Sunday, December 6, 2015

The Gluten-Free Holiday Cookie Exchange: Strawberry Thumbprints and a Cookbook Giveaway

Cookies, cookies, cookies! It's time for the Gluten-Free Cookie Exchange, hosted by Michelle Palin of My Gluten-Free Kitchen. Eighteen gluten-free bloggers are sharing their favorite cookie recipes, and each site is also giving away prizes. What could be better? Make some cookies, share them at your own cookie swap (or save them for yourself and Santa) and enter to win great prizes!

This recipe from The Allergy-Free Pantry is one of my favorites, and definitely worth sharing. And these cookies are not just gluten-free, they are also top-8 allergen-free! No dairy, eggs, nuts, or soy!

Looking for a top-8 allergen-free and gluten-free cookie for the holiday cookie swap? These strawberry thumbprints will wow them, for sure!

Strawberry Thumbprints
Makes about 28 cookies

Make these cookies with Strawberry Jam or another favorite jam. Ask the kids to help; a child’s thumb is just the right size to make thumbprints.

194 grams (about 1½ cups) gluten-free flour blend
½ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend contains a gum)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (110 g) organic cane sugar
10 tablespoons shortening, softened
1 Flaxseed Egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds mixed with 3 tablespoons warm water)
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
¼ cup (61 g) Strawberry Jam

1. Combine the flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. In a separate large bowl, cream together the sugar and shortening using a mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The mixture will be light and fluffy.

3. Add the flaxseed egg and vanilla. Mix for 1 minute on medium speed.

4. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and blend on medium speed, about 2 minutes. The batter will be thick. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic and chill it for an hour. Cookie dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

5. When you are ready to make cookies preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

6. Use your hands to shape the dough into balls, about 1¼ inches (3 cm) round.

7. Place the cookies on the baking sheet with space in between and flatten them just slightly. Use the tip of a finger, your thumb, or the back of a small spoon to create a small well in the center of each cookie.

8. Fill the center of each cookie with ¼ teaspoon of jam.

9. Bake each sheet of cookies separately in the center of the oven for 15 to 16 minutes, until the jam centers are sizzling and the edges of the cookies are golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

To freeze
Baked cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months; thaw them at room temperature. Cookie dough (prepared through step 4) can be frozen for up to 6 months; thaw the dough in the refrigerator before forming cookies, filling with jam, and baking.

Credit line: Recipe from The Allergy-Free Pantry: Make Your Own Staples, Snacks, and More Without Wheat, Gluten, Dairy, Eggs, Soy or Nuts, copyright © Colette Martin, 2014. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold.

And now for my giveaway:

One lucky reader will win signed copies of Learning to Bake Allergen-Free and The Allergy-Free Pantry. Also included in the prize package will be the most needed kitchen tool when baking gluten-free - a digital kitchen scale for weighing gluten-free flours!

Win these great prizes in the Gluten-free Cookie Exchange and Giveaway!

If you already own my cookbooks, you may choose to have them sent to someone else (or keep the signed versions and give your original copies away).

To enter:

Leave a comment here. Say whatever you like - tell us about your favorite cookie, why you'd like to win my cookbooks, or simply tell a joke. You have until Saturday, Dec 19th, at midnight to enter. The winner will be announced on December 20th. After leaving a comment, get your bonus entries:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


And be sure to visit all of the other participating sites and enter their giveaways:


Or click on an image below to be taken to the cookie you crave:



Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Cookies Recipe  from Vegetarian Mamma
Gluten-free Vegan Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe from Sarah Bakes Gluten Free
Gluten-free Snickerdoodles Recipe from Only Taste Matters
Gluten Free Vegan Ninjabread Men from Flippin' Delicious
Gluten-free Vanilla Wafers Recipe from gfJules
Gluten-free Cranberry Bliss Oatmeal Cookies Recipe from Making It Milk Free
Gluten-free Strawberry Thumbprints Recipe from Learning to Eat Allergy-Free
Gluten-free Holiday Sandwich Cookie Assortment Recipes from Go Dairy Free
Gluten-free Cranberry Lime Cornmeal Cookies Recipe from Cafe Johnsonia
Gluten-free Caramel Hot Chocolate Cookies Recipe from Faithfully Gluten Free
Gluten-free No Bake S'mores Cookies Recipe from My Gluten-free Kitchen
Gluten-free Dairy-free Sugar Cookies Recipe from Allergy Free Alaska
Gluten-free Pfeffernusse Recipe from Fearless Dining
Gluten-free Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Recipe from Maebells
Gluten-free Flourless Chocolate Pecan Cookies Recipe from Around My Family Table
Gluten-free Chocolate Gingerbread Bars Recipe from Gluten-Free Palate
Gluten-free Snickerdoodles Recipe from Gluten-Free Homemaker
Gluten-free Christmas Wreath Cookies Recipe from Gluten-free Frenzy
Image Map

