Gluten Free Empire Cookies

I've published a post on how to make these delightful cookies the traditional way, but 

as I now have a gluten free child in the home I feel I need to at least try my favourite recipes gluten free so he can have a chance to enjoy our holiday food traditions.  

Luckily for him, these turned out SO well you can't even taste the difference!

Gluten Free Crying (Empire) Cookies!

Gluten Free Empire Cookies

1 3/4 cup butter 1 1/4 cups fruit sugar 1 tsp vanilla

3 1/4 cup gluten free baking mix (I prefer Namaste or Bob's Red Mill) 1/4 cup rice flour

raspberry jam

icing sugar 1-2 lemons

Cream sugar and butter, add vanilla. Add 3 1/4 cups flour, 1/4 cup rice flour. Mix well and knead slightly.  Roll out using icing sugar instead of flour to keep it from sticking. Cut as large or small as you please - I usually prefer small so I can share with more people.

Bake on parchment paper lined cookie sheets at 300F for about 15 minutes. Don't let brown - they should be a little brown on the bottoms but not on the sides.  

Once cooled (I usually wait until the next day), put raspberry jam in between cookies. I like LOTS of jam!  

Mix 1-2 tbsp soft butter with 2 cups (maybe more or less, icing is very personal ) and add the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon a teaspoon at a time until just the right consistency. You want the icing to be thin enough to spread but thick enough not to run off the sides! Spread the icing with a butter knife and let dry.

These freeze really well - just freeze them on a baking tray individually for 2-3 hours and once frozen transfer them to an airtight container. WARNING - They are delicious even when frozen, nothing will stop you from eating these!

I used food colouring gel to personalize the gluten free cookies.  This way, at our large family gatherings no one will accidentally eat the gluten free treats, leaving those with sensitivities/intolerances without any goodies!  

I also "painted" some of the other cookies with Christmas themed images.  Just wait until the icing is totally dry (overnight) and personalize as you need.  This would be great for birthday parties, Valentine's cookies, etc.

You could also choose to personalize just one cookie as the "gift tag" on a tray of baking

Happy Gluten Free Baking!  

Crying Cookies

Alright, I know these are called Empire Cookies or Belgium Cookies

but every time I taste them, I cry.

My Nanny, Marjorie O'Neill, used to make these cookies and ever since she passed away

I simply can NOT taste one of these cookies without crying.  

Crying Cookies.

Belgium Cookies, Empire Cookies, Crying Cookies

1 3/4 cup butter 1 1/4 cups fruit sugar 1 tsp vanilla

3 1/4 cup flour 1/4 cup rice flour

raspberry jam

icing sugar 1-2 lemons

Cream sugar and butter, add vanilla. Add 3 1/4 cups flour, 1/4 cup rice flour. Mix well and knead slightly.  Roll out using icing sugar instead of flour to keep it from sticking. Cut as large or small as you please - I usually prefer small so I can share with more people.

Bake on parchment paper lined cookie sheets at 300F for about 15 minutes. Don't let brown - they should be a little brown on the bottoms but not on the sides.  

Once cooled (I usually wait until the next day), put raspberry jam in between cookies. I like LOTS of jam!  

Mix 1-2 tbsp soft butter with 2 cups (maybe more or less, icing is very personal ) and add the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon a teaspoon at a time until just the right consistency. You want the icing to be thin enough to spread but thick enough not to run off the sides! Spread the icing with a butter knife and let dry.

These freeze really well - just freeze them on a baking tray individually for 2-3 hours and once frozen transfer them to an airtight container. WARNING - They are delicious even when frozen, nothing will stop you from eating these!

Do you want everyone to think you're crazy? Why not try hand painting the cookies with food colouring! I used food colouring gel, with a clean paintbrush and a little bit of water to achieve these beautiful looking cookies!

Why not decorate just one cookie as your "gift tag"?

Painting these cookies was a lot of fun, I really enjoyed doing it!  It also made all my children flood with me compliments - I'm not sure if they really loved the paintings, or just wanted to eat a cookie!

Happy Baking

I love and remember you Nanny.

I miss my Nanny-O

Cooking from Nanny's Favorites

Marjorie O'Neill.  I loved that woman.  She was so sweet to me, even when she had no reason to be.  She taught me how to knit (several times), taught me how to bake but more importantly taught me to be a better person.  To be patient, to listen, to serve others with a happy heart and to show love through baking.  This is one of her recipes I added a trendy ingredient to.  It doesn't make me cry like her Belgium Cookies (renamed Crying Cookies) but I do love opening her cookbook and remembering her in this small way.  

Nanny called this recipe "Chocolate Cookies" which might lead someone to believe they are dark, with cocoa in the recipe.  I renamed it, but the ingredients are the same-ish.

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream butter, shortening*, sugars, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. 

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

I make a well in my wet ingredients and blend the dry ingredients in the well before mixing into the wet.  If you want to do that separately (mix dry, add to wet), that's totally cool but you're doing an extra dish. Mix dough thoroughly.

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 tbsp rock salt

Mix chocolate chips and salt into dough so it's evenly dispersed, no mouthfuls of salt once baked - blah.

Bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes until just brown on the edges.  I used an ice cream scoop to make even sized jumbo cookies, and 10 minutes did the trick.  

*Do you ever wonder how bakeries make such yummy treats?  It's because they use things you don't normally use.  Shortening, lard, tapioca starch - stuff we don't normally add to our cookies can really make a difference.  If you don't want to use shortening in the recipe, replace it with butter (or any other fat - margarine, coconut oil) - but you eat shortening all the time and don't know it*