Gluten Free Vegan Sugar Cookies

Kid decorated!

I have never been too excited about sugar cookies.  But then I had kids.  And what kid doesn’t love first and foremost “frosting cookies” in all sorts of fun shapes?!  In fact the couple times my little Kinder has come home crying from school, it has been because she couldn’t have the frosting cookies with all the other kids.

So this was a recipe I had to master….quick.  And today for the Easter/Earth Day celebration in class, she got her “frosting cookie” just like everyone else.

Most people would be shocked to find out these cookies don’t have any gluten or dairy.  They are quite tasty, even by my standards.  I prefer my cookies more on the moist and soft side, not crunchy like many sugar cookies: so increase the bake time if you are the latter.  The original recipe I tweaked was from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Moskowitz and Romero: truly an amazing book with dynamite recipes (their Vegan Cupcake one rocks too).

Oh and please notice how NOT perfect my cookies are…there’s my impatience thing again…I am not particular about how things look, only taste!  Good things kids are quite forgiving!

Ingredients;

Spring version

Method:

Whisk the dry ingredients together.

In a larger bowl, cream the shortening, margarine and sugar.

Add the vanilla and lemon extracts until everything is combined.

Beat in flour mix to form a soft dough.

Divide the dough into two and pat each portion into a thin, no more than 2″ thick disc. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. (Or if you’re crunched on time, freeze it for 20-30 minutes or so).

On a lightly floured surface and with the plastic wrap still covering the dough (keeps it off the rolling pin) roll each disc to desired thickness, mine were over an inch thick as I like my cookies thick and soft.    You could also rolls balls and smoosh them on the cookie sheet.  Sometimes, after handling the dough, it gets quite soft, which means they might spread all over your cookie sheet!  After shaping them, throw them, shaped, back into the freezer to firm them up for 10-15 minutes.  I have also rolled my dough outt and chilled that way.This recipe seems very temperamental with the liquid/flour ratio and the current ambient humidity…so I always test one out in the oven first to make sure it stands and add more flour if necessary! 

Bake in 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes until lightly golden.  

When cool, frost!  

To make the frosting:  Melt the butter in a dish.  Add the powdered sugar and mix with the vanilla and 1-2 teaspoons of milk to start.  A thick and stiff frosting will dry and become firm and is easier to decorate with and store, and a little bit of milk goes a LONG way!


This recipe was shared on Made From Scratch Monday, My Meatless Monday, Make Your Own Monday, GF Monday, Natural Living Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Hearth & Soul, GF Wednesday, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, Show Me Your Plaid, Whole Foods Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Kids in the Kitchen, Healthy 2Day Wednesdays, 12 Days of Christmas Goodies, Thank Your Body Thursday, Tasty Traditions Thursday, Keep It Real Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Wellness Weekend, Fresh Bites Friday, GF Friday, Fight Back Friday, Healthy Vegan Friday, Whole Foods Friday, Simple Meals Friday,

When her third child was born with severe food allergies, Tessa took to the kitchen to figure out how to feed her family well. Always up for a culinary challenge, their journey has taken many twists and turns! Lots of Paleo, and lots of top 8 free. Good food for families, that's what she's about!