36 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm a HUGE cookie monster, and am so excited to see this collection of fun cookie recipes that are safe for me to make! Thanks for sharing :)

Itzia said...

I love cookies. But my favorite right now is snickerdoodle.

Itzia said...

I love cookies. But my favorite right now is snickerdoodle.

Lolly Gaggins said...

Wowbutter Blossom Cookies are a holiday must in our house :)

Anonymous said...

Love this Gluten-free cookie exchange idea! thanks for all of these yummy cookie recipes. I will be making most of these for my holiday. :)

Brianna said...

My girls and I love Strawberry Thumbprints. These look amazing Colette!

Jules said...

YUM! I can't wait to try this recipe, Colette. I can always count on yours to work and turn out deliciously!!!
~jules

gfJules.com

Kate @ Busy Bee Kate said...

These look amazing! I want to expand and try some nontraditional cookies this year. Finally got the traditional ones down and now time for an adventure in the kitchen!

cindy said...

I can't wait to make these! I know my kiddos will LOVE them!

Tyneisha said...

I have very much been in a baking mood lately; would love to get my hands on these books! Thanks for the chance!

Unknown said...

Making hundreds of Gluten Free cookies this week. Looking for some new recipes. Most of the ones I will make I have converted from a VERY old Betty Crocker cookbook that I have been using for over 40 years!

Amanda said...

Thanks for being a part of the giveaway / cookie exchange!

Unknown said...

These look fabulous! I love strawberry anything and can't wait to make these with my little boy!

Jenny Sprague said...

I know I plan to make your candies again - the boys love them! - May be a double batch! ;)

Lori Williams said...

I would love to win these cookbooks because I have a son who has Celiac and I am Gluten Intolerant and we both are having a hard time staying away from gluten. It would be a huge help to have a couple of good cookbooks to guide us. Thank you! My email is icalledonjesus@aol.com .

Unknown said...

These look fantastic! Can't wait to try them! :)

Alisa @GoDairyFree said...

Those are so cute Colette! My husband would adore these, but he'd probably eat ten of them for breakfast :)

Heather H said...

These look great - thanks for sharing your recipe!

Annie said...

These thumbprint cookies look incredible!!!

Aaron said...

My favorite cookie is the ginger snap.

bpayne said...

I love sweets! I've been recently taken off more foods besides gluten so I would love to get more resources for recipes.

Susan W said...

I bet these cookies would be good with pepper jelly.

candy kratzer said...

My favorite cookie is a chewy oatmeal

Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine said...

Beautiful thumbprint cookies dear! I love strawberry jam!

Unknown said...

I love jam thumbprints! I forgot that we used to make them when I was a kid with my mom. It was the only time she made them. I'd love to check out those cookbooks!

Sharon (Nut Free Wok) said...

Yum, I love thumbprint cookies!

Unknown said...

I would love to try any cookie :) thanks for the giveaway!

Unknown said...

I would love to try any cookie :) thanks for the giveaway!

Jessica said...

I would love to try the thumb print cookies!

Unknown said...

I'm the biggest GF cookie monster--love this season when all bloggers share their recipes!

Anonymous said...

I am new to GF, so thanks for all the information and help

Unknown said...

We love your snickerdoodle recipe!! My husband prefers it over the Enjoy Life boxed ones, even!

Dana said...

Mexican wedding cakes are my favorite holiday cookie

alliesong said...

Cookbooks and a scale! How awesome. My daughter sampled some thumb print cookies at a GF cookie exchange and loved them. So, I will have to give these a try. Thanks.

wendy said...

cookbooks look great and I could sure use a scale. how great is this.

amanda whitley said...

my favorite cookies are macadamia nut cookies.