This year, turn up your nose at rock-hard biscotti and flavorless nut crescents and serve up this modern twist on the classic snickerdoodle. Even Santa will appreciate the break from his milk-and-gluten routine!
Ingredients
- 475 grams All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend (recipe below)
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons (115 g) unsalted butter, softened, or coconut oil
- ½ cup (110 g) vegetable shortening made without trans fats
- 1½ cups plus 3 tablespoons (300 g) organic cane sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ALL-PURPOSE GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR BLEND INGREDIENTS
- 400 g millet flour
- 300 g sweet rice flour
- 300 g potato starch
Directions
Flour Blend
Put the flours and starch in the bowl of a food processor or stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Whirl them together until they are one color. Store in a large jar or container.
Snickerdoodles
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour blend, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Put the shortening in with the butter and blend on medium speed until they are well mixed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
With the mixer running, add 1½ cups of the sugar and beat until the mixture is fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer running, add the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, waiting until each egg is fully incorporated into the dough before adding the next. Pour in the vanilla and mix until combined.
With the stand mixer running on low, slowly pour in the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl once in a while. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Form small balls of dough, about 30 grams each.
Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Dunk each ball of dough in the cinnamon sugar and roll it around.
Space the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes, then pull it out and immediately place it in the hot oven.
Bake until the cookies are flattened, crisp at the edges, and the tops have started to crackle, 10 to 15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack and continue baking the rest of the cookie dough the same way.
Cook’s tip: These cookies can be made dairy free with all coconut oil. They spread a little more than the butter-shortening version, but they’re just as delicious.
Nutrition Analysis: 100 cal, 4.5 g fat, 15 mg chol, 50 mg sodium, 14 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 1 g protein.
James Beard award winner Shauna James Ahern is the author of several cookbooks and the founder of glutenfreegirl.com. Recipe excerpted from Gluten-Free Girl American Classics Reinvented, © 2015 by Shauna James Ahern. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Photography © 2015 by Lauren Volo.
