Family Favorites - March 2019: Gluten-Free Frosted Sugar Cookies (Wheat, Nut and Fish-Free, Can Be Soy, Milk and Egg-Free)

I decided to keep posting a family favorite recipe from the blog (with any adaptions that we use regularly, if applicable) on the fourth Friday or Saturday of every month this year.  This recipe will be one that we make quite often and that we all enjoy greatly.  This post is the third Family Favorites recipe of 2019.

If you have a recipe on your blog that you consider a family favorite that you'd like to share, please comment below with a link to the recipe, and I'll make sure to pop on over and visit your site to check it out (and leave a comment), and hopefully some of my other readers will, too.

This month's Family Favorite recipe is Gluten-Free Frosted Sugar Cookies.  This is my regular Frosted Sugar Cookie recipe made gluten-free...with a few other tips and tricks shared, as well.  These cookies are probably one of my most favorite, and definitely my family's favorite sugar cookie.  They really are very easy to make, and are wheat, nut and fish-free (if all your ingredients are), and can be soy, milk and egg-free (see variations).  They are also extremely soft (like a certain famous brand I will not mention by name that is sold is stores), and the frosting is creamy and indulgent.  What's not to love, right?  If frosted sugar cookies are your thing, you'll definitely want to try this recipe out!

Note: The gluten-free flour I recommend does not technically contain soy, but it does contain xantham gum (see "Soy-Free" under variations for more details) which can cause issues for people with soy sensitivities or allergies.  For this reason, I will not claim that this recipe is soy-free.  I will share a soy-free alternative in variations, though.

Gluten-Free Frosted Sugar Cookies

Cookie Portion:

1 Cup white sugar
(We always use cane sugar.)

1/2 Cup full-fat, salted butter

2 large eggs

1/2 Cup sour cream

(We always use Daisy brand, and normally use the full-fat version.)

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract

3 Cups Cup-for-Cup gluten-free flour blend

(We normally use and highly recommend Namaste Gluten-Free Perfect Flour Blend.)

1 1/2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder

(We almost always use Hain brand.)

1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting Portion:

2 Cups gluten-free powdered sugar

1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract

1/2 Cup full-fat salted butter, softened

 Dash (up to 1/8 teaspoon) salt

1 to 2 Tablespoons milk

(We normally use whole milk.)

1.  Preheat the oven to 350^oF.
     
2. In large mixing bowl, mix together sugar, butter, eggs, sour cream and vanilla until well blended.
      
3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to the sugar blend and mix until well blended. (Note: Dough will be soft and a bit sticky, like your traditional sugar cookie or peanut butter cookie doughs.)
    
4. Take about a Tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball, and place the dough ball onto the ungreased cookie sheet and flatten it with your hand or the bottom of a glass, repeating the process for each cookie, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
      
5. Bake cookies 6 to 8 minutes (less time if they are thinner/smaller cookies, longer if they are bigger/thicker cookies).  DO NOT OVER BAKE!  (Note:  Cookies will look pale, NOT golden brown.  You want to cook them until they look just cooked through (read that as dry or dull vs. shiny on top), but not until they are browned on top.  You are better off slightly under baking these cookies than over baking them.  Also, you can make your cookies bigger in step 4, but they will take slightly longer (about 10 minutes for a 2 Tablespoon-sized cookie) to bake.)
     
6. Transfer cookies onto waxed paper or brown paper or cooling rake to cool completely.
     
7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 until all the dough is used up.
     
8. While the cookies are cooling, mix together all the ingredients for the frosting portion except the milk in a medium mixing bowl until well blended.
     
9. Add the milk 1 Tablespoon at a time until the frosting is the right consistency for spreading.  (Note: You can add more milk a teaspoon at a time, if need be, to get the right consistency.  I prefer my frosting light and fluffy, so I beat mine a bit longer to get it that way, too.)
      
   
10. When cookies are completely cooled, frost them and enjoy. (Note: You can decorate them with color sugar or sprinkles, too, but make sure those items fit into your dietary needs before doing so.)

Recipe makes at least 3 dozen cookies (I normally get between 40 and 50, depending on size).

Variations (Please keep your individual allergy and dietary needs in mind when using substitutions!): 

•  Milk-Free: Use any milk substitute of your choice for the milk.  Use any dairy-free "butter" for the butter in the recipe.  You can even use shortening, lard or coconut oil if they fit your dietary needs.  Sub a dairy-free yogurt (plain or vanilla) for the sour cream.
    
• Soy-Free: Namaste Gluten-Free Perfect Flour Blend does not claim to contain soy, but it does contain xanthan gum, which can cause issues with people who have soy sensitivities and allergies.  For these reasons, I will not claim that this recipe is soy-free.  You can use regular flour (if you can have it) or a soy-free, gluten-free flour of your choice.  Keep in mind that if your blend doesn't contain guar gum or xanthan gum, you may need to add between 3/4 to 3 teaspoons of ground flax seed, guar gum or xanthan gum to help with textural issues, too.  You'll have to make sure all of your ingredients are soy-free, too.
     
• Egg-Free: Use an egg replacer for the eggs or any of the substitutions listed here for the eggs.
      
• Other Fats: As mentioned in the Milk-Free variation, you can use shortening, lard, coconut oil, a dairy-free "butter", etc. for the butter in this recipe.
     
• Sour Cream Substitution: As mentioned in the Milk-Free variation, you can replace the sour cream with vanilla or plain yogurt, if you wish.
    
• Colored Frosting:  You can color the frosting if you wish, using natural food colorings or traditional store-bought types that fit your allergen needs.
    
• Flavored Frostings:  You can change the flavor of the frosting by using another extract other than vanilla that fits your allergen needs such as strawberry, almond, peppermint, coconut, etc.  You can even use it along side the vanilla if you wish or use another combo of extracts that sounds good to you.  I would not use more than a total of 2 teaspoons worth of extract, though.  Also, you could sub juice for the milk in the frosting for some flavor, leaving out the vanilla or not depending on your personal preference.

I hope you will give this recipe a try soon and that it becomes a family favorite for you, too!