Gluten Free Thumbprint Cookies

Gluten Free Thumbprint Cookies are filled with your favourite jam and melt in your mouth like a traditional whipped butter cookie. They are light and fluffy with a soft texture. The colours are festive, especially when red jams are used. These traditional cookies are a favourite for many, and this gluten free version will not disappoint! 

The best kind of Christmas cookies are the ones that melt in your mouth because they are so soft and fluffy. They are the ones that you can't stop eating because they are addicting and one is never enough. To me, this means either shortbread or whipped cookies. I wait all year for them because they just don't have the same effect when its not Christmas. When I found the last bit of my homemade Peach Jam and Raspberry Freezer Jam I decided to try making these cookies, the dough and jam were the perfect compliment for each other. The tartness of the peach jam is the perfect balance with the sweet cookie. These gluten free cookies are quick and easy to make. They add colour to any cookie platter, and can be enjoyed by everyone. I found then when pressed down by the thumb they cracked but could easily be put back together, this did not have any effect on their texture once baked. If the dough is too soft or sticky after mixing and it is difficult to roll them into balls, chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. There are so many ways that you could customize these cookies if jam isn't your favourite. Placing chocolate in the middle or rolling the dough in your favourite nut or coconut adds variety. This recipe makes approx. 30 cookies so you could make a few variations.

Gluten Free Thumbprint Cookies

1 Cup Soft Butter
1/2 Cup Icing Sugar
2 Tsp Vanilla
2 Cups Gluten Free 1:1 Flour
Jam of your choosing (Approx 1/2 Cup)

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream together Butter, Sugar and Vanilla until fluffy.
- Add in flour and mix.
- Roll into 1 inch size balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. 
- Press centre down with thumb or the back of a spoon.
- Fill centre with Jam
- Bake 12-15 minutes and let cool for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks. 
- Once cool, sprinkle with icing sugar. 

Mini Gluten Free Eggnog Donuts

These festive, gluten free donuts are perfect for Christmas and all winter long. They have comforting flavour and will fill you with warmth. Mini Gluten Free Eggnog Donuts are small enough that you can enjoy one guilt free, if you can stop after just one! They have a the texture of a cake doughnut with a chewy inside but are baked instead of fried. These donuts freeze well and make the perfect snack, dessert, or addition to your Christmas breakfast.

One of my favourite parts of the holiday season is all the wonderful smells. The outdoors smell like fresh pine and snow, while the malls smell like cinnamon and vanilla, while many houses smell like fresh baking. Eggnog has comforting flavour and smell. Nutmeg is warming on a cold winter day and is a staple of Christmas holidays. Normally it is best enjoyed with rum, or brandy but I like putting it in anything I can. It makes a great replacement for cream in coffee, and is great in all types of baking!  I have spoken to many people who don't like eggnog because of its thick and frothy texture, but when your putting it in baking your getting its rich flavour instead. And when you place it in baking you can enjoy a glass of rum on the side without having to dilute it!

Last year I made Gluten Free Gingerbread Eggnog Donuts for Christmas, however these eggnog donuts have better texture and flavour! They are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, much like a cake donut. I love donuts at Christmas time. My grandma always made fried donuts that were perfect when they were hot on the outside, still a little frozen on the inside and rolled in icing sugar. Since being diagnosed with Celiacs I haven't been able to enjoy one of my Granny's fried pieces of heaven, but I still try to satisfy my donut craving. I am working on a good fried recipe, but these baked ones are good enough to fill my donut void. These donuts are really easy and quick to make, even the glaze takes minimal time! They freeze well so they can be made in advance and pulled out when you are ready to enjoy or have unexpected company. I use a baby cakes donut maker because they are quick and easy, but you can also bake these donuts in the oven in a donut pan or mini muffin tins.

Mini Gluten Free Eggnog Donuts

1/4 Cup Margarine

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Egg

1/2 Cup Egg Nog

1 Cup Gluten Free 1:1 Flour

1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

1/2 Tsp Nutmeg

1 Tsp Corn Starch

1/4 Tsp Cinnamon

- Mix together first four ingredients.

