Over the years what I have considered as good food has changed. My palate has grown, my diet has shifted, and my knowledge of what I’m actually putting in my body has changed. Due to these transformations I sometimes need to alter or create my own recipes so that I can eat the foods I want, that work for me. This is one of those recipes.
In my family we mainly eat gluten-free and we are dairy free with the exception of butter and my unhealthy indulgent food- mac & cheese. Since we’ve cut key ingredients to many foods we’ve learned how to substitute. I encourage you to try out this recipe and add it to your cookbook, for foods that work for you. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pack brown sugar
- ¾ cup butter (12 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon maple flavored extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
- ¼ & 1/8 teaspoon xanthum gum (this thickens and pulls your cookie together when using gluten-free flour.)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Frosting Ingredients:
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons almond milk
- 1 ½ teaspoon maple flavored extract
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. (175 degrees C).
- In medium sized bowl mix flour, xanthum gum, and baking soda.
- Soften ¾ cup butter in a large mixing bowl and add, egg, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon maple extract. Whisk until a homogeneous mixture.
- Add flour mixture and whisk. (dough will be sticky)
- Drop piles onto a greased cookie sheet- cook for 9-11 minutes. Let the cookies sit for a few minutes before removing them.
- Frost cookies when cool. Makes 28-32 cookies.
Frosting:
- Soften butter in a medium mixing bowl.
- Add 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar, almond milk, and maple extract. Whisk together until a liquid.
- Add last cup of confectioners’ sugar and whisk.
Frosting tips:
When decorating cookies there are few options.
- You can spread the frosting over the entire cookie and enjoy.
- You can use a piping bag and piping tips to decorate your cookie, and then enjoy.
- You can use just a piping bag and then enjoy.
- Lastly, you can use a sandwich bag. Piping bags and piping tips are a financial choice. If you are just starting to decorate, you don’t decorate often enough to justify buying piping supplies, or if you want to be lazy- sandwich bags are for you.
How to use a sandwich bag:
Take a seal-able sandwich bag, fold the top of the bag over and fill the bag with your frosting. If you want to dye it- squeeze in your dye, seal the bag and squish the bag until the dye is spread the way you want.
Slide the frosting away from one corner and cut the tip of the bag off. The smaller the tip- the smaller your frosting will come out. Something to keep in mind is that the smaller the tip- the more control you’ll have over the frosting.
Slide the frosting back to the tip, now cut open, leave the bag open a crack to let air in and have fun decorating. When you’re done you can just throw the sandwich bag away, or if you have leftovers- slide the frosting away from the cut open tip and tape it closed, then seal the bag for later.
Enjoy!
Your Daily Dose of Christmas:
Christmas Song: White Christmas by, Bing Crosby
Christmas Movie: Holiday
- Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDi5zH18vxU
Daily Affirmation: “I choose to eat foods that work for me.”