Grandma's Scottish Shortbread

My Grandma Carlson made Scottish Shortbread every Christmas.  This recipe came from her mom, my Great Grandma Davidson, who grew up in Scotland.  I have adapted it to make it gluten free and it tastes just like I remember!

5 cups gluten free flour

1 tablespoon xanthan gum

2 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup chopped nuts

Mix all together with your hands until it sticks together and is combined well. Spread evenly onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Using the back of a fork, make lines going horizontally and then again vertically.  Bake for 1 hour at 300º.  Cut into 1 inch squares as soon as it comes out of the oven.  Let cool completely.   

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

These cookies are the best gluten free sugar cookies on the planet!  They're to die for!  They're super easy to roll out and taste amazing!  A huge thanks to my friend Andrea for sharing the recipe with me!

1 cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
5 cups GF featherlight flour, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Place butter and cream cheese in a large stand mixer and mix together well.  Add sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract.  Mix together well.  Add 3 cups flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt.  Mix and then add 2 more cups flour.

Mix well and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.  You can speed chill for 30 minutes in freezer.  I think it works best to wrap in plastic wrap to chill.

Roll out on floured surface about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick, and cut with cookie cutters.  Bake at 350º for 9 - 14 minutes.  Don't over bake.  (Convection oven:  300º for 9 minutes.)

Cool on wired rack.  Frost when completely cool.

Frost with your favorite Cream Cheese Frosting, or use the following recipe:


Cream Cheese Frosting

12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened
8 cups powdered sugar, divided
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk

Whip together the cream cheese and butter.  Add 4 cups powdered sugar, slowly.  Add vanilla and whip.  Add 2 more cups powdered sugar, then whip.  Add 3 tablespoons milk and whip.  Add 2 more cups powdered sugar.

•  If too runny, add more powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time
•  If too thick, add a little more milk
•  Easier to frost if frosting is a little more thick

German Chocolate Cookies

This is a combination of two of my very favorite things, German Chocolate Frosting and cookies!  Oh my, it's delicious!  Let's just say, I can eat the frosting by the spoonfuls! Yum!

1/2 cup butter
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups featherlight flour
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Coconut Pecan Frosting
Milk Chocolate Chips, melted

Melt butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, using 50% power.  Once melted, set aside to cool slightly.  

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients:  flour, xanthan gum, cocoa, baking powder and salt. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla on low speed until combined.  Add the cooled chocolate mixture and blend until combined.  While mixing, add the dry ingredients slowly and blend until just combined.  Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour.  If making the dough a day ahead, let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping.

While dough is in the refrigerator, make the coconut pecan frosting.  

To bake cookies, preheat oven to 325º.  On a greased cookie sheet place tablespoon size balls of dough about 2 inches apart.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  Cool for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Assemble the cookies by placing the cooling rack with the cookies over a baking sheet.  Spoon frosting onto cooled cookies.  Melt chocolate chips and drizzle over frosting.


Coconut Pecan Frosting
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Combine evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, butter and vanilla in a saucepan.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened, about 12 minutes.  Add coconut and pecans.  Beat until thick enough to spread.  Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Rocky Road Cookies

These cookies are so yummy I can't even explain how much I love them!  They are rich and chewy chocolate goodness!  Then you add the marshmallows, roasted nuts, and chocolate icing!  Wow!  I love the chocolate cookie so much that I can't wait to try different versions of it too!  I adapted this recipe from glorioustreats.com.  Plan a little ahead when you make these, because they do need to refrigerate for an hour, and cool for 30 minutes.

Note:  These cookies are great with just marshmallows and chocolate icing if there are nut allergies in your family.

1/2 cup butter
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups featherlight flour
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups mini marshmallows

Chocolate Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the cookies, begin by melting the butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, using 50% power.  Once melted, set aside to cool slightly.  

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients:  flour, xanthan gum, cocoa, baking powder and salt. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla on low speed until combined.  Add the cooled chocolate mixture and blend until combined.  While mixing, add the flour mixture slowly and blend until just combined.  Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour.  If making the dough a day ahead, let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping.

