Gluten-Free (Dairy-Free) Lavender Cut Out Cookie Recipe

For those who avoid gluten, this tasty, simple, gluten-free recipe with a dash of lavender will make a special treat in a sea of can't-haves! It can easily be made with a dairy-free butter as well, for the vegans and lactose-troubled in your circles. The addition of lavender adds a unique festive flavor to traditional holiday cut-out cookie recipes to pleasantly surprise the palate.

Even for those who can enjoy this wheat protein, we have found this flavorful recipe to be easy to roll and cut. It also holds its shape well for decorating and has a delightful crunch on the outside with soft texture inside. Gluten-free recipes can be tricky, so we've included some tips that we found aided a successful bake.

Don't have gluten-free flour on-hand? It works just as well with conventional all-purpose white flour, too. Simply swap equal parts flour and omit the xantham gum.

Gluten-Free Lavender Cut Out Cookies Recipe

Makes approximately 24 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 sticks (175g) butter or dairy-free butter
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 2 large eggs or egg replacer equivalent 
• 3.5 cups (450g) gluten-free flour
• 1 tsp xanthan gum - omit if included in your flour blend
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 2 1/2 tsp (or to taste) ground Organic Culinary Lavender

Instructions:

1. Cream together butter or dairy-free butter and sugar.
2. Add eggs (or egg alternative), vanilla and almond extracts and mix until thoroughly combined.
3. Combine dry ingredients and lavender in a separate bowl.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar and egg mixture and mix well to combine.
5. Wrap the dough in parchment paper and allow it to cool in the fridge for 30 minutes.
6. When the dough has cooled, preheat oven to 350F.
7. Roll out dough between two sheets of parchment paper to a 1/4 inch thickness.
8. Cut out desired shapes and transfer to a parchment lined backing sheet.
9. Bake for 12-14 minutes.*
10. Allow to cool slightly on the backing sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.
11. Once cool, decorate as desired.

 

Cooled cookies can be decorated however you fancy! We used a flour sifter to dust powdered sugar on our tree shaped cut out cookies, which reminded us of fresh snow in the forest. 

For a simple, rustic look you might leave the cookies bare or top them with icing or an adornment of sprinkles.

For a fun nod to the flavor, spread our Lavender Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce on the cookies and sprinkle with culinary lavender.

Tips:

• Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes to allow it to firm up and be easier to handle.
• This recipe can be made dairy-free easily by substituting butter for a vegan alternative.  We used Earth Balance Vegan Butter.  Your choice of egg alternative can also be used. 
• Be sure your gluten-free flour contains xanthan gum.  We used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-To-1 Baking Flour, which does include xanthan gum.  If your gluten-free flour does not, the amount of xanthan gum to add is included in the recipe.
• Avoid flouring your work surface as this will effect the correct flour ratio in the recipe.  Parchment paper works great for rolling out the dough.
• Flours can vary in weight.  It's best to weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale to ensure the proportions are accurate.  Both weight and cup measures are included in the recipe.
• This recipe is not overly sweet.  If you prefer your cookies on the sweeter side, increase the sugar to taste.
• If you decide to use all purpose white flour for this recipe instead, we recommend dropping the cooking time down by half and making the cookies slightly thicker, about 1/3" instead. 

 

Tips for baking with Lavender:

• Use a mortar and pestle to grind the Organic Culinary Lavender before adding to the recipe.  Crushing the buds brings out the flavor more fully, rather than chopping or leaving whole.
• Gluten-free flours can introduce a nutty or earthy flavor to a recipe, which compliments lavender well.  For a more lavender-forward flavor, increase the amount of Organic Culinary Lavender in this recipe by half.

One need not be gluten free to appreciate this classic holiday favorite. Share with everyone on your  list and don't forget to share with us in the comments below or on Instagram and Facebook! We love to see the culinary creativity of the "lavender adventurous."

Turn on the holiday tunes -- we're listening to holiday music from around the world in our kitchen! -- heat up the oven and bake to your holiday heart's content!

Recipe inspiration from Noshtastic.com