Gingerbread egg, dairy and gluten free!

Today we're making a Classic Christmas Favourite. 

Gingerbread Cookies!

I had a little help with my Decorating. lol

These are infact GLUTEN FREE and Completely DELICIOUS!

Again, I used the flour recipe from my first post HERE.

The Epicure ingredients I used in these are

Gingerbread spices

Vanilla Extract

Gluten free Baking Powder

VE milk Belgain Chocolate.

Okay, here we go!

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup dark molasses

1/4 cup water

beat all of the above in a large bowl until very well blended and pale in colour with electric mixer.

2 1/2 cups gluten free flour

1 tsp VE gingerbread spices

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. VE gluten free baking powder

3/4 tsp. sea salt (I used Bob's Red Mill)

Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl and add to creamed wet ingredients.

mix well.

At this point you need to gather all your dough together in some parchment paper, and refrigerate it for 1-2 hours.  It can also be frozen at this point.  The dough will keep for about 6 weeks frozen, or a week in the fridge.

When you're ready to use it, you definately want to keep it between 2 layers of parchment while you roll it out!  Go ahead and use a rolling pin, but don't use it directly on the dough.  sandwich the dough between parchement layers, and roll away.  When you cut with the cookie cutters, you can flour the cutter first, then cut.  To remove the cut raw cookies, you need to remove all the dough around the shape, then carefully use a lifter to transfer to a baking sheet also lined with parchment.  Alternatively, you can transfer your rolled out dough (before cutting with cookie cutters) to the cookie tray and then just cut and remove the excess, and you have then successfully avoided having to move the cookie dough cut outs at all! :0)

Once they are baked, and cooled, they're easy to handle.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. 

We decorated ours with a simple icing made with just water and icing sugar, and then sprinkled with sprinkles, and I used my awesome Epicure Chocolate Decorator to add the Belgain Chocolate outline.  Mmmm...these are DELICIOUS with a cup of coffee, tea or even better yet...a gingerbread latte!

Gingerbread syrup for latte.

1 cup water

3/4 cup white sugar

2 tsp. VE gingerbread spices.

Bring all of the above to a boil while stirring in a medium heavy saucepan.

Boil for one minute, and remove from heat.

Use approximately 2 Tbsp. per cup of coffee, or to taste.

For a latte, fill the coffee cup half full, add syrup and frothed milk.

For a richer drink, add cream and whipped cream with chocolate syrup and cinnamon sugar to top!

Enjoy your bit of personal Heaven at a fraction of the cost you'd pay Starbucks!