Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
We make sugar cookies every year, so I wasn’t about to skip that tradition now that we’re eating healthier. These gluten free sugar cookies combine GF flour with cashew meal. Most healthier baked goods use almond flour, but I really like the flavor and texture you get from the cashew flour. It comes out crispy and has a nice depth of flavor. I buy mine at Trader Joe’s, or run raw cashews through the blender for a few seconds, until they’re the right consistency. As with most of my recipes, these cookies are also dairy free.
Of course you probably know that substituting half of the refined flour with nut flour does more than just enhance the flavor, right? It significantly lowers the amount of sugar, and the fat and protein in the cashews slows down the remaining sugars as they enter your system.
Before we get to the recipe for gluten free sugar cookies I want to invite you to join with others who are making healthy changes, if you haven’t done so already. I’d love to walk alongside you in your journey towards wholeness and health! Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full!” Freedom from food addictions is part of having a truly full life.
Makes about 50 cookies
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 Cups Cashew Meal
- 1/4 Tsp Organic Nutmeg
- 1 Tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 2 1/2 Cups GF Flour Blend
(Pamela’s is the best, and I’ve given you a link for it here)
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
(melted)
- 2 Eggs (room temperature is important when you work with coconut oil)
- 2/3 Cup Maple Syrup
- 3/4 Cup Xylitol
- 1 Tsp Vanilla
Mix together all of the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls, then combine. Mix until it forms a ball and all of the ingredients are incorporated. If dough is too hard add a little almond or coconut milk. If it’s too loose, add more GF flour. Refrigerate in disks covered in plastic wrap until you are ready to roll them out, cut them, and bake them.
When you are ready to bake the cookies preheat the oven to 350. Roll as you would any other sugar cookies. I prefer to do it between sheets of parchment paper, but you can just dust it with GF flour and roll it on the counter if you’d like. The benefit of using two sheets of parchment paper is that you can easily transfer the whole sheet of cutouts at once onto the cookie sheet. The disadvantage is that you need to have a helper hold the paper still while you roll. It’s also a benefit that you don’t have to use extra flour, because refined flour really isn’t good for you!
Place the cutouts on a greased cookie sheet. If you have trouble removing the cookie cutouts to your cookie sheet try using a spatula, or roll the dough thicker (about 1/4 inch thick seems right to me). I think next time I’m going to actually leave the cutouts on the parchment paper, remove the scraps, then move the parchment sheet to the baking sheet. That way we won’t have casualties.
Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Decorate with my recipe for Paleo Royal Icing, colored with Color Garden Veggie Based Food Coloring
