A World Without Wheat..... Best. Thumbprint. Cookies. Ever.

It’s not too late to make holiday cookies.  Ones so yummy people beg for another one…. Would you like to bake a gluten free cookie that tastes as good as any wheat based cookie around?  And, perhaps you love the combination of lemon and raspberry.  Well, then this is the cookie for you!

It is an easy dough to make but you need to chill it really well before you shape the cookies as it is terribly sticky at anything less than burr cold!  I am debating adding a touch more rice flour to tame it but I am not sure that such might alter the flavor and texture.  Novice GF bakers: potato starch is not the same as potato flour….  

These cookies are delicate, cakey and have a lovely lemony flavor.  I suppose you could fill them with another kind of jam but why? Red raspberry preserves are just perfect with lemon…

They bake very fast; do not go far or they may burn on the bottom.  Be sure to let them cool five minutes before moving off the cookie sheet and use a flat metal spatula for moving.

I put plastic wrap over the bowl and kept the rest of my dough in the fridge for several days, making fresh cookies when I needed them.  So you can make them in one day or spread it out over a week. They should keep for 4 days or so, once baked, but honesty they get eaten so fast I wouldn’t know how long they actually will last. Enjoy!

Lemon Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

This made about 3 dozen cookies. Less if you eat lots of dough.

Ingredients

• 1½ sticks butter (3/4 cup)
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (Zest on fine grater holes and then squeeze the lemon!)  It’s okay if you have more than a tsp.
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• ¾ cup white rice flour
• ¾ cup potato starch
• ¼ cup tapioca starch
• ¼ cup sweet rice flour
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup red raspberry preserves, be sure it has raspberry as the first ingredient, the finest jam or preserves you can afford will taste the best.  I used Berryhill brand.
•  
• Instructions

1. Cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add the vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix to combine.
2. In a separate small bowl, combine the flours, starches, xanthan gum, baking powder and baking soda.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, beating with the mixer on low until all the dry ingredients are moistened.
4. Cover and chill the dough 2 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°. Use non stick cookie sheets, or sheets lined with parchment paper.
6. Roll the dough into small balls about one inch in diameter and then roll around in granulated sugar.  Place them about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Press your thumb into the center of each ball making a deep impression.
7. Bake for 10 minutes, take out and use a small melon baller to press down the center as it will have raised some.  I used my loose tea measurer which has a round, one inch across bowl. Then, put approximately ½ tsp of red raspberry preserves in the depression you just created. Try not to overflow the cookie’s bowl.  Bake 2-3 more minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to brown slightly. Cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.  Store in airtight container for best freshness.  Hide from spouse and children of all ages.
8. This is a recipe from Gluten Free Homemaker, revised slightly by me.