While dough is in the refrigerator, toast the walnuts.  Place chopped walnuts in a skillet and heat on medium heat until warm and fragrant.

To bake cookies, preheat oven to 325º.  On a greased cookie sheet place tablespoon size balls of dough about 2 inches apart.  Bake for about 10 minutes.

When cookies are done, remove from oven and press 3 or 4 marshmallows into each cookie.  Put the cookies back in the oven and bake another minute or two until marshmallows puff up.  Cool for a few minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.

Prepare chocolate icing by combining all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk together until smooth.

Assemble the cookies by placing the cooling rack with the cookies over a baking sheet.  Drizzle a bit of icing over the marshmallows, then place a few chopped walnuts on top.  Do it quickly before the icing sets up, so the nuts stick to the icing/cookie.  Once each cookie has marshmallows, icing and nuts, drizzle a second layer of icing over the nuts.  Allow icing to set up about 30 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

These cookies remind me of Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies!  Yum!  They have a little crunch to them and the subtle mint flavor!  They are a breeze to mix up and are a great go-to cookie when you need something quick!

1 box Betty Crocker Gluten Free devils food cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
sugar
Andes Mints

Preheat oven to 350º.  Mix ingredients in a bowl with a spoon until combined.  Put about 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in the sugar.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 8 minutes at 350º.  When they come out of the oven place an Andes Mint on each cookie and let it melt for a minute or two.  Then, using a spoon spread the chocolate all over the top of the cookie.  Remove from cookie sheet onto wire rack and let it cool.

Monster Cookies

These cookies are packed full of deliciousness!  They are a kid pleaser for sure, and adults love them too!  A big thanks to Stacey for sharing them with me!

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (creamy or chunky) or cashew, almond or Sunbutter
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon corn syrup
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/3 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup white chocolate chips
4 1/2 cups GF oats
1 cup M & M's
1/2 cup coconut

Mix in order with a large spoon.  Scoop in 1/4 cup size balls on cookie sheet then flatten a little.  Bake at 350º for 15 minutes. Don't overcook!  You want to keep them chewy.

Daniel's No Bake Cookies

YUM!  Who doesn't love the delicious flavor of these chocolate and peanut butter no bake cookies!  They are certainly a favorite!  They don't stick around very long at our house!

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cube butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups GF oatmeal

Measure out ingredients before beginning.  In a large pan mix and boil sugar, milk, cocoa, butter and salt for 1 minute.  Quickly add peanut butter and vanilla and mix.  Add oatmeal until it reaches the consistency you like best.  If you add too much oatmeal it will be dry.  If  you add too little it will be runny.

Makes about 42 cookies.

Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

This sugar cookie recipe is delicious!  It's from eatingglutenfree.com.  The cookies seem a little hard after they are cooked, but when you frost them, the frosting softens the cookie!  They taste as yummy as "normal" sugar cookies! You could also use this recipe for Fruit Pizza.

1 3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups featherlight flour
1 3/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream butter, pudding mix, and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.  Add vanilla.  Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, then add to creamed mixture.  Chill about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350º.  Sprinkle clean counter with featherlight flour.  Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick.  Cut with cookie cutters and place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-11 minutes.  The edges will start browning, but the tops will still be very light.  Cool.  Frost with cream cheese frosting, and decorate.


Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup butter (softened)
about 1 pound powdered sugar (maybe a little more)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend cream cheese and butter well.  Beat in powdered sugar.  And vanilla and beat.

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

These cookies are so easy!  You can't beat the peanut butter and chocolate combination!  They also have no flour in them, imagine that!

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
24 - 30 Hershey kisses

Preheat oven to 350º.  Cream peanut butter and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla.  Beat until blended.  Roll into 1 inch balls.  Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350º for 10 - 12 minutes, or until tops are slightly cracked.  Remove from oven and immediately press one Hershey kiss into center of each cookie.  Cool 5 minutes, then remove from pans to wire racks.

Note:  Don't use reduced fat or generic brands of peanut butter.

Raisin Filled Cookies

This is one of my Grandmother's favorite recipes!  I was so excited when after I adapted it to make it gluten free, it still tasted the way I remember it!  It brings home floods of memories!  The recipe is called Basic Cookies, and can be adapted many ways.  It's a freezer cookie dough that you slice frozen, put the filling in and top with another slice.  It's nice to have cookie dough in the freezer ready to go on a dime.  As children, we would cut off a large slice and just eat the dough!  It was a favorite!

