Gingerbread Trees with Lemon Icing

Let the family join in as you roll, cut and bake these delectable Gingerbread Tree cookies. A simple icing tops these pretty little trees.

And don’t hesitate to add sparkling sugar to give your Gingerbread Trees a snow-kissed look.

Makes: 40 2 1/2-inch cookies
Free of: gluten and all top allergens

Ingredients

Cookies

2 1/2 cups Cybele’s Basic Gluten-Free Flour Blend (see below) or Authentic Foods GF Classical Blend
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
5/8 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup (120 mL) packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (120 mL) palm oil shortening or vegetable shortening (may contain soy), cut into 8 pieces
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp applesauce
1/4 cup (60 mL) unsulphured molasses

Icing

1 1/3 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
decorating, sanding or coarse sugar (optional)

Cybele’s Basic Gluten-Free Flour Blend

Makes: 6 cups of flour blend
Free of: gluten and all top allergens

4 cups (950 mL) brown rice flour*
2/3 cup (160 mL) tapioca flour or starch
1 1/3 cups (320 mL) potato starch

Method

Mix until all ingredients are well-distributed. Then store in an airtight container.

Recipe Tips

When measuring flours and starches scoop into the measuring cups then level off with the back of a knife. Do not use the measuring cup to scoop.

*For best results: Use Authentic Foods Superfine Brown Rice Flour or Bob’s Red Mill Brown Rice Flour (which is also quite fine). However, the Bob’s product does carry a tree nut "may contain" warning. If using another brown rice flour instead, place in a spice grinder or food processor and blend for 1 minute to get the find grind needed for these recipes.

Instructions

In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix flour blend, ginger, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, cinnamon and cloves on low speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and briefly combine.
Add shortening pieces and applesauce to flour mixture and mix on low speed for 90 seconds, or until the consistency of a fine meal. With mixer still running, add molasses and mix for 30 seconds, scraping down the sides of bowl as necessary.
Lay two large sheets of parchment paper on your work surface. Transfer dough to one sheet of parchment. Pat dough into a disk and cover with other piece of parchment. Roll out dough into a 1/4-inch thick, long rectangle.
Transfer dough with parchment paper to the freezer (place on a cleared rack or baking tray) and chill until firm, at least 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
To avoid over-handling or breaking dough, place dough with parchment paper on work surface, peel off top layer of parchment and replace with a fresh sheet of parchment. Flip dough with parchment, and peel off top layer of parchment. It should now rest, uncovered, on a sheet of fresh parchment paper.
Cut dough into long 2 1/2-inch wide strips then cut each strip into triangles with 2-inch wide bases. Place the dough triangles on baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Gather any remaining dough scraps, roll into 1/4-inch thick rectangle and cut into triangle shapes.
Bake 10 minutes, or until the cookies are golden. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets, before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
For icing, whisk confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. With a small spoon or knife, drizzle 3 or 4 horizontal lines of icing over cooled cookies. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Let set then shake off any extra sugar.

Cybele Pascal is the author of three cookbooks, including the new Allergy-Free and Easy Cooking and The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook. Visit her at http://cybelesfreetoeat.com.