Sugar Cut-Out Cookies

Finally! A sugar cut-out cookie recipe that turns out like the non-GF version I remember making with my family when I was a kid. These are so good, no one will know they are gluten free - promise!

A few tips that you really need to follow to get the good results:

~ Chill the dough for about a half hour, then knead gently with your hands to form a ball before you try to roll them out.

~ Be generous flouring the surface you're going to roll them out on with rice flour - and flour the rolling pin before and in between batches... the dough will stick like to everything otherwise, and won't roll out well.

~ Also be generous with vanilla extract for yummy flavored cookies. I like french vanilla flavoring.

~ Use real butter only.

~ Different ovens may produce different results. Check them a couple minutes before they are supposed to be done. They should look only very slightly golden, and should not have any soft spots left. I let my oven preheat quite long to make sure the temp is perfect before I start baking, and if your oven tends to overcook things, bake at a slightly lower temperature than this recipe suggests (10 to 20 degrees less).

Recipe:

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 egg yolks

2 tsp vanilla flavoring

2 1/4 cups GF flour blend (see below for recipe)

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat over to 350 degrees F.

Beat together sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla, mix until all blended together.

Add the salt and flour mixture. Mix until all blended into a dough. CHILL the dough in the refrigerator for 30 min.

Roll out the dough onto floured surface - flour the rolling pin and your hands, too - in one big handful-sized ball at a time - roll dough slightly thinner than a half centimeter thick. Cut in desired shapes and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-12 minutes. Usually 10 is perfect. When they are done let them cool before moving them onto plates to decorate, or they might crumble.

Frost (see frosting recipe below) and decorate if desired, or just eat them plain.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies, depending on size.

Frosting:

My favorite isn't measured precisely... I take a cup or two of powdered sugar and add 1 T of water at a time and mix until it's the desired frosting consistency, then I add almond extract until it tastes good (about 1 tsp per cup of frosting).

All-purpose GF flour mix recipe:

(double or triple all measurements to make a bigger supply of this flour mix that substitutes well for most flour in baked goods)... I like Bob's Red Mill GF products. Xanthan gum is pricey but a bag lasts a long time. You can also get just the amount you want in the bulk container of herbs and spices at most specialty grocers... I bought a couple tsps worth at Whole Foods (in with their whole leave teas and herbs) for about 50 cents.

2 c. rice flour

2/3 cup potato starch

1/3 cup tapioca flour

1 tsp. xanthan gum