Gluten-Free Holiday Cookies

This is a collection of recipes from our last Gluten-free Cookie Exchange. The recipes are from members of the Celiac Support Group. You can enjoy tasty homemade cookies for the holiday with these recipes. Please double check the products are gluten-free, look for label or call customer service. You can not assume products are gluten-free from reading the labels.  If the company manufactures gluten-containing products there could be cross contact.

Almond Bark Oreo Balls

All you need:

• 1 pkg. cream cheese (Hy-Vee is GF)
• 2 pkg. gluten-free Chocolate Sandwich cookies (Glutino)
• 2/3-1 pkg. Almond Bark (Plymouth Pantry)

All you do:

1. Let cream cheese come to room temperature.
2. Crush sandwich cookies. Mix with cream cheese.  Freeze 10 minutes.
3. Roll into spoon size balls and dip into melted almond bark.
4. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

M&M’s Milk Chocolate Minis Cookies All you need:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cup all-purpose GF flour like Domata
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ¾ cup M&M’s ® Milk Chocolate Minis Candies
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

All you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and both sugars until well blended. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix into the butter mixture and stir until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, stir flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together. Slowly add these ingredients into the butter mixture and stir until combined.
4. Fold in M&M’s and walnuts, if desired. Chill dough 1 hour or overnight.
5. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto a lightly greased tray, about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for 7-9 minutes for chewy cookies or 10-12 for crispy cookies. Enjoy!

Fudgy Pecan Cookies All you need:

• 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, cut up
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar, divided
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup caramel bites

All you do:

1. Heat oven to 375 F. Place chopped chocolate and butter in medium microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high 30 seconds; stir.  Continue to microwave at 10 second intervals until chocolate is almost melted.  Stir until melted and smooth.  Cool to room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, pulse pecans and ¼ cup of the brown sugar in the food processor until finely ground. Place in small bowl: whisk in baking powder and salt.  Beat remaining ½ cup brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl at medium speed 3 minutes or until light and foamy.  This is important for the cookies to be shiny after baking.  Change to low speed, beat in chocolate mixture.  Beat in pecan mixture. Stir in caramel bits.  Drop 1 ½ tablespoons dough per cookie onto parchment lined sheet pans.
3. Bake 9-10 minutes or until shiny and lightly cracked. Cool on sheet pan wire rack 3 minutes. Place cookies on rack; cool completely.

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Shortbread Cookies All you need:

• ½ cup cornstarch
• 1 cup rice flour
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ¾ cup butter

All you do:

1. Sift cornstarch, sugar, and rice flour together. Add in the butter and mix with hands until soft dough forms.  Refrigerate for one hour.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
3. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place about 1 ¼ inches apart on greased cookie sheet; flatten with lightly floured fork. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Variations: form balls as above.  Roll in finely crushed cornflakes or crushed nuts.  Press top of ball with thumb.  Add a dab of jelly or chocolate.

 White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies Makes 35 All you need:

• 2 ¼ cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1 cup dried cranberries

All you do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl. Set aside. Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large bowl until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
2. Gradually add flour mixture and beat until well blended. Stir in white chocolate chips and dried cranberries.
3. Drop onto parchment lined sheet pan about 2 inches apart.
4. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Move to wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Coconut Delight Bars Serves: 16 All you need:

• 4 eggs
• ¾ cup coconut milk (Thai Kitchen)
• 2 tsp. almond extract
• ¾ cup Hy-Vee HealthMarket coconut sugar
• ¾ cup Hy-Vee semisweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup Hy-Vee HealthMarket coconut flour
• ½ cup Hy-Vee HealthMarket blanched almond flour
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

All you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease an 8×8 inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut milk, almond extract, and coconut sugar.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, salt, and baking soda.
4. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients with a handheld mixer. Stir in ½ cup chocolate chunks.
5. Pour batter into prepared dish and sprinkle shredded coconut and remaining chocolate chips on top.
6. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Cool 1 hour before serving. For dairy-free version, use Enjoy Life Chocolate chips.

Nutritional Facts: 170 calories; 8 g fat (4 g sat, 0 g trans); 45 mg cholesterol; 105 mg sodium; 21 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 16 g sugars; 3 g protein