Gluten Free Black and White Cookies

My sister Rachel has lived in New York several different times (for internships and things) and she would usually come back bearing gifts . . . usually Black and White Cookies.  Black and White Cookies are a New York City specialty.  (Well, my brother spent a couple of years in upstate New York, and he said they were also sold there . . . but they certainly don't sell them anywhere in Utah.)  They are . . . amazing. It's almost like someone cut the top off a cupcake, flipped it upside down, and covered the flat part with smooth, smooth vanilla and chocolate deliciousness.  Okay, that doesn't sound nearly as yummy as it really is.  I tell you, these things are FABULOUS.  The cookies are really good on their own, but (for me, anyway) the fondant icing pushes them over the edge of good into spectacular.  (Have I used enough superlatives yet? Probably not.  I don't think there ARE enough superlatives to describe these cookies!)

There are all sorts of recipes for Black and White Cookies floating around the web.  Rachel and I tried a couple a few years ago and then gave up in despair.  They were never right . . . especially not the icing part.  Most of the recipes tell you to combine powdered sugar and stuff to make a vanilla glaze.  DON'T DO IT!  IT'S VILE!  Blech! Blech! Yucky!  Shudder!  Ewwwww.  It may be easy to do, but it's so gross to eat that it's just plain pointless.  Plus, it ruins the cookies underneath.  Those icing recipes dissuaded Rachel and me from trying to make Black and White Cookies from scratch.  Ever. 

Well, Rachel went back to NYC in January and I almost immediately started craving Black and White Cookies again.  Unfortunately, I knew that she would not be coming back for at least 4 months.  So I decided to do a little more research.  I looked on YouTube for videos about making B&W cookies.  I googled recipes.  I discovered that the topping that was really needed was a poured fondant. I also discovered that poured fondant takes a little time and effort to get it right - but it's SO worth it.  I have made these cookies about a dozen times in the last 3 months.  I have also eaten WAY more of them than I ought to have.  But they are SO good, they're practically irresistible.  Besides, look how cute I made them look on Valentine's Day:

So . . . recipe.  I'm going to put the fondant recipe in its own blog post because it really is its own thing.  (I'm going to use fondant to make lemony petit fours as a birthday treat this afternoon . . . just because I can.)  I'll link it back here, though, so you can easily find it when you are making these.

Gluten Free Black and White Cookies

3 3/4 c. EGF all purpose flour mix
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. well-shaken buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp. lemon zest (dried or fresh)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.  Combine buttermilk and vanilla in another bowl (or measuring cup . . . whatever).  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and lemon zest and mix well. 

Alternately add flour and buttermilk to the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour.  Mix well after each addition, scraping sides occasionally.  Mix until smooth.

Place 2 - 4 Tbs of cookie batter on parchment-paper-lined cookie sheets.  (The cookies that you buy in New York are really big . . . probably four inches in diameter.  If you want to make them that big, you'll need to use 4 Tbs. of batter.  I usually make them smaller so I can spread the joy farther.)  Bake 13 - 15 minutes (smaller cookies bake faster), or until the edges are starting to brown.  (The undersides of the cookies should be a golden brown, but the tops of the cookies will still be rather pale. They shouldn't collapse if you lightly touch one, though . . . being careful not to burn yourself, obviously.) Remove from oven and transfer to a baking rack to cool.

Once cookies are cool, ice the first half of the cookies with Vanilla Poured Fondant.  After you've finished icing the vanilla halves of all the cookies, make the rest of your Vanilla Fondant into Chocolate Poured Fondant.  Ice the other half of your cookies.  Allow fondant to set up.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Cookies

1 c. butter, softened
1 c. white sugar
1 c. light brown sugar
1 (3.4 oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. canned pumpkin puree
3 c. EGF All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 c. milk chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl whip the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars and dry pudding mix. Mix until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. (If you want fluffy cookies, use a whisk attachment and beat for 3-4 minutes. If you want them flat, use a flat beater and mix just until the eggs are blended. ) Mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. Add the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Stir in the chips.

Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 13-15 minutes or until the cookies are browned around the edges.

Monster Cookies

My neighbor's son came home from school with a recipe for Monster Cookies, begging his mom to make them. Being eight months pregnant, the last thing she wanted to do was sit in the kitchen and experiment with a new cookie recipe. She called me and together we slaved over these beasts. (We didn't really, but we tell the kids that so they love us more.) Since the title implies that they are extremely large cookies, that is how I made them. You should have seen kids' delight when I handed them their gigantic treat. And the best part is that they were delicious! Even though they were big, I still ate three!

