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Spring Holiday Cookies

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spring holiday cookies

spring holiday cookies

Making these adorable spring cookies was a successful family affair.  It was still chilly outside on Sunday morning so instead of running out to the playground we decided to make cookies.  John and I were excited but Gabriel beamed once he realized that the step-ladder his daddy brought over was meant to facilitate a first class engagement with the goings of the kitchen countertop.  All the ingredients were ready to go but things with a toddler have to move fast otherwise he or she will start fidgeting in anticipation of the next activity.

bunnies and chickies

We started by measuring flours and plopping them into the mixing bowl.  I realize that plopping is not an elegant word but it is accurate to describe Gabriel’s technique.  Flour and happiness everywhere.  Next we all whisked   taking turns with two different whisks.  First mama then Gabriel then daddy, then two of us at a time making havoc in the bowl.   Not sure how much flour jumped out during our whisking session but the cookies still came out great.

spring holiday cookies mixing

Whisk to the right, whisk to the left, whisk up in the air.

dry ingredients mix

We then mixed and whipped the wet ingredients in a separate bowl with the hand-held mixer.  Lowest and safest speed brought priceless fun.  My hands on top of little ones swirled the mixer around the bowl with only small amounts of dough making their way unto my face.

more mixing

flour and wet ingredients

When all ingredients came together G seemed to have lost interest.  But only temporarily. Mama has a plan!

little fingers in the dough

little fingers in the dough

Next activity: little fingers in the dough.  My pastry sous chefs enjoyed this way too much.  They then dusted the countertop with flour and rolled, and repeated this a few more times.

rolling fun

G was beginning to understand that we were actually making galletas, which I promised would be in shapes of chicks and bunnies.  Initially he thought I meant that we would be reading his book Conejito No Puede Dormir when I mentioned bunnies.  What a surprise when conejitos was all about making cookies instead!

cutting cookies

G cut some bunnies and chicks, J a couple more and then I fixed most of them.  But it’s all about the fun isn’t it.

sugar icing colors

We made the sugar icing with natural colorings including turmeric, chlorophyll and beet  juice.  Just gradually add small amounts of these ingredients to the sugar icing until you get the desired hue.

spring holiday cooking full on mixing

Sprinkle away!

iced bunnies and chicks

Conejitos y pollitos everywhere!

more bunnies and chicks John and I immediately swallowed down a few cookies and thought G would want at least one or two.  Nope.  G just wanted to play with the dough it seems.  Maybe it hasn’t caught on yet that these bunnies and chicks are just cookies and not actual animals?  So proud of my little vegetarian boy…

so ready to eat these cookies

 

Spring Holiday Cookies
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
To color the sugar icing in different hues use: turmeric for yellow, chlorophyll for green and beet juice or grape juice for pink or lavender. Gradually add very small amounts of these ingredients until desired color. Sparkly sugar on top of icing is optional. If you want lighter-colored cookies use white sugar rather than coconut sugar.
Ingredients
For the cookies
  • ¾ cup of white sorghum flour
  • ¾ cup brown rice flour
  • ½ cup white rice flour
  • ¾ cup tapioca starch
  • 1½ teaspoons xanthan gum
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1¾ sticks (14 tablespoons) of non-dairy butter spread like Earth Balance
  • ¾ cups coconut sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal mixed with 2 tablespoons of water
For the sugar icing
  • 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 2 tablespoons soy, almond or rice milk plus extra for consistency
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cookies
  1. Set oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350F
  2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
  3. In a large mixing bowl whisk together sorghum, brown rice and white flours
  4. Whisk in tapioca starch, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt
  5. In a separate bowl and with an electric mixer, mix together butter, sugar, vanilla and flaxseed meal on low-speed for 2 minutes
  6. Add sugar and butter mixture to dry ingredients and mix together until dough forms
  7. Dust countertop or rolling mat with flour
  8. Roll out dough to about an ⅛ of an inch in thickness
  9. Cut shapes with cookie cutters and place on baking sheet
  10. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are a light golden brown
  11. Place cookies on drying rack until completely cool
  12. Makes 24 to 27 cookies
For the sugar icing
  1. In a medium mixing bowl combine sugar, vanilla and milk
  2. Divide mixture into three different bowls and add desired colorings to each
  3. Add more milk if needed until you have a spreadable paste
  4. With a knife or icing utensil spread a thin layer of icing on cookies alternating colors
  5. Place cookies on drying rack and sprinkle with colored sugar (optional)
  6. Let icing harden and serve
Cookie recipe and icing adapted from Living Without Dec/Jan 2012/2013 Issue from Beth Hillson (glutenfreemakeovers.com). Base for sugar icing recipe is close to verbatim, except I have changed name to icing in lieu of glaze and added colors.

 


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6 Responses

  1. i love that you included pics of G & J!!! Was so great to see them from so far away. xxx

  2. Tabatha says:

    They were so cute making cookies together! can’t wait to see you! xxx

  3. […] that spring up at Easter are always a welcome sight after the darker colors of winter.  These Easter Cookies, from Tabitha at Kitchen to Nirvana, celebrate a bright range of colors and will give any feast a […]

  4. Hi Tabatha! You don’t know how glad I am that you shared natural food coloring options! I definitely don’t use artificial colors and the one time I tried to use a natural color (spirulina for green), it was not good. The icing tasted like spirulina lol! But I love the tumeric and beet juice idea…perfect!

    Oh…and I LOVE your little kitchen helper! Doesn’t it just make your heart melt when they pull up the step stool and want to help?

    • Tabatha says:

      We had so much fun baking that day. The little fingers in the dough were priceless. I figure if I start my little kitchen helper cooking now then maybe he’ll make cookies for me in a few years and I can sit back and watch 🙂

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