Gingerbread Stained Glass Cookies Vegan Gluten Free

Ingredients

Cookies

1 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour
1.5 teaspoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vegan butter
1/4 cup unsulphured molasses *see notes

Stained Glass Sugar

1 cup sugar *see notes
1/3 cup water
scant 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
16 drops red food coloring *see notes

Icing

1 cup icing sugar
2-3 tablespoons almond milk

Instructions

Cookies

In a medium sized mix bowl the dry ingredients - gluten free flour, cornstarch, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda and sea salt. Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl add the butter and brown sugar. Use a hand mixer to whip until it's soft and creamy. Add the molasses and whip again. Add half of the dry ingredients to the whipped sugar mixture and fold with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add the remaining dry ingredients and fold until it comes together. The dough should be quite dry. Use your hands pack the dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Take the chilled dough and roll it out between two pieces of parchment paper until it is at least 1/4 inch thick or slightly thicker. Thin cookies will not work for this recipe. Use your cutters to cut out the cookies and gently transfer them to the lined baking sheet. I find that an offset spatula works best to transfer the cookies. If the cookies or leftover dough start to warm up (get slightly sticky) place them back into the fridge for about 15 minutes. Roll out the leftover dough and cut out more cookies. Once all of the cookies are on the baking sheet, use a small pairing knife to cut out the 'windows'. This is easiest to do with cold dough.
Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes, until the edges start to brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet.

Stained Glass Sugar

The best pot for candy making is a heavy bottom stainless steel or copper pot, preferably with a spout. Non stick pots are not recommended for high heat. If your pot doesn't have a spout or lip for easy pouring please see the Note section.
In a heavy bottom pot mix the sugar, water and cream of tartar. Fill a small bowl with cold water. Dip a pastry brush into the bowl of water and wipe down any sugar that is stuck to the sides of the pot. This is important to prevent crystallization from happening (small cloudy flecks that will appear in the sugar once its cooled).
On high heat (not max heat, I use dial 8 on the stove) bring the sugar mixture to a boil. Once it reaches a boil do not to stir the mixture again. Every few minutes dip the pastry brush into the bowl of water and wipe down the insides of the pot. Once it comes to 280F (about 10-15 minutes) add the food coloring. Do not stir. The color will naturally mix as the sugar cooks. Once the mixture reaches 300F remove from the heat. Let it sit for a few minutes just until the bubbles disappear. Do not let it sit for too long or else it will start to thicken and pouring will be quite difficult.
Slowly and carefully pour the sugar into the windows. Make sure not to touch the sugar as it is very hot and will burn. Any leftover sugar can be poured into candy molds, or simply put the pot into the sink and fill with hot soapy water. The sugar will dissolve.

Icing

Sift the icing sugar into a small bowl. Start by adding 1 tablespoon of almond milk and gradually add more as needed. The icing should be thick but pourable. Put the icing in either a piping bag or ziplock bag. Pipe the icing onto the cookies. Use toothpicks to fill in any gaps and to create a smooth and even layer.
Once the icing has set (about 20 minutes) the cookies can be stored in an airtight container. They will last for 3-4 days. Enjoy!

Notes

*Fancy molasses can be subbed for unsulphured.

*I use white sugar for the stained glass. It stays light when it cooks therefor the stained glass is a vibrant red. Organic cane sugar may be used but it will make it a darker red color. Do not use a dark colored sugar.

*A natural red food coloring may be subbed for artificial food coloring. The amount needed will vary and the color will be darker and less vibrant. I have also tried using fresh beet juice which has the same result as natural food coloring.

*I didn't add any flavor to the stained glass sugar, but a flavored extract/oil can be added if desired. Use only a few drops and add it with the color at 280F.

*When making the stained glass sugar, if your pot doesn't have a spout or lip for easy pouring, the sugar mixture can be transferred to a small glass pitcher with a spout. It is important to heat the glass before pouring in the hot sugar mixture or it may crack. I place the glass pitcher beside the pot on the stove when I'm cooking the sugar. I find that this warms up the glass enough.

Nutrition