Sugar Cookies

I haven't made a batch of sugar cookies from scratch since we found out about my son's allergies last year.  A few weeks ago an online friend mentioned she had made some allergy-free sugar cookies.  I asked her if I could try the recipe and she was kind enough to share it with me.

My children had a lot of fun rolling out the dough and making cookies at Easter time.  I even came up with an allergy-free icing that they could paint onto the baked cookies.  I will definitely make this recipe again because we all liked them.

This recipe is free of eggs, dairy, soy, wheat, peanuts and tree nuts.

Allergy-Free Sugar Cookies

Cream together the following 4 ingredients.

1 Cup Lard (The original recipe called for 3/4 cup dairy-free margarine.)
1 Cup Sugar
Egg Replacer for 1 egg*
1 tsp. Vanilla

*The recipe I was given called for 1/4 cup of applesauce, but I used 1/2 of a banana because I was out of applesauce.  There was definitely a banana taste, though.  I imagine any egg replacer would work.  I will try applesauce next time.

In a separate bowl mix the following dry ingredients with a whisk.

2 1/2 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1 tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
3 Cups of Gluten-Free Flour**  (Please see note below)

**The original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups white rice flour, 1/2 cup sweet rice flour, 1 cup potato starch, 1/2 cup tapioca starch.  However, here is what I used.

1 Cup Brown Rice Flour
1/2 Cup Sorghum Flour
1/2 Cup Potato Starch
1/2 Cup Tapioca Starch
1/2 Cup Corn Starch

Combine the wet mixture with the dry mixture and mix well.  Roll the dough out to a thickness of approximately 1/4 inch and use cookie cutters to make shapes.  (The original recipe said to refrigerate the dough for 1 hour, but it made it too hard to work with.  I would not refrigerate it again.)  Use powdered sugar instead of flour if the dough is sticky.  Place cookies on parchment paper lined cookie sheets and bake for 15-20 minutes.  (15 minutes was perfect in my opinion.)  Cool on a wire rack.

Icing Paint

In a small bowl or mug combine the following.  Use a pastry brush or spoon to paint cooled cookies.

1-3 Drops Food Coloring
1 Tbsp. Water
4 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar