Perfect Sugar Cookies - gluten, dairy, grain free
I have been working on these for a year. Time and time again I have tried and failed to nail sugar cookies. Or any cookies for that matter. Being gluten free is hard enough but having to strictly tighten my diet further and further due to my food allergies made things even more difficult. I eventually had to go completely grain free altogether and that really complicated things. Until recently.
In walks cassava flour. Where have you been all my life?! Cassava four is ground yuca - a root not a grain. Depending on your exact diet it is usually acceptable for Whole30, paleo and sometimes even AIP diets. I use Otto's which is gluten free, nut free, grain free, certified paleo and basically just pure unadulterated flour.
Why am I so excited about cassava flour? You guys. This stuff is a straight up, cup for cup, across the board, perfect substitute for regular wheat flour. Not like all the blends that say they are cup for cup subs but that don't really work for everything and contain nasty crap like xanthan gum (look it up, it's gross... Plus it's usually grown on corn which I'm allergic to). Anyway this stuff really does sub perfectly in any recipe you find.
Back to the sugar cookies. When I finally discovered this flour it was like all the pieces finally came together for my allergen friendly baking. I also had to try a few recipes and then make my own tweaks due to the other allergies in this house.
This recipe closely follows one I found on A Few Shortcuts but I had to switch it around a bit. Here's the final result:
You will need
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 tsp of baking powder sub (1/2 tsp cream of tartar plus 1/4 tsp baking soda= 1 tsp baking powder. I make ahead and keep on hand so I can scoop out at a 1:1 ratio)
Pinch of salt (I use 6 turns on my Himalayan pink sea salt grinder)
1/2 cup Carrington Farms coconut oil
1 cup C&H sugar + extra for rolling
1 large egg
1 tsp. homemade vanilla (I make mine with vanilla beans and vodka - just drop a large vanilla bean in a jar of vodka and wait about 6 weeks)
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a bowl, combine dry ingredients.
3. In a stand mixture beat your sugar and your fat (in my case coconut oil but use what is safe for you of course) together and then add the egg and vanilla.
4. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients allowing them to combine fully.
5. Make rounded dough balls and roll in sugar (if you have an extra sweet tooth) before placing on cookie sheet. I press the balls flat with the palm of my hand but you can also use the bottom of a glass.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes and cool on pan before removing.
That's it! This is a small recipe, it usually makes me about 15 cookies. I love that you don't have to put the dough in the refrigerator with these because I am impatient as hell!
These cookies turn out pretty sweet so you don't necessarily need to roll them in sugar - sometimes I like them that way and sometimes I like them plain. Experiment with it and see how it goes!
