The holidays are a time for baking and sharing. Amber Lee has been kind enough to share some of her family’s favorite cookie recipes. Recipes provided are gluten-free & casein-free.

GFCF means free of wheat, rye, barley, and milk.

Rolled Sugar Cookies

2/3 cup sugar
1 cup margarine
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups rice flour blend
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 
2. In a large mixer bowl beat sugar and margarine. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. 
3. In a separate bowl combine Rice Flour Blend, xanthan, and salt. Add to sugar mixture. Beat on low speed, scraping bowl often until dough well mixed.  Cover and chill cookie dough for at least 1 hour.
4. Roll dough onto a well-floured surface.  Roll out half the dough to 1/8" thickness.  Cut shapes with cookie cutters.  Use a spatula to transfer cookies to a lightly greased cookie sheet (or use parchment paper). 
5. Bake for 8 minutes.  Cool and frost.

SugarTip

Selecting the most appropriate sugar substitute depends upon the reason for avoiding sugar.  People restrict sugar to limit yeast overgrowths, control diabetes, manage weight, reduce cavities, and for many other reasons.  

-I have had success using Xylitol as a substitute for sugar in baking.  It substitutes 1 to 1 for white or brown sugar in most recipes.  Xylitol is not digestible by yeast, it has a low glycemic value, it does not promote cavities, it is low in calories and looks and tastes a lot like sugar.  It will not work for hard candies such as lollipops.   And it will not work for yeast breads since it will not feed the yeast to make the bread rise.

Gingerbread Cutouts  

1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1 Tbsp vinegar
3 cups Bean Flour Blend
1  1/2 tsp xanthan
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.  Cream sugar and shortening together in mixer till light and fluffy.  Mix in molasses, egg, and vinegar until combined.
2. In a medium bowl, combine Bean Flour Blend, xanthan, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.  Mix in with wet ingredients.
3. Grease cookie sheet; set aside.  On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough to 1/8" thickness. Cut in to shapes and place on cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Cool for 1 minute before removing from pan. 

About Author: Amber Lee is a mother of six children She lives in American Fork, Utah. Her husband is diagnosed with celiac disease.  Three of her children have been diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders.

She maintains several websites for the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America including www.gluten.net <http://www.gluten.net> .

She created www.gfcfrecipes.com <http://www.gfcfrecipes.com>  in 2005 to have a place for all of her son's favorite gluten-free, casein-free recipes.  
Although she does not generate any income from gfcfrecipes.com, She keeps it online because so many people write and tell her that how it has really helped them.
She enjoys cooking and eating healthy vegan dishes and is currently working on a collection of her favorite vegan recipes.
 
She graduated from Brigham Young University in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science and Mathematics Secondary Education.  
She has taught several community education classes in computer literacy.
She has a passion for learning.

Reprinted with permission from GFCF Recipes by Amber Lee Copyright © 2003  Photos by Amber Lee. All Rights Reserved.