. SUPER yummy! And the cookies are actually soft. That’s right. Gluten-free cookies that are not as dry as the Sahara. Even my non-gluten-free family and friends love these little lovelies! Now that is a triumph. Here’s how we made them:
THE RECIPE
1 1/2 c softened organic butter
2 c coconut sugar
4 eggs or egg substitute equivalent {I used egg substitute as this is another allergy for me}
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 c. Cup4Cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
THE METHOD
In a stand mixer, cream together the butter, coconut sugar, egg substitute and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients and then slowly add them to the wet ingredients until fully combined. Wrap the dough and chill for an hour {or overnight}. You can even freeze it in balls to bake one batch at a time if you’d like!
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface until it’s about 1/4″ thick. Use your favourite cookie cutters to cut out shapes and place the cut cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 6-8 minutes and cool completely before icing.
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PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN |
PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN |
PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN |
PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN |
Oh yes, I nearly forgot! What does a sugar-free girl do about icing, you might ask? Well, my friend Jenn was the problem solver on this one. She gave me the idea to create a cream-cheese-based icing and pipe that on instead of Royal Icing. That’s just what I did and it worked like a charm! I just mixed one tub of spreadable light cream cheese with about 20 drops of Stevia and 2 TBSP of honey {I didn’t use coconut sugar here because I wanted the icing to stay white}. As you can see, no one would ever know it wasn’t Royal Icing just to look at the finished product. Yes, the icing has a cream-cheesy flavour, but I actually like that a lot. For my next batch I might experiment with a bit of lemon juice or lemon zest added to the icing for a refreshing twist, though I think I’ll have to go with a full-fat cream cheese to keep it from getting too runny if I do that.
See? There are most definitely creative ways to reinvent the old classics! No need for total self-denial or missing out on holiday traditions! What are your favourite holiday treats? Any gluten-free baking tips from all you veterans out there? I’d love to continue learning together!
Wishing you all a wonderful {gluten-free} Wednesday.
xo
s.
I love these and am very excited to try making them. I was recently diagnosed and have gone back to baking kindergarten because GF is SO different 😉 Does regular sugar behave the same way as coconut sugar in these cookies? I only have cane sugar on hand. Thanks for sharing your story and delightful recipe!
Welcome to the journey! I totally know what you mean about being back to the kindergarten of baking, but there are some amazing resources out there that will have you skipping grades in no time! Here's a great baking cookbook you should check out: http://www.thecuratedhouse.com/2012/11/pear-tart-tatin.html. She clearly has the same philosophy I do – going gluten-free should not feel like punishment!! As for the sugar, you will be absolutely fine using regular cane sugar for this recipe, but you should definitely try the coconut sugar when you have the chance! It's truly amazing.
Keep in touch and hopefully we can learn from each other on the journey!
xo
s.
Just picked up my ingredients today! Couldn't find "Cup4Cup" but got gluten free sweet sorghum flour and brown rice. Curious to see how it works out. You're my cooking guide. 🙂
Sarah, is Cup4Cup available at Williams Sonoma stores in Canada? V is intolerant to wheat and am just starting out on this journey. Thanks!
Yes, it is available at Williams Sonoma here in Canada! It is also available at Whole Foods in the US and I haven't yet checked for it at our local WF. Let me know if you find it there too, Tam! xo
How did they turn out, my friend? I hope they added a bit of delight to your holiday celebrations!
xo