Spring is in the air! During my frequent visits to Starbucks my daughter always has her sights on the pastry case, specifically these beautifully decorated flower cookies. Always loving a challenge, I decided to develop a recipe for gf flower cookies that were not only delicious but beautiful enough to be wrapped up and given as a gift. After a couple experiments with various icings I achieved success! These cookies were so delicious that I had to fight off my neighbors, friends and family to save a few for a final photograph! I hope you enjoy this class as much as my daughter and I did making these delightful spring-time cookies!!!

Great Recipes Discussed in This Class Basic Sugar Cookie Recipe Dipping Icing

Techniques & Tips You Will Learn in this Class Choosing the right GF flour Having the right tools Making the dough Preparing the icing Icing the cookies

Recommended Tools: Silpat baking mats Non-stick rolling pin Large flower shaped cookie cutter Spatula Cookie Sheets

Choosing the Right GF Flour

Choosing the right gluten-free flour makes a significant difference in the resulting texture and taste of these cookies. Several years ago, our pantry and freezer were full of assorted gf flours and binders — rice (brown & white) flour, rice bran, potato flour, tapioca flour/starch, xanthan gum and guar gum, just to name a few! We spent a lot of time trying to achieve the right combination of flours to create a great substitution for regular "all-purpose" flour. I must confess, our results were less than desirable. One day we decided to try the flour used in The Gluten Free Pantry’s Country French Bread mix. The results were perfect! Immediately we abandoned our efforts to play food chemist and filled our canisters with the Gluten-Free Pantry’s Country French Bread mix flour. Many people have said that they would prefer to mix their own because it is too expensive to buy a mix. I believe the opposite to be true. Instead of buying 4 bags of various flours and binders, I only have to buy one and it even comes in a 5 lb. bag. This flour works great for nearly all baked goods as well as for general cooking use (thickening gravies, sauces, breading and more). These cookies are a great testament to this flour considering that they require 3 cups of flour. Usually we recommend avoiding recipes with more than 2 cups of flour but in this case the recipe works, mostly due to the fact that these cookies require 2-1/2 sticks of butter. The more "fat" used in gluten-free baking, often the better your results will be.

Having the right tools

A lot of experimentation went into making a great gluten-free sugar cookie. We have found that if you have the right tools the process is much easier. To begin with, we use Silpats. These are mats made of fiberglass and a food-grade silicone. You can find them in most kitchen stores. They turn any cooking sheet into a non-stick surface and in addition they also come in an extra large size. The extra large size is ideal for rolling out this particular cookie dough. We also have found non-stick rolling pins that make rolling out the dough a breeze. You still have to flour your surface with gf flour and occasionally flour the rolling pin…but if you use these baking tools you will minimize the frustrations caused by sticky dough.

Let’s begin:

Ingredients for Basic Sugar Cookies:

Makes about 2 dozen flower cookies

• 2-1/2 sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon gf vanilla
• 3 cups gf flour*

*see section above in choosing the right gf flour.

Let’s make the cookie dough:

Keep in mind these cookies require several steps. At first it may seem overwhelming, however if you read through the directions you will discover that each step is quite simple.

Step 1: With an electric mixer, beat butter with sugar and salt until creamy. Beat in egg yolks, lemon zest and vanilla. On low speed, beat in gf flour, 1 cup at a time, until just combined.
Step 2: Divide dough into 4 equal pieces and flatten each into smooth disks. Wrap separately in wax paper and refrigerate until firm, about 30-45 minutes.
Step 3: Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly flour an extra large Silpat with gf flour. Using a non-stick rolling pin, roll out one disk at a time to a thickness of about _ inch.
Step 4: Using large, flower shaped cookie cutters, stamp out the cookie dough and using a metal spatula, transfer flower cookies to a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat.
Step 5: Bake the cookies at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until pale golden. Step 6: Let cookies cool in the pan for about 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining disks.

Making the icing:

I experimented with several different types of icing for these cookies. The icing should be smooth and hardened when dry. My first attempt was to use a basic royal icing. This will work, however, you have to paint on the icing with a pastry brush. This is not difficult, however throughout this process I discovered an easier method to ice the cookies. With this icing you can simply dip the tops of the cookies in the icing and let the excess drain off. They dry evenly iced and taste delicious! An added benefit is the icing is much easier to make.

Dipping Icing:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-3 drops of pastel colored food coloring (we used yellow & green and using a separate batch of icing, pink & yellow)

Step 1: In a large bowl, mix the confectioners sugar, milk and vanilla extract with a whisk until smooth. Remove about 2-3 tablespoons icing and reserve in a small bowl; cover with plastic wrap.
Step 2: Add 2-3 drops of yellow or pink food coloring to the larger batch of icing and whisk until color is incorporated.

Icing the cookies:

Step 1: Place a baking rack over a cutting board or plastic mats to catch excess icing. Working with one cookie at a time, dip the cookie face down into bowl of icing, covering the entire top surface of the cookie. Place the cookie right side up on the baking rack and let the excess icing drip off. Repeat with remaining cookies. Let the cookie dry completely before adding the center’s of the cookies.
Step 2: Color the smaller portion of icing with a drop of a different complimenting food color; whisk until color is completely incorporated.
Step 3: Place the smaller portion of icing in a plastic sandwich bag. Snip off a tiny tip of the corner of the bag. With a circular motion, ice the center of the cookie until a "center" is formed.
Step 4: Let the icing completely harden before serving.

You now have the most beautiful, and not to mention, delicious, spring flower cookies for your family and friends to enjoy. I guarantee they will never know they are gluten-free!

Enjoy!

- Glutenfreeda