Allergy-free Candy Cane Cookies

Recently, I came across a yummy-looking recipe for peppermint cookies on a friend's blog, and they looked like a perfect recipe to adapt to be allergy-free.  My husband is particularly fond of cookies with crushed candy canes on top.  This simple recipe can be a fun one to make with the kids, who can enjoy smashing candy canes, rolling cookie dough balls, and sprinkling crushed candy canes on top of the cookies.


This recipe calls for a flax 'egg,' which I always make first to give it time to set up into a gel.  I just mix a tablespoon of ground flax with 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl.  You can do the same thing with ground chia seeds.  Here's a little tutorial on using gel eggs in baked goods.


The next step is to cream the shortening and the sugars together.  Don't skip this step.   It incorporates air into the batter, which makes a fluffier cookie.  Then, the milk and gel egg are added and mixed in.


Once the flour mixture is stirred into the creamed sugar, some of the crushed candy canes are stirred into the dough.


Once the dough is all mixed together, form it into 1-inch balls on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Be sure to leave some space in between.  Look at those bits of candy cane poking out - yum!


Once the cookies were done (8-10 minutes), I immediately sprinkled them with some crushed candy cane. The result was a yummy, chewy peppermint cookie with a nice candy cane crunch on top.  We'll definitely be making these each Christmas!  What is your favorite Christmas cookie?


Recipe:

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Allergy-free Candy Cane Cookies
(makes 36 cookies)

Ingredients
  • 3/4 c dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening
  • 1/2 c light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 c sugar
  • 2 T coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)
  • 1 T vanilla extract
  • 1 'egg' (1 T ground flax + 3 T water)
  • 1 c millet flour
  • 1 c sorghum flour
  • 1/2 c tapioca flour
  • 1/2 t xanthan gum
  • 1 t salt
  • 3/4 t baking soda
  • 3/4 c (about 8) crushed candy canes, divided
Cooking Directions
  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Cream together the shortening and sugars in a large bowl. Add the milk, vanilla, and flax 'egg' and mix well.
  3. Whisk together the flours, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add to the shortening mixture at low speed until just blended.
  4. Stir 1/2 cup of crushed candy canes into the dough.
  5. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
  6. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately sprinkle each cookie with about 1/4 teaspoon crushed candy. Cool 2 minutes, then remove to rack to cool completely.
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2 comments:

  1. These cookies look delish! I love anything with peppermint :) I tried your pumpkin snicker doodles and they were a big hit! Is this recipe maybe missing some ingredients? Would love to give them a try - thanks for all your hard work in giving those of us with allergies some fantastic treats to eat and share!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for your kind words and the heads-up on the recipe. For some reason, some ingredients didn't come through when I posted it. It's fixed now!

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