Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies by Emily Hutchinson

Author Emily Hutchinson

Ingredients

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup cold Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread in the 15 oz. tub
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups Bobs Red Mill 1 to 1 flour, plus extra for rolling
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder

Dairy-free buttercream

1/2 cup earth balance soy-free buttery spread in the tub
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4-1/2 cups confectioners’ powdered sugar (white powdered sugar)
1-1/2 - 2 tbsp. vanilla almond milk (maybe more if too thick)

Instructions

Cream earth balance spread, brown sugar, vanilla, and egg together for a minute on medium speed.
Mix dry ingredients, flour, cornstarch, and baking powder in a separate bowl. I use a whisk to blend the dry ingredients or sift the dry ingredients.
Add dry ingredients to your wet ingredients. Mix until the cookie mix becomes like dough.
The dough will be sticky, so put the bowl in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes. This will allow your dough to firm up a bit for rolling. The soy-free spread will make the dough soft, so more chill time is necessary.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Flour the surface and very gently roll the dough out to ¼ inch thick. Cut your cookies out into desired shapes.
Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 6-7 minutes or when the cookie puffs up. Once baked, let sit for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet to firm up. Transfer to a cooling rack.

Dairy-free buttercream

Mix spread and shortening together with a stand mixer. Before mixing, ensure they are at the same temperature so they can mix evenly.
Add in vanilla extract.
Mix in powdered sugar.
Add in almond milk one tbsp. at a time. You can always add more in if it's too thick.
Mix until smooth, about 1 minute, on medium to high speed. Be sure not to over-whip your buttercream. DON’T panic, you won't ruin it if it whips longer. Store unused buttercream in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for up to three months.

Cookie Master tip: Make sure to follow instructions and ingredients. Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 flour works perfectly. The Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread in the little red tubs doesn't have a funny aftertaste as the sticks do. The spread needs to come right out of the fridge when using. Otherwise, the dough is too sticky. The cornstarch will help the cookies keep their shape. Use the scoop and level method of measuring the flour so you don’t measure too much which will lead to a dry cookie. Don’t overbake. Store in an airtight container, freeze or frost when cooled.

For the frosting: The recipe can be doubled (this is a half batch of my recipe)

Frosting master tip: The amount of almond milk will vary. The temperature of your house and the humidity of where you live will determine how much to add. Start with the minimum and slowly add to find out what works best for you. Make sure your shortening is fresh and not left in a warm spot. It develops a yucky taste over time and we don’t want that. Add in extra powdered sugar if the buttercream is not crusting enough.

For decorating: You will need- Dark Brown, Light brown, pink, and white buttercream. Tips 10, 18, and 5 in the videos. Sanding sugar to ‘zhuzh’ up the cookies. A half batch of buttercream and a batch of cookies.

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