Gingerbread People and Houses

                                                                                                                                                                      

Yield: about 6 dozen cookies or 2 small houses and 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 5 1/2 cups gluten-free flour mix
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tsp xanthan gum
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups molasses
• rice flour for rolling

Directions

Cream butter and sugar until well-combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in molasses. With mixer on low speed, add gluten-free flour mix, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, and beat until combined. Divide dough into 3 discs, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a generously floured piece of parchment, roll dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Brush off excess flour. Slide dough and parchment onto baking sheets, and freeze for 15 minutes.

Cut out desired shapes. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, and freeze for 15 minutes.

Bake cookies for 6 minutes. Remove sheets from oven, and tap them firmly on counter to flatten cookies. Return to oven, rotating sheets, and bake until crisp but not darkened, 6 to 8 minutes more. Cool sheets on wire racks.

Spoon icing into a pastry bag fitted with a very small plain round tip or just use a zip-top bag and snip the very tip off for piping. Pipe designs on cookies and use icing as "glue" to hold house pieces together. Let cookies stand at room temperature until set, at least 2 hours (preferably overnight). Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers for up to 1 week. Enjoy!

Royal Icing (for decorating)

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 egg whites, beaten or meringue powder equivalent

Directions:
Combine ingredients in mixer. Beat on high till smooth and holds its shape.

More to come with Love!