Name: Classic Butter Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 cup butter, 2 sticks; 2 3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour; 3/4 cup sugar; 1 egg; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Classic Butter Cookies

By: Anne Colagioia

If you are on a gluten free diet, this Classic Butter Cookies recipe from Anne Colagioia just might be the best basic butter cookies recipe out there. Use these Christmas butter cookies as a base for a wide variety of holiday treats.

Notes

Bake Time: 8 to 14 minutes per batch

If you’re not on a gluten free diet and wish to use regular all-purpose flour decrease the amount to 2 1/2 cups instead of the 2 3/4 cups stated in the recipe. Don’t forget to let both the iced cookies and chocolate dipped cookies dry completely before storing them away.

For more gluten free recipes from Anne, be sure to check out her Featured Foodies profile page.

To see exactly how Anne makes these gluten free Christmas cookies, watch this cooking video:

Preparation Time15 min

Ingredients

1 cup butter, 2 sticks
2 3/4 cups gluten free all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 175 degrees C.
Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat together butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. During the mixing process, keep a rubber spatula handy to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Beat in the egg and vanilla until well incorporated then mix in the flour until the mixture forms into a ball of dough. You might need to scrape it off the sides of the mixing bowl as you transfer the dough into another bowl then cover with plastic wrap and chill about 1/2 hour but don’t over chill since that may cause difficulty pressing them out of the cookie press.
Once you’ve pressed the cookies onto the baking sheet, sprinkle them with colored sugar and bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
Another method is to roll out the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to a thickness of between 1/8 – 1/4 inch. I like to do this on top of a cutting board or baking sheet for easier transfer of the dough to the refrigerator later. Once the dough is nicely rolled out transfer the plastic covered sheet of dough to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill and firm up. Then remove the top sheet of plastic and use a cookie cutter to cut your shapes. Transfer the cookies onto the sheet pan. Sprinkle the cut cookies with colored sugar and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Once cooled they can be further decorated with a do it yourself Ziploc pastry bag filled with a thick glaze made by combining powdered sugar and a few drops of water or milk.
A third method for the dough is to roll it into balls about 3/4 of an inch diameter. Use your knuckle to depress the centers then fill them with your choice of jam and nuts and bake them for 12 to 14 minutes.
You can also roll the dough into small logs about 2 inches in length. Bake them for 12 to 14 minutes. Once they’re cooled they can be dipped into melted chocolate and dusted with ground nuts or sprinkles.