Lemony Rolled Sugar Cookies

My friend Jessica came by a few weeks ago asking me to help her make a gluten free sugar cookie for the holiday.  Simple sugar cookies are one of my favourites...sweet, soft and chewy with a bit of crispness from being rolled in sugar before baking.  I found a recipe for Lemon Sugar Cookies from Two Peas And Their Pod that included lemon which I thought would really brighten up your regular sugar cookie.  Personally, when I made sugar cookies in the past I always included cream cheese in them.  It keeps them nice and soft and adds a little bit of sweetness and tartness that wound up pairing nicely with the lemon flavor.  Besides chocolate chip, sugar cookies are a treat that will please almost everyone.  These sweet, light, lemony sugar cookies will be a nice change from heavy winter flavors and meals.

Lemony Rolled Sugar Cookies

Recipe adapted from Two Peas And Their Pod
Made Gluten Free by Jesicakes
Makes 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

- 3/4 cup brown rice flour
- 3/4 cup white rice flour
- 3/4 cup sorghum flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon (gluten free) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks/6oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon (gluten free) vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar for rolling cookies

Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Line your baking sheets with parchment or a silpat mat and set aside.

In a large bowl,  mix together all the flours, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

Using a mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until well combined and smooth.

Add the sugar and combine until smooth yet fluffy.

Add the egg, vanilla, and lemon.  Mix until combined.

Add the dry ingredients gradually.  Allow them to incorporate after every addition before adding more.

I use a cookie scoop to get evenly sized cookies.  Place the extra sugar on a plate or in a bowl.  You want them to be a rounded tablespoon.  Roll the dough into a ball the sugar til coated on all around.  

Place on a baking sheet 2 inches apart.

Bake 9-12 minutes.  My bake time was 7 minutes, turn, and 4 minutes.  You want them to be SLIGHTLY browned on the edges.

Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes.

Transfer to a cooling rack.  While most cookies are best right out of the oven, sugar cookies, in my opinion, are an exception.  I think they're much better once completely cooled.  Even better the next day actually.  Something about how they rest I guess.  Plus the flavors all seem to come together better once they have cooled.  Store them in an airtight container to keep them soft and chewy.

 You can see better in this photo that slight bit of brown you're looking for on the edges.  You want these to be soft and chewy on the inside with the crunch of the rolled sugar on the outside.  So you don't want to let them completely brown to overly crisp.

Later in the week I'll be posting a variation to these cookies that makes them look even more festive and ready for the holidays.  And includes the addition of chocolate!  So make sure to check back!  And thanks again to Jessica for the inspiration and helping me bake them...and doing most of the work while I photographed her!!