Thursday, July 29, 2010

Gluten Free Gingerbread Men




I can't believe that I am sharing this with you right now. I have perfected the gluten free ginger bread man. After a lot of hard work and experimentation I have finally got it! It all started out from this recipe, and quickly morphed into something of my own.

Those of you who are gluten free know what I am talking about. Finding a gluten free cookie that is easy to roll out with a manageable not sticky not dry dough is nearly impossible! The gluten that's missing usually creates the ease of workability that other wheat doughs have. Without gluten as a binder, gluten free rolled out cookies become something more than a mere challenge, they're downright difficult!

I was not going to let that stop me. And now, I have a wonderful cookie recipe for you. I am so proud of it I can hardly stand it. The gingerbread men flew off of the shelves at
the bakery. I'm so glad to be offering the customers a gluten free version of the favorite classic gingerbread men!!


Gluten Free Gingerbread Men

1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 tsp xantham gum
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon

57 grams organic palm oil shortening (time to get a food scale!)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup molasses


To make gluten free gingerbread men:
1. Combine flours, spices and leaveners in a small bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, cream sugar with shortening until light and fluffy. Add molasses and beat again.
3. Beat dry ingredients into wet ingredients until a dough begins to form.
4. Pull dough from the beaters, form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refridgerate for at least two hours, or until cold. You can also use the freezer for a shorter period of time.
5. After the dough has chilled, take it from the fridge and roll it out on some plastic wrap that has been sprinkled with GF flour. Cut out with the cookie cutter and gently lift the cookie onto a Silpat or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. It is best to work the dough in smaller batches.
6. Bake in a 325 degree convection oven for about 10 minutes. Remove cookies from the oven when they have risen, slightly browned on the bottom and are firm to the touch.
7. Enjoy! Spread icing on the tops, this is purely optional.

You know what I just realized? These are vegan! Gluten free and vegan! That was completely unintentional! In fact, it should satisfy a good amount of people. I am quite proud of this recipe, especially since the dough is SO easy to work with. Please please enjoy and tell me what you think!


I'm off to go whip some of these up for the bakery (after my morning work at the bakery, of course)! They are so fun to make :) 


What's your favorite cookie??

7 comments:

Gisela said...

Great recipe and easy to follow. It reminds me of the time when I baked cookies with my mom for Christmas. I am sure gonna try the gingerbread men this Christmas. Also I appreciate the fact that the recipe is gluten free. Thanks.

Megan said...

I'm printing this one off! Thanks so much.

Btw, I have no idea what 57 grams looks like.....about how much is that?

Kaz said...

Omigosh, I love you! Thank you so much for this recipe. Gingerbread men are probably my favorite cookies, and you've brought them back into my life. <3 I can't wait to make these!

Kelsey Ann said...

omg these little guys are ADORABLE! adorably-yummy that is! lol. little gluten-free gingers hehe, looks amazing!! <3

Sarah, the Healthy Home Economist said...

Love the creativity! These little cookies look SO cute!

Would love it if you would consider sharing this at Monday Mania blog carnival at The Healthy Home Economist. Recipes, green tips, personal stories, book reviews, vlogs etc are all welcome – an eclectic mix of awesome blog posts! Hope to see you there!

Sarah (Running To Slow Things Down) said...

Girl, you need to send this recipe into a magazine! They sound delicious, and would be a perfect sub for those who can't eat gluten (and for those who can, too). :D

Sarah, the Healthy Home Economist said...

Hey Megan, thanks for sharing at Monday Mania! There is another edition tomorrow - would love to have another of your creative posts added to the linked list of awesome blogs. :)