(Photo courtesy of From Jessica’s Kitchen, who snapped this picture of cookies I sent to her. I had a crazy camera malfunction and she saved the day!)
For the past few years I’ve participated in The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, which is a fundraiser for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a nonprofit organization committed to funding new therapies used in the fight against pediatric cancer, which claims the lives of more children in the US than any other disease. Cookies for a great cause! This year I created Maple Glazed Chai Spice Shortbread Cookies.
These cookies are gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free ,vegan and refined sugar-free with exception of the glaze. They are a true shortbread cookie, not overly sweet, and pair perfectly with a cup of hot tea or coffee. Not only that, they are a delightful little bite, so you can indulge in more than one cookie.
This year I got cookies in the mail from La Casa de Sweets, Gluten Free Foodsmith and Good For You Gluten Free. It’s so much fun to get cookies in the mail I can indulge in! Please visit their sites for the recipes to make the cookies shown below:
Here is my recipe. I’ve used this 2″ round cutter from Wilton that came in a set to make these a lovely size for serving with tea. Enjoy!
(Photo courtesy of From Jessica’s Kitchen)
Maple Glazed Chai Spice Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough:
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1 cup Earth Balance vegan butter-y sticks (2 sticks), room temperature
- 1 egg OR 1 chia egg (3 Tablespoons hot water with 1 Tablespoon of ground chia seed)
- 1 t . vanilla bean paste
- 3 cups of my favorite gluten-free flour blend
- 1 1/2 t . guar gum
- 1 1/2 t . baking powder
- 1/2 t . salt
- 1/2 t . cinnamon
- 1/4 t . cardamom
- 1/4 t . ground ginger
- 1/8 t . nutmeg
- 1/8 t . fresh ground black pepper
- 1/4 t . fennel seed , ground in spice grinder
For the Maple Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon water , if needed
Instructions
For the cookies:
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Cream sugar and Earth Balance/butter until just incorporated in bowl of stand mixer. Add egg (or Chia egg) and vanilla bean paste. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. Add dry ingredients one cup at a time to mixture in stand mixture.
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Split the dough into two equal parts. Press into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
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Roll out on plastic wrap. (Optional: roll on a floured surface but this creates a more brittle, dry cookie.) I unwrap the dough and turn out onto one sheet of plastic wrap, then top with another sheet of plastic wrap and roll out til about 1/4" thick. These may be cut with any size round cutter you would like. I use a 2" round cutter, which yields 48 total cookies.
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Bake on silpat or parchment lined baking sheet at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes.
For the Glaze:
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Make the glaze after the cookies have cooled.
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In a bowl, mix together sifted powdered sugar and 3 Tablespoons maple syrup. Add water a little at a time if needed to reach a thick consistency that can be spooned onto the cookies.
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Using a spoon, spread a small dollop atop each cookie. Allow to sit uncovered until the glaze has set.
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Enjoy!
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Johnna, these cookies sounds scrumptious! I’ve printed out the recipe to make these delicious bites for my family over the holiday break. Thank you so much for taking part in the Cookie’s For Kids’ Cancer cookie swap! Hope you enjoyed my Molasses Ginger Snaps. Have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.
Thanks so much for the cookies, Tina! It was great to connect with you via the Cookie Swap. Happy New Year!