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This recipe was updated in January 2022 to remove the corn starch resulting in a less crummy cookie with the same delicious taste!
If you are gluten intolerant, Christmas time can be very tricky when it comes to the meals and treats we eat. And while there are so many food choices we can make that don’t include gluten at all, who wants to miss out on enjoying our favourite Christmas cookies?
This is a quick and easy gluten-free version of the very popular Christmas cookie that simply replaces all-purpose flour with white rice flour and tapioca flour. These flours are pretty easy to find in most grocery stores and are definitely available in bulk at Bulk Barn.
You can use a cookie scoop to make these cookies or a cookie press creates beautiful, bite-sized shortbread. While I would like to experiment with creative ways to make this cookie, the Farmer loves the old fashioned shortbread with the glazed cherry pressed into the middle. Let’s be honest, he’s the one eating the majority of these cookies so they’re gluten-free for me and topped with a cherry for him. We both win!
How to make the perfect whipped shortbread cookie.
There are a few key steps I find help to achieve that melt in your mouth, light, airy cookie:
- the amount of time spent whipping the butter and sugars (don’t cut this short)
- whipping the butter and sugars in your stand mixer first and then slowly adding the dry ingredients
- rolling the dough balls in your hands after you scoop them onto the baker’s sheet
- allowing cookies to completely cool on the baker’s sheet (do not transfer to a cooling rack)
Gluten-Free Whipped Shortbread Recipe
Tools You’ll Need
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup white rice flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
- Candied cherries and sprinkles for decorating
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line a baker’s sheet with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides a couple of times while mixing.
- Add vanilla extract and almond extract and continue to cream the butter and sugar for at least 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. This will ensure a light, airy cookie.
- In a separate bowl, mix together rice flour, tapioca starch, xanthan gum and salt (if using). Slowly add this mixture to the butter and mix at a low speed.
- Once all of the flour mixture has been added, turn up the speed on the mixer and whip the mixture for 2-3 more minutes.
- Use a small cookie scoop to create balls of dough and place them on the baker’s sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll each dough ball in your hand to smooth out the dough.
- Press a cherry into the center of each cookie or press the cookie with a lightly floured fork and decorate with sprinkles.
- Alternatively, roll the dough into a ball and cut in half. Roll each half into a 2″-3″ log. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and place in freezer for about 20 minutes and then slice and place on baker’s sheet lined with parchment.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Do not brown the cookies. You just want the dough to set.
- Leave cookies on the baker’s sheet until they are completely cooled before transferring to an air tight container.
I promise you these cookies have a very similar structure and taste to the real deal. You won’t be disappointed!
