Gluten-Free Gingerbread Men
Serves: 4
Ellsworth Rath
1 January 1970
Based on User reviews:
58
Spice
44
Sweetness
56
Sourness
39
mins
Prep time (avg)
4.6
Difficulty
Ingredients:
2 cups
White Rice Flour1 cup
Buckwheat Flour1 tsp
Baking Soda1 tsp
Xanthan Gum2 tsps
Ground Ginger1 tsp
Ground Cinnamon1 tsp
Pumpkin Pie Spice1 tsp
Table Salt1 large
Egg (lightly beaten)1 cup
Blackstrap MolassesDirections:
1
In a medium bowl, sift together the rice, tapioca and buckwheat flours, the baking soda, xanthan gum, ginger, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt
2
Whisk until well blended, and set aside
3
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to cream the butter with the brown sugar until the mixture is light, airy and pale tan, about 3 minutes
4
Add the egg and mix again on medium until incorporated, about 1 minute
5
Add the molasses and vanilla, and mix again at medium speed for another minute
6
Add half the dry ingredients and mix on low until incorporated
7
Add the second half of the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough comes together in small clumps
8
(The dough will resemble thick brownie batter
9
) If the dough is too wet and not clumpy, add another tablespoon or two of rice flour
10
Using your hands, bring the dough together into a ball and knead for 1 minute, or until you can make a smooth ball of dough
11
Shape the dough into a disk and place in a resealable plastic bag, removing excess air
12
Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 1 hour
13
(If the dough chills much longer than an hour, let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes to soften before proceeding
14
) When ready to make the cookies, adjust oven racks to the top and bottom thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
15
Line two baking sheets with parchment
16
Divide the dough in 3 equal portions
17
Refrigerate two portions while you work on the first
18
Roll the dough out to a 1/8-inch thickness
19
(Best method for GF cookies is to use parchment paper barely dusted with rice flour on the top and bottom of the dough - this avoids needing to use a lot of extra bench flour to keep the dough from sticking to the counter)
20
Use cookie cutters to cut out gingerbread men
21
You should be able to cut out 5 to 6 gingerbread men from each third of the dough, assuming they are 3 inches tall
22
Gather and re-roll the scraps
23
(Don't worry about overworking the dough, there isn't any gluten
24
) Arrange the gingerbread men on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart and bake until the edges just begin to take on golden color, 8 to 10 minutes
25
(For softer cookies, cook a minute or 2 less
26
) Let the cookies cool for a minute on the cookie sheet, and then remove and place on a cooling rack to cool completely
27
Let the baking sheets cool completely
28
Repeat the process for the remaining dough portions
29
Once completely cooled, decorate the cookies with colored Easy Royal Icing, along with candies, nuts and sprinkles
30
In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer on low speed to mix the egg whites until frothy, about 2 minutes
31
Add the orange juice and vanilla and mix again until blended
32
Sift in the confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then mix on low speed until incorporated
33
After the third cup of sugar is added, keep mixing until the icing is smooth, thick and shiny, about 2 more minutes
34
(Add an extra tablespoon or 2 of confectioners' sugar if the icing seems runnier, like a glaze
35
) Divide into 2 or 3 portions, add desired amount of food coloring and mix well
36
Fill a few tablespoons of royal icing in the corner of a resealable plastic bag, snip the tip and draw (or spread the icing with a paintbrush) onto the cookies (thin with a drop or 2 of extra juice)
37
Chill the cookies in the refrigerator for a few minutes to harden the icing