25/11/2020
Gluten Free gingerbread biscuits
The dough is sticky, that’s why it needs to be placed in the freezer a couple of times to make it easier to work with.
Simply roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper when it’s still soft. Next, cut out shapes with a floured cookie cutter.
Finally, place the dough in the freezer to firm up. That will make the dough easy to roll, and the shapes easy to transfer to the baking sheet.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I used one that had the following: chickpeas, potato starch, tapioca, sorghum, fava bean)
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup (109 g) packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (84 g) molasses
1 tablespoon (21 g) honey or maple syrup
1 egg (60 g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
METHOD
• Preheat oven to 180degrees fan forced. Line baking tray with baking paper and set them aside.
• In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt, and whisk to combine well. Add the brown sugar and whisk again to combine, working out any lumps. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, molasses, honey, egg and vanilla, mixing to combine after each addition. The dough will be thick and sticky.
• Transfer the dough to a large sheet of baking paper, cover with another sheet of paper and roll into a rectangle between 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch. If you are concerned that the dough will be difficult to handle, place it in the refrigerator or freezer after you roll it out to allow it to firm up. Pull back the top sheet of parchment paper, dip a gingerbread man cutter in all purpose gluten free flour and use it to cut out shapes from the cookie dough. With each cut, jiggle the cutter back and forth to create a neat shape. Place the dough on a flat, portable surface like a cutting board and place in the freezer until firm (about 10 minutes).
• Once the dough has chilled, peel back the rest of the dough from around the cut-outs and gather the scraps. Then carefully peel off the cut-out shapes and place them, about 1 1/2-inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat the process with the remaining dough until you have used it all.
• Place the cut-outs on the baking sheets in the refrigerator or freezer until firm (about 20 minutes in the refrigerator, or just 5 minutes in the freezer). This will help them keep their shape during baking. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until just set, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheets. Decorate the completely cooled cookies with icing, if desired. Allow the icing to set for 24 hours before stacking the cookies.
*Not my recipe but they are great and keep well in an airtight container in a cool spot in the cupboard (too much humidity isn't good for cookies though!).