- Add in remaining ingredients and mix until combined

- Place batter in a zip lock bag and cut off corner, pipe into donut maker or donut trays.

- If using donut maker (Such as BabyCakes) cook for approx 6 Minutes, If using donut trays bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly. 

Eggnog Glaze

1/2 Cup Icing Sugar

2 Tbsp Egg Nog

1 Tbsp Butter 

Dash of Nutmeg

- Combine together, and dip donuts into glaze, let dry on parchment paper for 3-5 minutes before drizzling with chocolate. 

Chocolate Drizzle

1 Tbsp Butter

1/8 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips

-Melt all ingredients together over the stove.
-Let cool for a few minutes and pour into a ziplock bag. Cut a small corner off and drizzle over Donuts.

Gluten Free Cranberry and White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

These Gluten Free Cranberry and White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies have a great chewy texture that is soft in the middle. They don't expand like their gluten filled counterparts but they taste just the same! The cranberries make them tart while the white chocolate adds the perfect amount of sweetness, and the peppermint makes these cookies refreshing! They are perfect for the holidays because of their pop of colour, while the cranberries and peppermint give a nice change to the endless sweet treats that seem to be consumed over the holiday season.

I love cookies! Store bought cookies, homemade cookies, old freezer burnt cookies, anything that resembles a small crunchy and chewy circle of chocolatey, sweet goodness; I don't discriminate against cookies. They make a bad day good, and a good day better!When I think of cookies I immediately think of sugar and chocolate filled treats of joy. As far as I am concerned cookies are not healthy and should never have fruit, raisins, or anything besides chocolate in them. Needless to say I was blown away when I first saw a recipe for white chocolate and cranberry cookies. Cranberries and cookies were not okay with me, even though I loved white chocolate coated cranberries this was a recipe for disaster. Except, it wasn't! White chocolate and dried cranberries are the perfect combination in a cookie! These cookies are still packed with the sweet chocolate that I love, but they have a healthy twist that adds amazing flavour and texture. If you have ever had that disappointing moment of biting into a raisin cookie that you mistook for chocolate chips, these cookies will regain your trust in cookies! 

Peppermint has many therapeutic effects. It is commonly used to treat upset stomach, indigestion, and symptoms of IBS. Because of it's ability to calm the stomach, many people consume peppermint after eating a meal in the form of tea or a mint. However, I have read that it is better to consume the peppermint before a large meal rather than after. In the case of these Cranberry Peppermint Chip Cookies I think its perfectly acceptable to consume dinner before dessert, especially on Christmas. Most people enjoy a large Christmas meal, and then have a large dessert following. Everyone is stuffed full of all their favourites and feel completely exhausted while their body digests. If you're like me and wear your stretchiest pants (since pants are necessary for family occasions in most families - or mine anyways) to dinner and still feel full, you are doing Christmas right! Cranberry Peppermint Chip Cookies are refreshing and the perfect treat to calm down that full stomach in between dinner and dessert, or when you are completely done and need something to help your turkey coma.

Even Santa will enjoy these cookies when he stops by with your presents! Peppermint is great for treating headaches and since the big man stays up all night, deals with eight reindeer, has thousands of elves running around, and has to handle the pressure of not disappointing any children around the world, he has to have a killer migraine by the time he gets home. Hopefully these cookies will make him feel a bit better, but with all that pressure its probably best to leave him a bottle of Advil and some rum!

Gluten Free Cranberry and White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

1/2 Cup Softened Butter

1/3 Cup Apple Sauce

3/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup White Sugar

2 Eggs

2 Tsp Vanilla

2 Cups Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Tsp Xanthan Gum

2 Tsp Corn Starch

1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries

1/2 Cup White Chocolate Peppermint Chips

          or

          1/2 Cup White Chocolate Chips

          1 Tsp Peppermint Extract

- Combine Butter and Sugar until creamy, add Apple Sauce and Egg and mix well.

- Add Remaining ingredients, but leave out Cranberries and White Chocolate, mix until combined.

- Fold in White Chocolate and Dried Cranberries.

- Place in air tight container and let chill for an hour or more.

- Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.

- Roll dough into one inch balls and press down with a fork on a parchment lined baking sheet. 