Monster Cookies

3 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 pkg vanilla pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup m & m's
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 1/2 cups Quinoa or Gluten Free Oats
2 cups EGF all purpose flour


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheet.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, pudding mix, and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, butter, baking soda, xanthan gum, flour, and quinoa (or oats). Stir in m & m's and chocolate chips. Roll 2 inch balls and flatten on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes.

Serve with a large glass of cold milk.

Thumbprint Cookies

These are one of my most favorite cookies. I always try to keep some frozen dough in the freezer for whenever I get the craving. – Kirsti
Thumbprint Cookies
1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese
¾ c. butter*, softened
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 ¼ c. EGF All-Purpose Flour Mix ¾ tsp. xanthan gum
½ tsp. baking soda
1 c. finely chopped pecans
Raspberry or Strawberry jam

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until well blended. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla.

Gradually add the flour, xanthan gum, and baking soda. Mix well. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. (This makes the dough easier to work with).

Preheat oven to 350°.

Roll dough into 1” balls. Place 2” apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Indent centers with your thumb.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven. Fill each cookie with ½–1 teaspoon of jam. Bake 10 more minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely on the pan.

Variations:
Instead of using jam, try Hershey kisses, caramel, or peanut butter. You could also use the cookie dough as a base for turtle cookies (caramel, pecans, and chocolate drizzled on top), or as a base for a cream pie.

* Don’t substitute margarine in this recipe. The cookies will not turn out as good.

Peanut Butter Cookies

These are very simple gluten free and still extremely tasty! Kids love them.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 c. Peanut Butter
1 egg
1 c. sugar

Mix well. Roll balls of cookie dough in granulated sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press flat with a fork. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Russian Tea Cake Cookies /Mexican Wedding Cakes

Russian Tea Cake Cookies /Mexican Wedding Cakes


I never knew what these cookies were called until Betsy told me. I just called them the "little white ball cookies," but they actually have more than one name, and both names (tea cake cookies and wedding cookies) fit them perfectly. They are easy to make but seem a lot more elegant than a chocolate chip cookie. – Kirsti

3/4 c. soft butter
1/4 c. sour cream
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla 2 c. Featherlight mix
1/4 c. sweet rice flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
3/4 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cream together butter, sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla.

Sift together flours, xanthan gum, and pecans. Stir into butter mixture. Chill dough for 20-30 minutes.

Roll dough into 1" balls, and place 1" apart on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Roll in powdered sugar while still warm. Cool. Roll in powdered sugar a second time if desired.

Coconut Macaroons

Oh, glory. How did it get to be Friday? I have no idea where this week went. Between the peanut butter filled chocolate roses, the mounds-bar-type-filling filled roses, and the fabric partially-sewn-but-kind-of-held-together-with-hot-glue daisies (Teacher Appreciation Week . . .), the whole week has just disappeared. So, in keeping with the "I don't have enough time to do anything" theme, I am posting a quick, quick recipe.

I've tried other recipes for macaroons, but have always been rather underwhelmed. One was so sticky that they wouldn't come off the parchment paper, and the other was more like meringue. (Is that right? Meringue? Merengue? I'm too lazy to open a Word document and use the spell checker to check.) These, however, tasted just like I wanted them to. In fact, if I had more of them right now, I think that I would probably eat them for breakfast. (That is, I would eat them for breakfast if I weren't restricting my sugar intake. But I am, so I wouldn't. Eat them. Probably.) They spread out a little oddly at the bottom, which I'm thinking is because of the lack of gluten to help hold the egg whites together inside the cookie. I'll make them again one of these days and see if they need xanthan gum or if they'll be just fine if I smoosh the cookies down a bit before baking. Maybe one of you will try it and let me know what you find out . . . . In the meantime, this is how I made them.

Coconut Macaroons

1 small bag (7 oz.) coconut
2/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. potato starch
1/4 tsp. salt
3 egg whites
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (in a pinch you could grease your cookie sheet, but I don't know how well they'll release).

Combine all ingredients. Mix well. Drop 1" balls of the mixture on the cookie sheet, 1.5 to 2 inches apart. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes (edges will be light brown). Cool on a wire rack.