Basic Cookie Dough

Mix together and cream well:
   4 cubes butter
   2 cups sugar
   1 cup brown sugar
   4 eggs
   2 tablespoons milk
   2 teaspoons vanilla

Add:
   1 teaspoon salt
   2 teaspoons soda
   4 teaspoons xanthan gum
   7 cups featherlight flour

Mix in a large stand mixer.  Drop cookie dough on plastic wrap.  Form into rolls, about 2 inches in diameter, and wrap with the plastic wrap.  It makes about 4 rolls.  Chill in freezer for several hours.  This dough may be kept in the freezer for some time.

Raisin Filling

Put in blender:
   1 cup warm water
   1 teaspoon vanilla
   3/4 cup sugar
   1 tablespoon featherlight flour
   2 cups raisins
   1/2 teaspoon salt

Blend thoroughly but not too long.  Remove from blender and add 1 cup chopped nuts.  (Grandma loved larger pieces of nuts, and I do too!)

Slice frozen Basic Cookie dough rolls 1/4 inch thick and place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.  Put a spoonful of filling on top,  Place another slice of dough over the filling.  No need to seal the edges.  Bake at 350º for 9 - 12 minutes.  Do not under cook.

Snickerdoodles

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups featherlight flour
1/2 cup gluten free flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Cream together the butter, sugar and eggs.  Add flours, xanthan gum, soda, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt.  Blend.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  In a small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in cinnamon-sugar.  Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake at 400º for 8 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

You're going to love these cookies!  You can't even tell they are gluten free.  It makes a HUGE batch.  I like to bake a few trays, and freeze the rest as cookie dough so I can have fresh baked cookies whenever I want.  You can also easily half the recipe.

1 lb butter

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups brown sugar

5 cups featherlight flour

2 teaspoons soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

4 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 cups gluten free oatmeal

2 12 ounce bags chocolate chips

Mix well the butter, eggs, sugar and brown sugar.  Add flour, soda, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, and vanilla.  Mix, then add oatmeal.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Bake at 375º for 8 - 9 minutes.

To freeze, just put them on the cookie sheet as if you're going to bake them.  Put them very close together so you can squeeze a lot on the tray.  Then put them in the freezer for a few hours.  Pull them out and put the frozen cookie dough balls into a freezer bag.  When you're ready to cook them, take them out of the freezer and let them defrost for 10 - 15 minutes on the counter, then bake.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

4 1/2 cups gluten free flour
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Egg Replacer
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 15 ounce can pumpkin
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 12 ounce package chocolate chips

In medium bowl, combine dry ingredients and set aside.

In a mixing bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar and sugar.  Beat in the eggs one at a time.  Then gradually add the pumpkin, vanilla and sour cream.  Gradually add the dry ingredients.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Drop by spoonful onto greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350º for 13 - 15 minutes.

Robin's Chocolate Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies are my go-to treat!  Nobody can tell they are gluten free!  Everyone gobbles them up!  This recipe makes a giant batch!  I will often bake about half the batch and refrigerate or freeze the rest.
If you choose to freeze them, using a spoon or your hands, drop the dough onto ungreased cookie sheet and space them close together.  Put in the freezer and as soon as they are frozen, take them off the pan and put into a freezer bag.
For my non-gluten free friends:  You can make this recipe with your regular flour, just omit the xanthan gum.



1 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups butter

3 eggs

2 Tablespoons vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon xanthan gum

6 cups featherlight flour

2 12 oz bags milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375º.  Cream together sugar, brown sugar, butter.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.  Add baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, and featherlight flour.  Mix.  If the dough is too wet to grab with your hands, add more flour.  Sometimes I add anywhere from 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup, depending on how wet the dough is.

Stir in chocolate chips.

I use my hands or a large spoon to drop the dough onto a greased cookie sheet.  Don't roll them into a ball!  (They cook weird if you do.)

Bake @ 375 degrees for 8 minutes.