- Leave space between cookies so they have room to expand.

- Bake for 8-10 minutes and let cool for 15 minutes on tray before transferring. 

- Makes approx. 30 Cookies 

Gluten Free Rolled Oatmeal Chip Cookies

Gluten Free Rolled Oatmeal Chip Cookies are loaded with chocolate! They are soft and chewy on the inside with a bit of crunch on the outside. These cookies are easy to make, but if you are looking to save time you can drop them on a cookie sheet instead of rolling them into a log! They freeze well and are sure to be a new holiday favourite for your family!

This year has been a struggle to find the Christmas spirit in myself, or it was until I started my holiday baking! Trying to find recipes that tasted and smelled like my childhood Christmases sparked excitement in me. This year has been busy with lots of changes, but I hope the next few days of holiday posts can spark my excitement for blogging in the same way that baking sparked my Christmas spirit! This is my first post since June, and my 2016 New Years resolution is to make my blog more of a priority in my spare time since I spend so much time cooking, and photographing my creations.

Christmas cookies have been around since the middle ages when baked goods were often used to mark a special occasion. This sweet trend quickly spread across Europe and evolved; cookie cutters were developed to make various shapes, and colours were added to make the cookies a little bit more festive. Around Christmas many people exchange cookies with one another, to show appreciation or thanks. Everyone enjoys a Christmas cookie, even Santa himself appreciates a treat with a warm glass of milk when he stops by (Although I was always told that Santa preferred perogies and cabbage rolls, and he seemed to enjoy them just as much)! The tradition of leaving cookies for Santa is rumoured to have began during the great depression as a way for parents to inspire their children to share with others during the holidays and learn that it is always better to give than to receive.

I first made these cookies a few years ago when I was figuring out what I would be able to enjoy over Christmas as a newly diagnosed celiac. Back then I combined all the ingredients in a blender to make the batter smoother. The cookies resembled a shortbread cookie and they did not have any chocolate or cinnamon which is what I think makes them so delicious. This cookie has the flavour and texture of a classic oatmeal cookie, but the style of a rolled cookie. If you do not want to fuss with rolling the dough or are short on time they can be made the same way but drop the dough onto a sheet rather than rolling it. I find the extra effort of rolling makes the cookies pretty and gives me a little bit more holiday spirit! As a child I loved the smell of oatmeal chip cookies, and the taste of these does not disappoint. They are sweet with a hint of spice and are chewy with a bit of crunch. Everything about these oatmeal chip cookies will satisfy the senses, and they are gluten free! Every year I make tons of sweet treats and one becomes my favourite for that season, so far these cookies are my number one for 2015.

Gluten Free Rolled Oatmeal Chip Cookies

                                                                   1/2 Cup Butter 

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Egg

1 1/2 Cups Oats

2 Tsp Vanilla

1/4 Cup Coconut Flour

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1/2 Cup Vanilla Chocolate Chips

-Cream together Butter, Brown Sugar, Egg, and Vanilla.

-Add remaining ingredients and mix until combined.

-Place onto a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with coconut flour and form into a log, approx 2 inches wide.

-Wrap parchment paper around and cover in plastic wrap, place in the fridge and let chill for at least three hours or overnight.

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Slice cookies to be approx. 1/4 inch. They tend to be crumbly when sliced but form into circles easily and are not crumbly once cooked. They do not spread out so they can be placed close together on the cookie sheet.

-Let cook for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown, and let cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before moving to wire racks. 

- Once cooled, drizzle with chocolate toping.

Chocolate Topping

1 Tbsp Butter

1/8 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips

-Melt all ingredients together over the stove.

-Let cool for a few minutes and pour into a ziplock bag. Cut a small corner off and drizzle over cookies.

Last year I posted 12 days of Christmas Baking, which had 12 different gluten free recipes for the holiday season. This year I have not had time to make that many treats, but will be sharing my creations over the next six days, so keep checking back! Cookies are the perfect treat for guests who pop by unexpectedly, they can be used to decorate a holiday table, and always pair well with coffee or tea. But who am I kidding? You don't need an excuse to enjoy a cookie, its the holidays and the perfect time to indulge!