Marlana Boyers Gluten Free Vegan Sugar Cookies Food

VEGAN SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• For the vegan sugar cookies: Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the almond milk, then continue to beat until smooth and combined. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then beat on low speed until a dough comes together; it should be similar in texture to Play-Doh. If the dough seems too dry, add the remaining 1 tablespoon almond milk, then stir again until combined.
• Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and roll it into a smooth and even log that's about 2 inches wide and 8 1/2 inches long. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled through, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Unwrap the log of dough and trim the ends with a sharp chef's knife. Cut the dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, then transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the tops and edges are set and the bottoms are just starting to turn golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the vegan icing: Once the cookies are cool, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and almond milk in a small bowl until a smooth icing forms; it should be thick enough to spread on a cookie without dripping off the sides. If the icing is too thick, add an extra 1 to 2 teaspoons of almond milk until the desired consistency is achieved. Leave the icing plain or tint with food coloring.
• Use a small offset spatula to spread the icing onto the cooled cookies and immediately top with some sprinkles. Return to the wire rack until set, about 15 minutes. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

VEGAN GLUTEN FREE SUGAR COOKIES FOR CUT OUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or reusable silicone baking mats.
• In a large bowl, using either a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer, beat together your butter, sugar, and light brown sugar until well blended.
• Combine your baking soda and a Tablespoon of hot water in a small bowl or cup. Stir until the baking soda is dissolved.
• To your butter and sugar mixture, add in your baking soda and water mixture, pure vanilla extract, and almond extract. Continue to mix until well blended.
• In a large bowl, whisk together your gluten free flour blend, baking powder, cornstarch (or arrowroot powder), and fine sea salt until well blended.
• Gradually mix in your flour mixture a little at a time until just mixed.
• Add in almond milk 1 Tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together and forms a silky smooth dough.
• Place one of your balls of dough on a lightly floured surface, using additional flour as needed to avoid sticking.
• Lightly flour the top of your dough.
• Roll out to ¼" thick between two pieces of parchment paper.
• Cut out cookies using your favorite festive cookie cutters.
• Carefully place your cookies spaced 1" apart on the lined baking sheets.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on thickness of cookies).
• Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 20 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
• Allow cookies to completely cool before decorating them with your favorite icing designs!

FLUFFY 1-BOWL SUGAR COOKIES (VEGAN + GF)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Add softened vegan butter (make sure it's softened - not melted or cold) to a large mixing bowl and beat or whisk until creamy and smooth - about 1 minute.
• Add sugar and mix on medium speed until fluffy and light - about 1 minute. Then add chickpea brine (or other egg substitute*) and vanilla and mix again, scraping down sides as needed.
• Add baking powder and sea salt and blend or whisk to combine. Then add gluten-free flour blend, almond flour, and cornstarch and mix on low until the ingredients are combined. I had to switch to a wooden spoon toward the end. Add almond milk and stir once more.
• The dough should be thick, moldable and a little difficult to mix at this point (see photo). If too soft, continue adding a mixture of gluten-free flour blend, almond flour, and cornstarch until a thick, moldable dough is formed. If too thick, thin with a bit more almond milk.
• Transfer dough to the refrigerator and chill for 15 minutes*. Once chilled, use a cookie scooper (I like this one) or a Tablespoon to measure out 1 1/2 Tbsp amounts of dough and gently roll into balls - the dough will still be soft so be gentle. Arrange on the parchment-lined baking sheets with 1 inch room between each and press down gently with the palm of your hand to smash slightly.
• Alternatively, roll out the dough on a well-floured surface until about 1/4-inch thick and dip cookie cutters in gluten-free flour before pressing into the dough. Use a floured spatula to gently scoop onto baking sheets. This recipe works well with both cut outs and traditional circles!
• Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies appear fluffy and the edges are slightly beginning to dry out. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a plate to cool completely.
• To make frosting (optional), add softened vegan butter to a mixing bowl and whisk or beat until soft and fluffy - about 1 minute. Then sift in powdered sugar in small amounts and mix. Around the 1-cup mark, add the vanilla extract and whisk. Continue adding powdered sugar until you have spreadable frosting (I used about 2 cups powdered sugar // amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). If you prefer a thinner frosting, add a little almond milk to thin. If it becomes too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it becomes too thick, add more almond milk. Add natural food coloring at this time (optional).
• Frost cookies or leave plain! I decorated with some naturally-dyed sugar sprinkles like these. Organic cane sugar as a base should ensure vegan friendliness.
• Storage: Once cooled, store leftover cookies covered at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month.

MARLANA BOYER'S GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Mix ingredients with a stand mixer or hand electric one in the EXACT order as written creaming the butter and sugar first then adding the egg substitutes OR eggs then the rest for best results.
• IF mix seems to not want to come together and is dry and crumbly ( it happens so DON'T WORRY! ), SLOWLY add a tablespoon at a time of water till it comes together. Trust me it'll come together so take a deep breath.
• Place dough on floured parchment sheet with a second parchment sheet on top which helps prevent the dough from sticking. Roll dough to desired thickness. We love ours pretty thick here so I roll ours at about 1/2 " thick.
• Dust your desired cookie cutters with your flour then cut your shapes. Remove excess dough from the cut shapes and transfer the whole parchment sheet to your cookie sheet to prevent any cracks (if you find this easier).
• Bake on the middle each of your oven for 8-10 minutes MAX . You want to remove them when they are just starting to turn on the edges of the cookies a light gold color. They will still be soft, but the bottoms will look like they are a slight golden color. IF THEY LOOK DONE, they are OVERBAKED and will not be that soft fluffy cake like texture.
• Let cookies cool 10 minutes before removing so they do not break during transfer to the cooling rack.