Sour Cream Sugar Cookies - Gluten Free

 I love sugar cookies and have been sorely disappointed in the gf sugar cookie recipes I have tried.  Don't get me wrong, the cookies, for the most part, turned out okay and most had a descent flavor.  That being said, they were nothing like the sugar cookies I made before going gluten free and the dough was usually so sticky that I ended up making drop cookies out of it.   This can be pretty frustrating - especially when you've got your Christmas cookie cutters all dusted off and ready to go!   Not everyone has the same taste in sugar cookies, but mine leans toward a soft cookie that's a little puffy but not flour-y.  I don't like an overly sweet cookie because I usually eat them with frosting, but I do like the cookie to have a great flavor and be sweet enough that I can eat it without frosting if I choose.  And most important, I don't want anyone to say that it tastes gluten free!

I made a goal for 2008 to find the perfect gluten free rolled sugar cookie recipe.  I've been unsuccessful at finding one, so I've created my own.  I think I've found a winner.  If you have the same sugar cookie preference as me, you've got to try this recipe.  Let me know what you think!

Meredith's GF Rolled Sugar Cookies

1/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup sour cream (not low-fat or fat-free)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthum gum
1 2/3 cup GF flour blend

sweet rice flour for dusting work surface and rolling pin

Cream shortening, sugar and egg until smooth.  Add sour cream and vanilla and mix. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Scrape down sides of bowl and mix on high for 1 minute.  Place dough in an airtight container and chill in refrigerator for several hours or overnight.  When dough is chilled, liberally dust work surface (I use parchment paper) and rolling pin with sweet rice flour.  Place 1/2 of your dough on the floured surface and dust dough with sweet rice flour. Return unused dough to refrigerator.  Roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut out to desired shapes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes.  Repeat with remaining dough.  When cookies have cooled, frost with your favorite frosting. Makes about  20 medium cookies.

6 comments:

Linds Forrest said...

Those look delicious! I need to make sugar cookies tomorrow night and I need to know tricks how to make them look like your pictures. Any pointers?!

Angi Gerrie said...

Mom made your cookies on Friday and they are soooooooooo good! She sent me a baggie of them and I ate like 3 in the first 10 minutes. They totally taste glutinous!

Erin Jackson said...

Meredith, I have been wanting to try to make Somoas (girl scout cookies) Do you think this sugar cookie recipe would be a good one to use for the base cookie? Maybe a little less sugar? I think the ones in the somoas are shortbread.

Meredith said...

Erin, the sugar cookies are a soft cookie and if I remember correctly, the cookie base in somoas are more crisp. You might be better off using the cookie base for the gluten free mallows:
(http://glutenfreebetty.blogspot.com/2009/07/gluten-free-mallows-chocolate-covered.html)

You can omit the cinnamon if you'd like, but either way their texture is similar to shortbread. If you go with the sugar cookie recipe, I'm sure they'll be delicious but it might not be the texture you remember from somoas.

Good Luck! I'd love to hear what you decide to do and how they turn out!

Unknown said...

Hello,
Can't wait to try this recipe but I am just wondering if you tried using white rice flour instead of the brown rice flour. What would be the difference?

thanks,
Gigi

Meredith said...

Gigi,
The white rice flour are so similar that it should work just fine. My main reason for using brown rice flour is that it's more nutritious. If you can find rice flour that is superfine it's preferred so that you won't have a gritty texture.