While a box of chocolates is a wonderfully classic Valentine’s day staple, there’s nothing quite like homemade goodies to show your appreciation for loved ones. These cut-out cookies from Unconventional Baker aren’t just adorable and tasty– they’re both gluten-free and vegan, and can easily be made nut-free, so everybody can enjoy them.
Cookie Ingredients
- ½ cup non-dairy butter or softened coconut oil
- ⅓ cup maple syrup or other liquid sweetener
- 2 ¼ cups gluten-free flour blend
- ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
- Dash of salt
Icing Ingredients
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp non-dairy milk
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or other liquid sweetener
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- Plant-based food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Prepare a rolling area with two additional sheets of parchment paper for that, and have your cookie cutter handy.
- Place butter in a large mixing bowl and whip it with a mixer until it’s creamy. Add sweetener, salt, and vanilla and mix once again to combine. Add in flour and use a wooden spoon to mix. Then get in there with your hands and mix everything together by working the dough until you can shape it into a ball. There may be slight variance depending on what flour mixture you use, so be sure to knead accordingly. Shape the dough into a ball and then flatten into a disk.
- Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4″ – 1/6″ thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out your cookies. Carefully transfer to a prepared cookie sheet, spacing them ½” apart– they won’t spread as they bake, so only limited room is required. Gather up any dough scraps and repeat until all dough is used up.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven for approximately 11-12 minutes, until the edges begin to become a little golden. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Be careful to avoid over-baking as cookies will harden once cooled. Allow the cookies to cool completely before icing.
- To make the icing, place all ingredients, except food coloring, into a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix thoroughly to combine. Gradually add in food coloring until you reach a color you’re satisfied with. Either dip cookies into the icing, or use a piping bag with a small nozzle to decorate, starting with the outline. Place onto a wire rack and allow to sit for at least a few hours or overnight for the icing to set.