Sugar Cookies: gf, df, vegan

A good sugar cookie is hard to come by. You know the kind… Chewy  with a crunchy edge. Mmmmm.

It’s nearly impossible if you’re gluten free, dairy free, and egg free. I will tell you right now, that these sugar cookies are perfection. They fool even the “normal” cookie eating folk. My hubby will eat at least 5 straight out of the oven… I won’t tell you how many I devour. I also won’t tell you how many times I’ve made these beauties in the past few months. It’s shameful.

I adapted this recipe out of my Better Homes & Garden cookbook. It is actually supposed to be a recipe for snickerdoodles, so if you prefer cinnamon to sugar- roll these bad boys in a cinnamon sugar mix before you bake them (and add 1/4 tspn of cream of tartar to the dry ingredients).  I’ve done them both ways.

I almost forgot: I did not make these vegan because I used regular sugar, which is not vegan. If you are so inclined, use vegan sugar!

Sugar Cookies:
whatcha need
Preheat the oven to 350 F

1/2 c butter (dairy free), softened
1 c sugar
1/4 c applesauce
1/2 tspn vanilla
3/4 c asian rice flour
1/2 c brown rice flour
1/4 c sweet rice flour
1 tspn baking soda
1/2 tspn xanthan gum or guar gum

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients. Set aside.

Using a handheld mixer, beat your (dairy free) butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. I used df/sf butter (me +soy=blah).

Scrape down the sides of your bowl and beat in your applesauce and vanilla.

Once again, scrape down the sides of your bowl. Carefully dump your dry ingredients into your wet. Mix well until everything is incorporated. I chill my dough into the fridge for about 30 minutes.

On a parchment lined baking sheet, scoop dough and roll into balls (I just use a cookie dough scoop- a little less than 2 TB- and don’t worry about rolling them) about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten the tops a little and put them in the oven for 10-12 minutes. You want them to look lightly browned and not gooey.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with sugar or sprinkles. Let them sit for 3 minutes on the baking sheet. Using a nice spatula (I use stainless steel) put them on a baking rack to cool. If you don’t have self control (raises hand…) try one when they’re still warm and gooey. Otherwise you can wait for them to cool.

If these last more than a day, I store them in Tupperware at room temperature. This has only happened once. 🙂

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Dairy, egg, and gluten free Chocolate Cupcakes

The boyfriend turns 30 in less than 2 weeks. I need a delicious cupcake that I can actually enjoy to celebrate. I think I found a recipe that meets all my dietary needs AND it tastes amazing. I think it’s my favorite chocolate cupcake so far (and it’s missing eggs and dairy)… Who woulda thought!

Whatcha Need

Preheat oven to 350

½ c white rice flour
½ c brown rice flour
¼ c tapioca flour
¼ c sorghum flour
1 c sugar
½ c cocoa powder
1 tspn baking soda
¾ tspn xanthan gum
½ tspn salt
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 tspn vanilla extract
½ tspn almond extract
1 tspn distilled white vinegar
1 c water

Whisk together the dry ingredients: the flours, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt. Mix in the wet ingredients: the veggie oil, vanilla, almond, vinegar, and water. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake for 18-21 minutes.

Cool and frost.

I made a dairy free blueberry buttercream frosting. This blueberry wasn’t very noticeable but it gave the frosting a cute color.

PS: My camera isn’t at my house… I’ll try and post a picture tomorrow if I find a camera at school 🙂

Carrot Banana Cupcakes (vegan and gluten free)

Well, folks… I have some news. I went to the doctor and have to do another elimination diet to see why I am still so sick. What am I eliminating? Eggs, dairy, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant…. I cried. For an hour. It’s a huge change, and of course happens right in the middle of me discovering my new passion.

That being said, it’s all for the greater good. Hopefully I will figure out what is making me sick! I’m not letting this get me down. I am going to attempt some gluten free/vegan (egg & dairy free) baking.

Now, I was going to use an egg replacer- but here’s where things get tricky. All of the egg replacers I found have potato starch- and of course I can’t have potatoes! This recipe has applesauce and a banana to replace the egg. I tried the finished product when it was still warm, and it was good- but a little gooey. I think it will be better tomorrow. I will let you know!

Whatcha Need:

Preheat oven to 350

¼ c sorghum
¼ c tapioca
½ c brown rice
¼ c white rice
¾ tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
1 c sugar
2/3 c applesauce
¼ c soy milk
½ c vegetable oil
1 mashed banana
1 tsp vanilla
1 c grated carrots
2/3 c chopped walnuts

Wisk together all of your dry ingredients into a large bowl. Make sure everything is combined. Then, with your hand-held mixer add the sugar, applesauce, milk, vegetable oil, banana, and vanilla until everything is blended. Stir in the carrots and walnuts.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and pop ’em in the oven for 21-24 minutes.

Let cool and frost. These would be delicious with cream cheese frosting, but I couldn’t find vegan cream cheese today so I made a dairy free buttercream.