I need to make something abundantly clear before we march boldly on with this recipe. I think gluten is positively magical. The only things that may be more magical are gelatin and Ryan Seacrest, who is a wizard. There isn’t a glutinous thing in this world that I don’t like and I will sing it from a mountain top as soon as I finish this post.
I have a bag of coconut flour in my freezer from a streusel I made many delicious tarts ago. I was too cheap at the time to buy almond flour, which was about three dollars more, so I took home the coconut flour, then soon realized I had nothing else to do with it. It taunts me every time I open said freezer and add a nice, brown banana to my chilly banana collection, which also taunts me because I really don’t want to make banana bread. Then I had this unwarranted idea that I would make gluten-free sugar cookies. But I wouldn’t make them because I’d actually want to eat them. No, I’d make them for science.
My knowledge of gluten-free baking stems from exactly one seminar at school, but frankly, I’m just really smart. I’m just really, really smart and know certain things, like how it is important to combine at least two different gluten free flours or starches to make up for the textural shortcomings of gluten-free items. I know baking powder is going to play a pivotal role here. I know we can definitely not skimp on the sugar.
The most difficult thing here was actually rolling out the dough. After mixing, I chilled the dough as a flat disk for about thirty minutes. I could have possible waited longer. I chose to roll it out about a quarter-inch thick and used fluted cutters. If I were going to make these again, I would have rolled the dough into a log, chilled it, and sliced them off to bake. That would have been real simple-like, but again, science.
Gluten-Free Coconut Sugar Cookies
4 oz (1 stick) Unsalted butter
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Coconut flour
3 tbsp Corn starch
1 tsp Baking powder
¼ tsp Salt
2 Large eggs
1 tsp Vanilla extract
Optional
Sanding sugar
Coconut flakes
Preheat oven to 350°F
In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl periodically.
Combine coconut flour, corn starch, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk together.
Once butter and sugar are creamed, slowly add in dry ingredients. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until dough comes together.
If slicing your cookies to bake, roll dough into a log and wrap with saran wrap. If you are planning to roll it out, wrap the dough as a flat disk. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Place sliced or cut out cookies on a sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle with sanding sugar and coconut, if desired. Bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the tray midway through baking. Cookies are done when they are fragrant with a light, golden color.
If you happen to be a gluten-free individual, I will advocate for these cookies. They are about as close to a normal-type cookie as I’ve ever tried. In fact, they would make excellent holiday cookies with royal icing. One cookie tester said of these cookies, “They are oddly satisfying to chew on.” That, to me, sounds like we have a winner.
In related misguided food decisions, my boyfriend and I have embarked on a three-day cleanse of sorts that, only about five hours in, I’m regretting more than my junior prom dress. We’re doing two days of this Master Cleanse/Lemonade non-sense, then a third day of raw vegetables. All I can think about is grilled cheese. Buttery, buttery grilled cheese. By Friday I’m sure I’ll have conjured all sorts of bright ideas, incorporating dairy products with other dairy products, so you can look forward to that.
A Bowl of Sour Cherries 